Workout at Home – A Beginner’s Guide to Exercise at Home

Are you wondering how to do home workout for beginners- men and women? Do you find it difficult to get to the gym to sweat it out? Does the idea of home workout exercises make you yawn? Do you feel it is necessary for you to have all those machines and types of equipment to have a full-body workout? Well, it is not. You can have a rich and wholesome full-body exercise session at home without the use of fancy pieces of equipment.

You have arrived at the right place to look for your answers. We will help you curate your own workout routine in the comfort of your home. So, let’s dive into a full-body workout at home routine for men and women. Let’s go!

Importance of Working Out

It is essential for every human being to have a balanced full-body exercise regime either at home or gym. It not only strengthens the body but also ensures the smooth functioning of the organs. There are profound benefits of physical exercise. Read this article from the World Health Organization here. Our home workout plan for beginners’ – men and women, will guide you to do full-body exercise at home. It targets toning large muscles and strengthening the core. You will certainly not need any special equipment for this. Just clear out some space in your living room and get ready to sweat it out.

Setting up the Perfect Space for Workout at Home

It is advised to pay attention to your workout space as it will not only help one develop interest but will also keep beginners motivated to workout at home.

Pick a spot: While you decide on setting up your spot, keep in mind that you have enough room for a variety of different workouts. You do not need fancy gadgets to have a wholesome full-body exercise session at your home. All you need is a good, positive environment that inspires you to get there and have a healthy workout session at home.

Create the atmosphere: Set up speakers. Good, motivating music helps the adrenaline to flow and charge a person up to have a richer workout session. Put up pictures of your fitness idols, quotes that inspire you. You can also set the mood by having a soothing essential oil diffuser.

Mirror your Movements: Installing a mirror in your workout space may sound irrelevant, but trust me when you see your movements in the mirror and track your progress in how much better you become with each workout session, it will keep you motivated and focused.

Stock your essentials: While you are a beginner, you may not need protective pieces of equipment like knee pads, shoulder pads but you should certainly have other essentials that would help you make your workout at home experience smoother. These include foam mat, water sipper, a towel, workout shoes, and skipping ropes.

Warming Up before Workout at Home

For beginners or for experts, one common approach to workout at home or doing various exercises at home requires them to have a quick warm up session to bring the body in an active state. This helps to avoid injuries and putting a sudden strain on the muscles.

Rope Skipping

Duration: 2 minutes

Jumping rope is the quickest way to kick start your warm-up session. Skipping at a moderate pace, accelerates your heart rate, and warms up your body.

Forward Spine Stretch

Benefits:

• This exercise decompresses your spine and releases tension from the lower, middle, and upper back.
• It also improves body posture significantly.
• It works on hamstrings and lower back.

Steps:

• Inhale and sit straight with your legs extended.
• While exhaling, lift your arms and gently roll your shoulders to reach your legs with your palms.
• Round your back into a C-curve. Scoop your belly and ribs inwards, and bring your neck and head forward.
• Next, inhale as you begin rolling back up, returning to the starting position.
• Repeat this 3 times.

Balancing on One Leg or Warrior III Pose

Benefits:

• This engages not only the standing leg but also the entire body. Most importantly, buttocks, shoulders, back, and legs.
• Improves body balance.

Steps:

• Firstly, stand with your feet flat on the floor with your feet hip-distance apart and your arms on your sides.
• Lift your right foot out at 90 degrees. Pivot your left leg inward at 45 degrees.
• Press your body weight onto your standing leg. Reach forward with your arms and align your body parallel to the floor.
• Hold this position for 30 seconds and then repeat with the other leg.
• Do three repetitions of this on each leg.
• Beginner’s Tip: If you face trouble in balancing, take the support of the wall, and extend your leg.

Bow Pose

Benefits:

• Improves spinal strength and flexibility.
• Stimulates the nervous system, and also invigorates the digestive system.
• Strengthens thigh muscles and relieves stiff shoulders.
• It helps reduce belly fat.

Steps:

• Lay prone on the mat.
• Flex your legs and hold your ankles with your hands.
• While holding that position, lift your upper body upwards. Keep in mind to look straight with your chin up.
• Continue to take long deep breathes in this posture.
• Hold it for 20-30 seconds.
• Aim to do three repetitions of this.

Standing Leg Lifts

Benefits:

• Engages the muscles in hamstrings and quadriceps.
• It helps to strengthen abs.
• Improves balance and flexibility.

Steps:

• Stand tall with your feet hip-distance apart.
• Place your hands on your waist.
• Lift your left leg, making sure it is parallel to the floor.
• Do eight lifts for each leg.

Workout at Home Exercises Plan

Now that your body is warmed up, you are ready to dive into a full-fledged routine of workout exercises at home- for men and women.

