Regular exercise has several advantages. It strengthens your immune system, promotes bone health, and reduces health risks such as heart disease, diabetes, and a variety of other life-threatening disorders. Exercise takes a backseat in the priorities list as a result of expanding family obligations and demanding employment. The majority of us have great reasons for not exercising on a regular basis. The most typical justification is that one is too busy. However, with appropriate preparation, you can carve out some time in your busy schedule for your own future well-being.
If you don’t have much equipment, at-home bodyweight workouts are a great way to keep your fitness program going. If you don’t have a complete rack of equipment at your disposal, you might assume your options are restricted, but this is far from the truth. You can use bodyweight exercises to work nearly every muscle in your body.
Lower Body Cardio Burnout
This isn’t your average leg workout—there are a few exercises in here that we’re sure you haven’t done before, such as the runner’s lunge-to-balance (excellent for speed and agility) and the corkscrew (a dynamic plank variant that’ll put your core strength to the test). This workout, designed by Amy Eisinger, C.P.T., will put your endurance to the test. Then, just when you think you’ve finished, there’s a cardiac burnout at the end to give you one final challenge. You may adjust the amount of respite between exercises in the circuit to make it easier or harder.
Mountain Climber – Mountain Climber is a bodyweight exercise that provides an excellent total-body workout. This plyometric plank technique does everything: it strengthens the core, defines the shoulders, chest, and upper back, works the quads and glutes, and raises the heart rate.
- Start in high plank, with your wrists under your shoulders, legs extended behind you, and your core engaged.
- Engage your core and draw your right knee to your chest.
- Return to your starting position and immediately draw your left knee to your chest.
- Return your left leg to your starting position Continue to alternate, moving quickly.
Core Workout with Arms
Largely targets your core, but exercises like the push-up, plank-to-dolphin, and diamond push-up will give your arms a good workout as well. The workout includes nine exercises, which may appear to be a lot, but it only takes 15 minutes to complete. Your shoulders and triceps will totally be feeling it by the time you’re done.
Bodyweight Pull-Down – Because the pull-up requires actual upper body strength, the pulldown can be more useful for doing strip sets or continuing the burn after a set of pull-ups. Using both activities, either alternately or on the same day, will only keep your body adapting and striving for bigger, better lats.
- Lie on your stomach, arms extended high near your ears.
- Squeeze your buttocks and lift your chest, arms, and legs off the ground.
- Pull your elbows in toward your sides and strike upward while keeping your arms and legs off the ground. Rep this striking motion, holding your arms and legs above the ground the entire time and engaging your glutes.
A Full-Body Cardio Challenge
The circuit will cycle through five exercises that will train your legs (squat pulse), core (tuck-up), and shoulders all at the same time (frogger). You’ll end with an AMRAP (as many repetitions as possible) finisher once you’ve completed the circuit for the desired amount of rounds.
Elevated Push-Up – An uphill pushup is a higher-level version of the traditional pushup. An exercise box or comparable piece of equipment is used to raise your upper body. While standard pushups strengthen your chest, arms, and shoulders, incline pushups relieve some of the strain on your arms and shoulders while still providing a good chest workout.
- Put your hands on a box, bench, or step, palms flat, hands shoulder-width apart, and shoulders stacked squarely over your wrists, and perform a high plank. Extend your legs behind you, keeping your feet hip-width apart. Engage your glutes and core.
- Lower your chest to the bench by bending your elbows.
- Push through the palms of your hands to straighten your arms. That’s 1 rep.
- Continue performing reps for 40 seconds.
Plank Base Workout
Variations of the plank, where your shoulders and triceps put in a lot of effort, are a wonderful method to achieve that. His exercise will begin with skating to get your heart rate up, followed by three plank-based moves: push-ups, shoulder taps, and plank forearm reach. With the plank jack and forearm plank, the second circuit is heavy on plank variants as well.
Forearm Plank – Forearm planks improve posture by strengthening many of the muscles required for the body to stand upright: neck, shoulders, chest, abs, and back.
- Extend your legs and place your elbows just beneath your shoulders. Extend your calves by pressing through your heels.
- Engage your glutes and draw your navel toward your spine.
- Hold for 45 seconds; repeat three times.
30-Minute Cardio Workout
The aim of this full-body at-home aerobic workout designed by Eisinger is to do three actions as rapidly as possible: froggers, bird-dog crunches, and a three-point toe touch. If you want to get sweating, try this 30-minute exercise that serves as a cardio program (no running necessary).
Jumping Jacks – Jumping jacks are a physical jumping exercise that involves jumping with your legs spread wide and your hands going up or in a clapping position, and then going back to your feet together and arms by your sides.
- Stand tall with your legs together and your arms at your sides.
- Jump into the air while bending your knees slightly.
- Spread your legs to roughly shoulder-width apart as you jump. Extend your arms above your head.
- Return to the starting position.
- Repeat.
3 Move Cardio
It’s a wonderful way to get the movements down and ease into at-home exercises—the skater, three-point toe touch, and flutter kick—but it’s a great way to get the moves down and ease into at-home workouts. If you’re just starting started, consider doing each move for 30 seconds and then resting for 30 seconds. As you gain confidence in your ability to exercise, you can increase your work time while decreasing your rest time for a greater cardio challenge.
Skater – Skater is a type of aerobic workout that involves performing a lateral jump to increase your heart rate, strengthen your legs, and enhance your stability and balance. The aerobic component of this exercise is provided by the constant movement of switching your feet back and forth. Before you realize it, your heart will be racing.
- Place your feet hip-width apart. Lift your right leg and take a step to the right. Straighten your left leg and follow.
- Swing your left foot behind you and tap your left foot on the floor as you land on your right foot. You can also bring your left hand down to tap the floor while swinging your right arm behind your back.
- Swing your left leg to the left and jump, landing softly on your left foot and allowing your right foot to swing behind you, with your right fingertips touching the floor.
- Skate from one side to the other.
Endnote: Bodyweight exercises will make your at-home workout hard regardless of your fitness level. Begin with a beginner program, and you might be well on your way to mastering the expert routine in a matter of months.
Kristine Decena is a professional editor with over 10 years of experience in the publishing industry. She specializes in editing food and drink, footwear, clothing, and other lifestyle content. She has worked for such notable companies as The New York Times Company, Food Network Magazine, HarperCollins Publishers Inc., Hearst Corporation and Condé Nast International. Kristine is a graduate of Ohio University where she obtained degrees in English Literature and Journalism before embarking on her career as an editor.
