If you are tired of wasting money on a gym membership or find yourself stuck indoors then these 4 home workouts are for you.
Maintaining a regular workout schedule where you can perform the workouts at home is far easier because they take less time out of your day and you can perform them anywhere.
Below I have listed 4 home workouts: a workout for men, one for women, another for the arms and back and finally one for the legs.
Using at home exercises really is a highly effective way to change the way you look and feel without the need to even leave the house.
Let’s begin…
How to perform these 4 home workouts
For each of these home workouts I’m using a format known as density training. Density training overloads the movement pattern and muscles while maintaining an elevated heart rate.
There are 3 exercises within each workout and they are performed as a continuous circuit one after the other for a total of 7 minutes.
So you perform exercise 1, then 2, then 3, and then 1 again and so on.
Rest should be kept to a minimum in between exercises.
If ever your form starts to break down on an exercise then stop and move on to the next exercise.
Keep a track of how many circuits you manage to complete each time you perform the workout and try and improve on it.
I’d recommend that you perform a workout 3 – 5 times per week.
1. Home workout for men
Our first routine is a home workout for men and focuses on the full body with an emphasis on building muscle and strength. All of the major muscle groups are used within this workout: chest, back, arms, core, buttocks, and legs. There is no reason why you can’t add some serious muscle using just these 3 exercises.
Many people have a door chin up bar so I’ve included chin ups within this workout as this is a crucial exercise for strengthening the back and biceps.
For many this workout will feel advanced and so I’ve included easier variations within each exercise description below.
Perform this workout 3-5 times per week depending on how quickly you recover from each workout.
Workout 1 summary
- Chin Ups x 5
- T Push Up x 10 total
- Pistol Squat x 5 each side
- Repeat for 7 minutes
Chin Ups
The chin up is a very powerful exercise for strengthening the back and bicep muscles. The chin up is slightly easier than the pull up, which has the palms facing away from you, due to the assistance from the bicep muscles.
Be sure to start from the straight arm hanging position before pulling yourself up, leading with your chest, and taking your chin over the top of the bar. Next with control slowly lower yourself back down to the straight arm position keeping your shoulders tightly sucked into their sockets.
Making the chin up easier: if you find you cannot perform 1 good chin up then work on just slowly lowering from the top position down to the bottom position. Use a step or chair to get your chin above the bar and then lower slowly to a count of 3 or 4. Continue attempting the full chin up each workout.
How many? 5 reps is your target or as many as possible with good form.
T Push Ups
The T push up is a great chest exercise and shoulder exercise for use at home. Unlike the conventional push up the T push up also helps to develop shoulder stability and strength due to the one armed nature of the exercise.
Perform the push up with the feet together and making sure the elbows align along your body rather than out to the sides. Lower yourself slowly into the bottom position and then explode as quick as possible up to the top.
From the top position rotate your arm up and reach straight above you, pause for a second and then drop back down into the next repetition. Change sides after each rep.
Making the T push up easier: if you find the T push up too difficult then resort to the regular push up instead.
How many? Perform 10 total repetitions, alternating sides after each rep.
Pistol Squats
Our final at home exercise is the pistol squat which will develop your legs, glutes, hips, core and cardio all in one exercise.
Begin by standing on one leg with the other out in front of you. Slowly sit back on your heel as you sit your hips backwards as if sitting down into a chair. Once you reach the bottom pause for a second before pushing the floor way from you and standing back up. Your other leg should not touch the floor during the entire exercise.
The pistol squat sounds simple but it is far from it. Most people will find they need to use some kind of assistance in order to perform the exercise.
Easier variations of the pistol squat:
- Sit down into a chair and then back up using just one leg
- Use a resistance band, rope, door frame or TRX to assist you
- Use a heel lift to assist with mobility or core issues
How many? Your goal is 5 reps on each side or as many as possible
2. Home workouts for women
Our second circuit is one of my favourite home workouts for women and conditions the glutes, legs, arms and core muscles. You will also find that the static lunge is very demanding on your cardio too.
As with all 4 of these workouts you will be performing 3 exercises in a continuous circuit for a total of 7 minutes. Take as little rest as possible in between exercises to keep your heart rate elevated.
