Fit Tip: Home Workout For Everyone

Home workouts….do they work? Whether you are working from home, are a stay at home parent, or are using the “home gym” for financial reasons, working out a home can sometimes seem difficult. Obviously here at BowFlex, we believe you can get a great workout with quality equipment in the comfort of your own home. If you have a treadmill, elliptical, or a set of dumbbells, you are set, right? But what if you don’t have any equipment? No problem! You can get a full body, effective workout at home without lifting a single dumbbell or hopping on a machine.

I know what you might be thinking….is this going to be another blog that tells me I can get a great workout with the same ‘ole bodyweight squats, lunges, pushups and planks? Well…. yes! But there’s a reason these type of bodyweight exercises have been around forever and are in almost every workout you come by: they work! Most are compound exercises, which as we’ve talked about before in one of my recent blogs, work multiple muscle groups at once, making them time efficient and effective getting both strength and cardio at once. Another reason we love bodyweight moves? Anyone can do them. There are multiple ways to make things more or less challenging as needed, and since many mimic movements we do all day long (like getting up and down from a chair, i.e. a SQUAT), our bodies often already know what to do.

Here are some tips to getting the most out of your home workout.

1. Lower your expectations and redefine what a "workout should look like."

   I know, doesn’t sound like the best fitness advice coming from a personal trainer. What I mean is, make it a goal to just move your body, get your heart pumping, maybe break a sweat, and don’t worry about the rest. Maybe you get 10 pushups instead of 20, maybe your kids wake up from a nap and you only get half of the exercises in, maybe you get a work call in the middle: whatever happens, remember something is better than nothing!

2. Split up your workout in segments throughout your day.

   Since your home is your gym, get it when you can! Get a quick five minutes of a yoga flow in the morning, grab ten minutes of strength before lunch, and finish with a quick stretch before bed. Or do one set of each exercise every hour as a work break. Studies show doing quick workouts throughout your day is just as effective (if not more) than one longer consecutive workout.

3. Use what you’ve got at home!

   A chair, your couch, a bed, your kitchen counter top, often the best “equipment” is exactly what you have at home. Got a set of stairs? Do forward or lateral step ups, or intervals of walking or running up and down. That cozy rug makes the perfect yoga mat. That 25-pound toddler is the perfect dumbbell!

No matter what, remember to do what you can, with what you have, and don’t stress about the rest! You’ll feel better, have more energy, and get strong from home. Need some ideas? Check out my couch workout below!

Couch/Chair Workout

Do each for 45 seconds, rest for 15 seconds, then repeat!

1. One Leg Squat
2. Incline Pushup
3. Split Lunge
4. Tricep Dip Knee Crunch
5. Moving Plank