Working out at home has its advantages over gyms. You never have to wait in line for a machine, you have no initiation and monthly fees to pay, there is no traffic to deal with and you have privacy. Aside from all of these benefits, you still need to be motivated and disciplined to build muscle and improve your fitness levels.
Dynamic Warm-up
Regardless of whether you are at home or in a gym, your body is prone to injury if you do not warm-up adequately before your workouts. The best approach to take is doing five to eight dynamic stretches, according to Sports Fitness Advisor. These are performed in motion and they get your body tuned up to exercising movements. Perform stretches like trunk twists, lateral lunges, shoulder shrugs, leg swings, arm crisscrosses, deep knee bends and ankle bounces.
Types
When you are at home, you might not have shiny free weights and machines, but you do have the weight of your body. The main goal is to target as many muscle groups as possible. To achieve this goal, perform exercises such as decline push-ups, conventional push-ups, incline push-ups, dips, squats, lunges, back extensions and bicycle maneuvers. Utilize a chair for decline and incline push-ups and dips.
Cardio is another important aspect of gaining fitness. Being that you are at home, you always have the option of fast-paced walking or running. If you have a staircase, you can run up and down it, or simply step up and down one or two steps.
Features
Even though you are only using body weight for your exercises, this doesn't mean you are exempt from using proper form. Never use momentum and move through a full range of motion.
Take chair dips. for example. Place your hands on the front edge of a sturdy chair and move your butt and legs forward slightly. Your arms should be completely extended at this point, your feet should be flat on the floor and knees should be bent 90 degrees. Slowly lower your butt toward the floor by bending your elbows. Stop when your upper arms parallel the floor, push yourself all the way back to the starting position and repeat. Perform decline push-ups with your feet on the chair and hands on the floor and perform incline push-ups with your hands on the chair and feet on the floor.
Size
When you first start doing your exercises, aim for 10 to 12 repetitions. As you get into better shape, increase your reps to the 15- to 20-range. You can increase the intensity at a any time by slowing down your reps. For example, when you are doing squats, take a full four seconds to lower yourself down, then take one or two seconds to stand back up. Aim for four or five sets of each exercise and take 60-second rest breaks in between.
Time Frame
To achieve good results, you need to work out on a regular basis, but you do not want to overdo it either. Perform weight training and cardio three days a week each on alternating days of each other. The duration of your cardio is dependent on your current size. To lose weight, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends 60 to 90 minutes, and to gain health benefits they recommend 30 minutes. If you are not overweight, stick with the lower time frame.
Considerations
If you are willing to make a small monetary investment, get yourself a set of rubber resistance bands. These are easily stored and have convenient handles to hold while exercising. Use these to do exercises like chest presses, shoulder presses, back rows, triceps extensions, biceps curls and squats. Jump ropes are also good additions for your cardio workouts.
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