You can perform this home workout 3 – 5 times per week depending on how quickly you recover from the previous workout.
Workout 2 summary
- Static Lunge x 5 to 10 each side
- Side Plank with Rotation x 5 each side
- Plank to Push Up x 10 total
- Repeat for 7 minutes
Static Lunge
The static lunge is one of the best glute exercises for use at home and will also condition the legs and challenge your cardio.
Take a good stride forwards and then keep your feet in the same position for the entire exercise. Slowly lower the back knee down and almost kiss the knee on the floor before pausing for a second and then straightening the front knee again. Keep your chest up at all times.
When at the bottom position the front leg should bend at 90 degrees fully activating the glutes. Do not allow your lunges to drop too short or you will push more muscle activation into the thighs rather than the buttocks.
An easier version: if you keep losing your balance or find the your strength lacking then strand next to a wall or use the back of a chair for assistance.
How many? Perform 5 to 10 repetitions on each side
Side Plank with Rotation
Our second movement is a great shoulder exercise you can use at home, it also heavily conditions the core muscles and develop good upper back mobility.
Start in the basic side plank position with the elbow underneath the shoulder and both feet stacked on top of each other. Keep your pelvis in a straight line from floor to ceiling. Next, tracing the back of your hand along the floor reach underneath your body as far as possible, pause and return to the top position.
Not ready for the side plank with rotation? No problem just use the regular static side plank instead and count to 10.
How many? Perform 5 repetitions on each side.
Plank to Push Up
The final exercise in this home workout for women is a moving plank. The plank to push up exercise will condition the shoulders, core muscles and backs of the arms.
Begin with the front plank exercise keeping your elbows underneath your shoulders. Your core muscles should be braced tight, locking your pelvis in position to form a straight line from neck to heels. Never allow your hips to drop towards the floor as this puts strain on the lower back.
Next place one hand on the floor and straighten the arm, then repeat with the other arm until you find yourself in the start position of a push up. Reverse the movement, putting one elbow down followed by the other.
Making the exercise easier or harder? The further you place your elbows in front of your shoulders the more demanding the exercise will be. If the moving plank is too challenging then use the static front plank instead and count to 10.
How many? Perform 10 total repetitions, changing the lead arm each rep.
3. At home leg workout
If you are exercising at home then this leg workout is excellent for overloading the leg muscles without the need for anything at all. You will strengthen your hamstrings, glutes, quads, and core with these exercises. You will also challenge your balance and improve your hip and joint mobility with these movements.
Just like the other home workouts this routine contains 3 exercises which are performed as a continuous circuit, one exercise after the next for a total of 7 minutes.
You can perform this leg workout 3 – 5 times per week depending on how quickly you recover from the workout.
Workout 3 summary:
- Single Leg Deadlift x 5 each side
- Yoga Squat x 10
- Side Lunge x 5 each side
- Repeat for 7 minutes
Single Leg Deadlift
The single leg deadlift is a great hamstring exercise to use at home and will also strengthen your glutes and challenge your balance. The single leg deadlift also connects the shoulder to the opposite hip and develops better coordination for rotational stability and movement.
Begin by standing on one leg with the knee slightly bent. Next, reach forwards with the hands while allowing the rear leg to naturally reach backwards. Keep your hips and rear toes pointing downwards. Pause at full reach with the body stretched out before slowly returning back to the start position.
You may find it helpful to face a wall and reach for it with both hands.
Struggle with your balance? Use the back of a chair or wall in front of you to help steady you.
How many? Perform 5 reps on each side.
Yoga Squat
The yoga squat is a personal favourite leg exercise that I like to use at home every morning. Not only does the yoga squat strengthen the hamstrings, glutes, and quads but it also improves joint mobility through the the knees, hips, back and shoulders.
Perform the exercise as if doing a regular squat with the hands overhead. Ensure you squat down to full depth and keep your heels on the floor at all times. At the bottom of the movement place your fingers of the floor and straighten the legs, pause and then return to the bottom squat position. Finally, raise the hands overhead again and stand back up.
Use your breathing to coincide with the movement. EXHALE on the way down, then INHALE as your straighten your legs, EXHALE as you return to the bottom squat and then INHALE as you stand again.
