TRAINING AT HOME

No Excuses!

When it comes to kick-starting our fitness journeys, we often find ourselves put off by an endless choice of venues, hefty membership fees and a lack of time in our busy lives. We are also faced much too frequently with the temptation to check out the latest crazes we hear about on social media, which promise a fast-track route to achieving our dream bodies. The disappointing truth is that these quick fixes come with an expensive price tag and in the overwhelming majority of cases, results are temporary and short lived.

The simple reality is that there is no quick and easy way of achieving our fitness objectives and dream physique. Much like every other area of our lives, real results cannot be experienced without hard work and a long term commitment. For the sake of our health and bodies, we need to undergo a lifestyle change that will alter our entire attitude and approach towards exercising and ensure we finally reach our physical potential.

Whatever our life circumstances, be it a demanding job, young kids or a hectic travel schedule, there is simply no excuse NOT to work out if we genuinely want to. No gym required. Simply a space of 1 square meter in the comfort of our own homes.

Which brings me to the purpose of this article. Here, I want to share some advice for exercising effectively at home, whether you’re a beginner, expert or anyone in between. I also want to take you through three amazing work-outs you can try out with varying levels of intensity. They can all be done 3 days per week to ensure results are achieved if done consistently. Finally, I’ll leave you with some extra tips and suggestions to achieve the most out of your new exercise-from-home program. 

Equipment

Exercising effectively at home is made absolutely possible with some basic and inexpensive work-out equipment. A pair of dumb bells and rubber band is the basic set I’d recommend to target all your muscle groups while training at home, and what you require to follow the three work-outs suggested in this article. A yoga matt can also be used for all kind of exercises targeting your glutes, abs, core and lower back. If you want greater variation in your work-outs, you could also invest in a kettlebell, TRX suspension trainer, stepper and skipping rope.

Key Exercises

Home work-outs can be very simple focusing on muscle strength and endurance, or more advanced concentrating on cardiovascular systems and challenging your body, all without the use of any cardio equipment found in a gym.

The following body-weight exercises can be implemented for an effective, all-over-body work-out:

• Squats
• Split Squats
• Push-ups
• Lunges
• Side Lunges
• Reverse Lunges
• Burpees
• Plank
• Sit-ups
• Hip Thrust
• Jumping Jacks
• Ballistic and Plyometric Exercises

In addition, these next movements can also be performed using your rubber band or dumb bells:

• Shoulder press
• Chest Press
• Rows
• Rear Trapezius and Back Exercises
• Band Squats
• Abductors and abductors Exercises
• Glutes and Core

Recommended work-outs

I’ve put together three exercise routines which you can find by visiting my site's Free Workouts section under Indoor Home Training.

These can all be carried out freely from your home depending on your level of fitness and endurance. Each one incorporates similar exercises and can be performed in under an hour. How much time you’re able and willing to commit will determine the level of intensity you’d need to stick with throughout your work-out to achieve optimal results. 

Final tips

By committing to one of these work-out programs, results will become apparent to you in the first few weeks of training. And in a matter of time, you’ll soon experience the satisfaction of having your friends and colleagues observe and complement your impressive physical changes. While consistency and dedication is crucial to achieving long-term results, there are many ways you can boost your work-out efficiency and maximize your overall success. Some key suggestions are listed below:

• If you feel tired, reduce the number of sets from 3 to 2 (in a low intensity work-out)
• Drink plenty of water before, during and after training
• Have energetic and upbeat music playing in the background
• If you have a room with large mirrors, use it during your work-out session
• Keep phones away
• Ensure your room is well ventilated with a cool temperature to avoid a heat stroke
• Stretch at the end of your work-out; ideally 2-3 sets of 30-60 seconds per muscle group
• Exercising with a dedicated friend can be more enjoyable and motivating
• Working out between 5pm to 7pm is recommended, because the greatest cardiovascular and muscle strength efficiency occurs at this time due to biological activities in the human body
• Use an online personal trainer to ensure exercises are performed safely and properly; in addition, a good trainer will provide a more personalized work-out program depending on your age, level, equipment and fitness goals
• After you finish, try to eat healthily. Studies recommend that a nutritious beverage or rapidly digestible meal is consumed within 30-45 minutes following your work-out. Stick to a 3:1 ratio of carbs to proteins, with 1 to 1.2 grams of carbs per kilo of body-weight. So a person weighing 60 kilos would need to consume around 60-72 grams of carbs and 20-24 grams of protein

To conclude, you must remember these three key principles whenever you want to work out:

1. There is always time to work out; you can achieve good fitness and a healthy body by working out 15 to 30 minutes, 3 times per week, making it an average of 90 minutes per week: practically negligible! There’s no excuse NOT to work out!
2. You don’t need a gym to work out, you can exercise outdoors, in your house or even in the garage! As long as you have a plan and you’re doing the exercises correctly, you’re ready to go.
3. Remember that working out alone will not achieve miracles. There is more to the process: sleeping is crucial for recovery; eating habits have the greatest impact on your body - you ARE what you eat; and finally, remember that consistency is essential for long term success and an overall healthy lifestyle.