Basic Instructions: Beginners who are just starting off with a home workout, should aim for two sets of at least 4-6 repetitions (reps) of each exercise. Gradually, they should aim to do 2-3 sets of 10-12 repetitions of each exercise. Remember to take breaks in between each exercise to avoid stressing your body.

Glute Bridge Exercise at Home

Benefits:

• Strengthens the gluteus muscles and hamstrings.
• Relieves back pain.
• Invigorates abdominal muscles strengthening the core.
• Relieves menstrual discomfort.
• Boosts flexibility.

Steps:

• Lie on your back with your arms at the sides and the body straight.
• Tighten the abdominal and buttock muscles by pushing the lower back into the ground before you push up.
• Lift your lower back, middle back, and consequently upper back off the floor.
• Roll in your shoulders such that your weight is supported with your shoulders, arms, and feet.
• Hold this for 20-30 seconds and return to the starting position.

Classic Squats

Benefits:

• Promotes body-wide muscle building.
• Improves muscle mass.
• Works on lower body muscles like glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, adductors, and hip flexors.
• It also targets core muscles.

Steps:

• Stand with your feet slightly hip-distance apart.
• Keep your chest up while engaging the abdominal muscles.
• Shift your weight onto your heels while pushing your hips back in sitting position.
• Lower your hips until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
• Return to stand while squeezing your glutes.

Forward Lunge

Benefits:

• Develops lower body strength and endurance.
• Improves joint flexibility and movement.
• Keeps the body aligned and stable.

Steps:

• Stand tall with feet hip-width apart. Most importantly, try to engage your core.
• Keep your upper body straight with shoulders relaxed and chin up.
• Take a big step forward with your right leg, lowering your hips.
• Lower your hips until the right thigh is parallel to the floor and the right shin is vertical. Keep both knees at 90 degrees angle.
• Do not slouch and make sure your left knee does not touch the floor.
• Keep your weight onto the heels and push back to starting position.
• Repeat this with both legs.
• Beginner’s Tip: Make sure your front knee is directly above your ankles.
• Fun Fact: There are many variations to lunges. Once you learn how to do the standard one properly, do look up the other ones.

Plank

Benefits:

• Engages your whole body from the shoulder girdle to the pelvic girdle.
• It is said to be one of the best exercises to strengthen your core.
• It also boosts the metabolism rate.
• Greatly improves flexibility and posture.

Steps:

• Place your forearms on the floor.
• Align your elbows below the shoulders keeping the arms parallel to your body about shoulder-width apart.
• Rest your weight on forearms.
• Keep your entire body straight without sagging or bending.
• Look down at the floor, keeping your head relaxed.
• Remember to breathe slowly.
• Try to hold this position for at least 30-45 seconds.
• Beginner’s Tip: In case you are unable to sustain your body weight with your forearms, you can try doing knee plank. Wherein, your knees will be on the floor.

Push Ups

Benefits:

• Activates biceps, triceps, anterior deltoids and lower body muscles.
• Helps to build muscle density.
• Enhances cardiovascular health.
• Prevents shoulder and lower back injuries.
• Increases HGH (human growth hormone) and testosterone production.

Steps:

• Start by laying your stomach and chest on the floor.
• Keep your palms on the floor at shoulder-width apart near your chest level and arms at 45 degrees angle.
• Keep your body stretched and in a straight line.
• While you exhale, push to bring your thighs, torso, and chest off the ground.
• Above all, remember to keep your core intact.
• Hold it for a few seconds.
• Inhale slowly as you return to the starting position.

Standard Crunches

Benefits:

• Builds endurance.
• Targets the rectus abdominis – also called the six-pack muscles in the torso.
• Builds core strength.

Steps-

• Firstly, lie on your back and keep your knees slightly bent.
• Keep your feet flat on the floor with hip-distance apart.
• Next, place your hands behind your head with your thumbs under the ears.
• While exhaling, draw your stomach inwards and lift your head, neck, and shoulders off the floor.
• Pause for a while and then return to the starting position.
• Beginner’s Tip: Avoid putting a strain on your neck.

FAQs regarding Workout at Home

Editor’s Note | Workout at Home

The trying times of this pandemic have made us prioritize our health like never before. We all are striving to do our best to keep us in the best shape possible. But the question is: Will we still prioritize our fitness after the pandemic is over? If not, all of this was a waste of self-awareness!

No matter how busy our schedules are, it is not difficult to take out 30 minutes from the day for at least three times a week for a full-body exercise at home to look after your own health. Trust me, those 30 minutes will take you a long way to be fit and healthy.

Nowadays, technology and the internet are so advanced that you can learn basic exercises from the comfort of your homes. Research says it takes 21 days to form a habit and 72 days to form a lifestyle. Don’t let this self-awareness go in vain and cultivate working out a part of your lifestyle.