Can’t straighten your legs? Rather than touching the floor, touch your instep or hold your shins instead, gradually work deeper into the exercise.
How many? Perform 10 total repetitions.
Side Lunge
The final exercise in this at home leg workout is the side lunge. The side lunge is an excellent glute exercise for using at home because it overloads the one side from a different angle. As well as working the glutes the side lunge will also condition the legs and hips while improving your lateral flexibility.
From an upright position take a large step sideways, and push your hips backwards as if sitting into a chair. Keep your chest up and weight back on your heel rather than the toes. Pause at the deepest part of the lunge and then drive back up to the start position. You can reach the opposite leg behind (as in the image above) if you would like before repeating the exercise.
Ease into this exercise gradually. Don’t sit too deep on the first few reps, allow your flexibility and groin muscles to warm up and adapt to the movement. Once your muscles are warm sit as deep as possible to fully activate the glute muscles.
New to this exercise? Use the back of a chair, door frame, or wall to steady yourself and take a little weight away from the exercise.
How many? Perform 5 repetitions on each side.
4. At home arm and back workout
The final routine is an at home arm and back workout. You will strengthen your biceps and triceps with this workout as well as the lower and upper back muscles. Your core muscles will also get heavily used in all 3 exercises.
The arms and back are two areas that are a little more challenging to overload when training at home. I’ve included one piece of equipment in this workout for the inverted rows but these can be performed underneath a solid table.
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Perform each exercise one after the other in a rolling circuit taking as little rest as possible in between movements. You can use this workout 3 to 5 times per week depending on how quickly you recover.
Workout 4 summary:
- Inverted Row x 5
- Dive Bomber x 5 to 10
- Bird Dog with Rotation x 5 each side
- Repeat for 7 minutes
Inverted Rows
Our first exercise is a great at home back workout and requires either a bar, TRX or large table in order to pull against. The back and arm muscles will be heavily activated during this exercise as will the core muscles.
Lying underneath a bar or table keep your body as straight as possible by bracing your abs and glute muscles and lifting your hips. Next, leading with your chest pull yourself up keeping your elbows tucked in by your sides. Pause at the top and squeeze your back muscles tight. Finally lower with control.
At no point should you allow your hips to drop, maintain straight body alignment at all times.
Take care: if you are using a table for this exercise then make sure it can take your weight and will not tip over.
How many? Perform 5 slow controlled repetitions
Dive Bomber Push Ups
Here’s a good at home arm workout that also strengthens the chest, back, and core muscles. The dive bomber push up will also improve your overall mobility through the upper and lower back as well as the hips.
Begin in a standard push up position with the hips up and core braced tight. Next push the hips up and backwards keeping the arms straight. Leading with the chin bend the arms and take the head then the chest down and through between the arms finishing with the eyes looking up and the hips just off the floor. Reverse the movement back to the starting position.
Have back issues? Be careful arching your back too far, keep your buttocks tightly squeezed together to protect your lower back.
How many? Perform 5 to 10 repetitions.
Bird Dog with Rotation
Our final home exercise is the bird dog with rotation. The bird dog is an excellent back exercise that everyone should master. Not only does this movement condition the lower and upper back but also the rotational core muscles and glutes. Beginners will also find it especially tiring on the shoulders too.
Begin on all fours with the knees under the hips and hands beneath the shoulders. Reach backwards with the one leg squeezing the glute tight. Careful not to overarch the lower back here.
As you reach with the leg also extend the opposite arm out at 45 degrees to the side with the thumb upwards. Pause and squeeze the entire back at the top for a few seconds before taking the knee and elbow together underneath the body. Squeeze again for a few seconds and repeat.
Howe many? Perform 5 repetitions on each side.
Conclusion to these 4 home workouts
Above I have outlined 4 home workouts along with 12 at home exercises that you can use to change the way you look and feel. The workouts have been broken down into 4 categories: men, women, legs, and finally arms and back.
Each home workout will only take 7 minutes performed as a continuous circuit and can be performed 3-5 times per week depending on how quickly you recover.
Now you have no excuse not to get started with some daily exercises, you don’t even need to leave your home.
See more home workouts and exercises here
[thrive_2step id=’12292′]Have you tried any of these home workouts? Let me know more…
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