Kicking off your fitness journey at home can be intimidating at the best of times but when you don’t have the luxury of an equipment packed gym it seems even more challenging.
We’ll tell you a secret - you don’t need loads of fancy equipment to have a great workout and feel fitter. As long as you’ve got the motivation, you just need a few basic exercises to build on.
Let us help you get started with 5 of the best exercises you can incorporate into your home workout.
1. Squats
It’s time to work those hamstrings, quadriceps and glutes aka. your legs and bum.
Start by standing with your feet shoulder width apart, or a little wider if it’s more comfortable. Squeeze your core muscles and lower yourself down as though you were going to sit on a chair.
You want your weight to be in your heels rather than your toes. When your knees reach 90 degrees and your thighs are parallel to the floor hold for 1-2 seconds and come back to standing, squeezing your glutes when you reach the top.
Aim for 15-20 and repeat three times.
To add extra difficulty try holding a dumbbell at chest height, if you’ve got one or if not a full milk carton.
2. Lunges
There are multiple variations of a lunge so try mixing up different versions into your workout.
Here are a few you can try:
Standing lunge - one leg at a time step forward bending your front knee so it reaches 90 degrees, you don’t want your knee to go further forward than your toes. Return to standing and repeat on the other side.
Walking lunge - the same technique as a standing lunge but walking forward, alternating legs. You’re adding extra balance and mobility with this exercise.
Jumping lunge - once you’ve mastered your lunge you can take it up a gear. Do a standing lunge but instead of gently stepping back to standing, jump your front leg back and into a lunge on the other side. This takes practice and be careful of the impact on your knees.
3. Push ups
These are a great exercise to work your pectorals and triceps or your chest and arms. Plus they have the added bonus of a lower impact version to get you started.
Let’s take the easier version first. You want to place your hands directly under your shoulders and stretch your body out so its flat with your knees resting on the floor. Keeping your torso straight, lower your body to the ground, stopping when your elbows reach 90 degrees. Hold for 1-2 seconds and then straighten your arms, returning to your starting position.
Once you’ve mastered that you can move onto the full plank position with your hands on the floor under your shoulder and your body in a plank position with your toes on the floor.
Aim for 15-20 and repeat three times.
4. Plank
The ultimate core workout. On the floor place your forearms down with your elbows under your shoulders forming a 90 degree angle. Straightening your body lift your hips so you’re balancing on your feet and forearms. Your body should be straight - think of making a line from your head to your heels, squeezing your core for stability.
You want to hold this for around 30 seconds and repeat up to 10 times.
If you can’t manage that just yet drop down to your knees - keeping that straight line from head to knees.
5. Marching
This is a great exercise to get your heart pumping. Standing tall, with feet shoulder width apart start marching on the spot, aiming for your knees to be level with your hips. At the same time pump your arms - opposite arm to leg.
When that feels comfortable you can speed it up so you’re lightly jogging on the spot, still keeping those knees high. Ready to push it even further? Then aim for running on the spot with high knees and pumping arms.
You don’t need a fancy gym to kick start your fitness journey. With the right exercises and some hard work you’ve got everything you need at home.
But if you do want the reassurance or guidance of a personal trainer to help you hit your fitness goals then become part of the PT ME family and find the right personal trainer for you.
P.s. if you aren’t sure whether you’re performing an exercise correctly then you can always video yourself to check out your form. You want to keep your safety at the forefront of your mind so this is well worth doing - you might be surprised!
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