Home Workouts for Strength
Strength training can also help you burn calories more effectively, improve your posture and protect your joints from injury Strength training provides numerous benefits. The most obvious being increased strength with consistent weight training. However, other benefits include better performance in sports, easier movement in activities of daily living, more efficient calorie burning, improved posture, and protection from joint injuries.
1. Strength training may help to lower an individual's blood pressure. 2. Strength training may help to prevent and manage type 2 diabetes. 3. Strength training may help to improve symptoms of depression. 4. Increasing muscle mass through strength training can help to increase an individual's metabolism and reduce body fat.
You don't have to spend a lot of money on fancy gym equipment to engage in a regular strength training regimen. There are some inexpensive options available, like online strength workouts and even things you can find around your house.
If you have two different weights of dumbbells, you can use them to do a full-body workout. If you don't have dumbbells, you can use everyday items like water bottles to add resistance to exercises.
There are great weightlifting apps that can help you learn basic exercises and put together a complete workout. You can also find workouts from companies that you can stream to your laptop or smart TV.
Your Best At-Home Options
Bodyweight exercises are an excellent choice when starting a strength training program at home. These exercises require no equipment and are appropriate for people at all levels of fitness, from beginner to advanced. They work muscles all over your body, helping to improve your stamina, balance, stability, and coordination.
A circuit that includes burpees, squats, lunges, push-ups, and planks is a quick and simple bodyweight workout. To make it more challenging, do 7 to 10 reps of each exercise and move through the circuit 1 to 3 times. As you get stronger, add repetitions and then increase the number of times you complete the circuit.
If you want to add equipment to your bodyweight exercises to increase your options, consider getting a suspension training system like TRX. These systems are less expensive than complete home-gym set-ups, but are extremely versatile.
Home Cardio Workouts
There are many ways you can get your heart rate up at home, depending on what you enjoy. For example, if you like dance-based cardio classes, you can check out 305 Fitness, Daily Burn, Obé Fitness, and well-known brands like Zumba and Jazzercise that offer virtual classes.
If you're more interested in doing a cardio workout that consists of sports-related movements, you can do one at home by combining various calisthenics and plyometric exercises. No equipment is necessary! A full cardio workout that doesn't require any gym equipment could include frog jumps, burpees, mountain climbers, jumping jacks, and squat jumps.
If jumping bothers you, try doing a low-impact workout at home. March, lift your knees, and do side lunges to raise your heart rate and burn calories. You can also use an indoor walking workout DVD or audio workout at home or in a park.
If you want to invest in equipment, you can get a treadmill, an elliptical, a vertical climber, or a stationary bike that streams classes. These options are more expensive and require more space.
Best At-Home Options
If you are new to working out, you may want to avoid investing in expensive cardio equipment until you have a more solid fitness program in place. You can use what you have or invest just a minimal amount of money instead.
For example, if you are limited on space in your apartment for workout equipment, you can use the stairs to workout. You can also do a combination of stair climbing with other strength moves for an all-body stair workout.
A jump rope is a good, cheap option for working out. They are easy to store and there are even some (like CrossRope) that come with an app to help guide you through workouts suitable for your skill level.
Suspension training systems can help you build strength, stability, and flexibility by adding a wide range of exercises to your routine. They are also easy to store, making them great for small spaces.
Yoga Practice at Home
Yoga has many benefits for both your body and mind. It can help reduce stress, promote healthy habits, improve your mood, help you sleep better, and improve your balance.
Yoga has a number of benefits that can improve your quality of life, such as reducing pain, alleviating menopause symptoms, and helping you quit smoking. Additionally, while yoga has not been shown to directly address mental disorders such as PTSD or depression, it may help manage anxiety or depression that results from difficult life circumstances.
Yoga is simple to do at home as long as you have a mat and a small space to practice in. You don't need extra items like a yoga block, strap, or towel, though you can use them if you want.
There are yoga classes you can take online that are just as good as the ones you would take at a studio. You can also find apps and books that can help you learn more about yoga.
If you want the full studio experience at home, you can add candles, inspirational messages, or incense to your yoga space. This can help you center your focus when you come to the mat to practice.
Best At-Home Yoga Options
It's best to schedule your yoga practice like you would any other important event during the day. If you live with others, let them know when you're going to be practicing yoga so they don't distract you. If it would help, ask your partner to take care of the kids while you're doing yoga.
After you've chosen a flow, take a few minutes to rest quietly on your mat. Set an intention for your practice before you begin.
- Essential Yoga Poses for Beginners
- Yoga Poses You Should Do Every Day to Feel Great
- 15 Minute CorePower Yoga Flow At Home
- Yoga Sequences for a Home Workout
- Classic Standing Yoga Poses Flow
Workouts for Mental Health
The general benefits of exercise are widely known to extend to those who may be struggling with a mental illness.
According to NAMI, exercise has been researched and shown to be effective in treating a variety of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, bipolar disorders, schizophrenia, addictions, grief, relationship problems, dementia and personality disorders. It may also be helpful in managing bad moods, stress, chronic pain, and chronic illnesses.
While scientists know that various types of exercise can improve mental health, they don't necessarily know which workouts are best for this purpose.
This may be why the experts at NAMI suggest using the FITT principle to develop a program that suits your own personalized needs. The FITT principle has four components:
- Frequency refers to how often you plan to exercise. For instance, you might set a goal to exercise every other day.
- Intensity refers to how hard you are working when you exercise. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggests 2 hours and 30 minutes—or 30 minutes, 5 days a week—of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week.
- Time refers to the length of your workout. When you're first starting out, try exercising for just 10 to 15 minutes. Then add time as your fitness level increases.
- Type refers to the kind of workout that you choose to do. For improving mental health, you can choose whatever workout you enjoy the most. If you like the activity, you're more likely to stick to the program.
Free home workout apps and videos
If you want to start an at-home workout routine, the best way to do it is by following an instructor in a workout video. These videos can be live or recorded, and usually last for 25-45 minutes. You often don't need to use any fitness equipment, so it's easy to start working out right away.
There are many videos that are free, or have a free trial period to see if you like it.
. Here are some of my favorite workout apps that have both live and pre-recorded videos.
Peloton
Peloton is offering a free, 90-day trial of its polished workout app. The app includes easy-to-follow and high-quality video classes, including yoga, strength, meditation, cardio and bootcamp classes, as well as audio-only classes for outdoor runs.
CorePower Yoga
There are many CorePower locations around the United States, but you can also do their classes from home. They add new classes every week, including sculpt, yoga, and meditation.
Read more: Best Yoga Mat for 2022
Nike Training Club
I spent an entire year using the Nike Training Club app to exercise and got in great shape with very little equipment. The app has a wide variety of home workouts to choose from, including programs that help you set an ongoing workout schedule. The key is that workouts can be filtered based on whether or not you have access to a gym or equipment, so you can easily find bodyweight-only exercises.
Les Mills
Body Pump is a type of class offered at some gyms, managed by Les Mills. It is just one of many different types of classes offered, including boxing, dance and yoga. All these classes are available online through a 14-day free trial. Many classes do not require any equipment. After the trial, the monthly membership is $15 a month, $12 a month with a three-month commitment or just $10 a month if you sign up for a full year.
Blogilates
Cassey Ho, who is behind the hugely popular Blogilates YouTube channel and website, continues to offer a wide variety of pilates-style toning classes. If you're looking for more structure in your routine, you can follow her 21 Day Tone Challenge videos.
There are a lot of great fitness channels on YouTube, but these are our favorites for working out at home. There are a lot of great fitness channels on YouTube, but our favorites for working out at home are Soul Flexin, GymRa, and FitforTwoTV.
Amazon Prime Video
If you're an Amazon Prime member, you have free access to a library of fitness videos, including Zumba and cardio programs. To see what's available for streaming, go to Prime Video and search for “fitness.” Then, check the “Prime” box in the left sidebar.
Individual personal trainers
There are plenty of personal trainers who offer their knowledge for free on social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube. These trainers post workout videos and demonstrate how to properly execute certain moves.
HIIT workouts
A great 20 minute HIIT workout can be found in this article by Amanda Capritto.
Basic workout equipment under $100
If you want to build strength or be more effective, even basic gym equipment can make a big difference.
-a yoga mat -a set of dumbbells -a jump rope Some things you can use to work out at home, either alone or with someone else, include a yoga mat, dumbbells, and a jump rope. You don't need all of these things, just the ones that will work best for the types of workouts you're doing, be it strength training, yoga, or HIIT.
If you have a room with high ceilings or can go outside, a jump rope is a good way to warm up or get a quick cardio workout when you're short on time.
Whether you're trying to put on muscle or lose weight, you need weights as part of your home workout routine. There are plenty of great options available, including adjustable dumbbells that give you more weight options without taking up any extra space (though they are usually more expensive).
The types of exercise offered at the studio include yoga, bootcamp-style classes, boxing, high intensity interval training, plyometrics, pilates and barre exercises.
The type of mat you choose for your workout will depend on the type of exercise you are doing, as well as the floor you are working out on. For example, you will want to use a specific yoga mat for practicing yoga, while a more sturdy workout mat is better for exercises that use your body weight and for working out on carpeted floors.
A yoga block is a piece of equipment that provides extra support during a yoga practice, especially for beginners. They are essentially a must-have for practicing yoga, and these particular blocks come in a set of two. They have a soft finish while also maintaining a high density, which is important for balance.
A mirror can be useful for more than just checking your appearance. It can also be helpful for making sure you are doing new workouts correctly. This wide mirror from Ikea would give you a good view of your workout routine.
If you're working out with your phone, tablet or laptop, headphones will give you the best experience, while also being courteous to anyone in the household who doesn't want to work out with you.
Having a lacrosse ball and foam roller on hand can help you maintain your body's mobility as you ease into a new workout routine. The lacrosse ball can relieve tension in your feet and back, while the foam roller can be used to massage your entire body.