Workouts to try at home: No equipment required
When it gets colder outside, the desire to leave the house and workout sounds less and less enticing.
“Research shows people exercise for an average of eight minutes less during the cooler months. People also drop other activities they do during warmer months, such as active traveling,” According to the University of Essex. “Light intensity activity (such as slow walking and housework) is shown to decrease during the winter, while time spent sitting and sleeping increased.”
The good news is you don't need to leave your home. Working out at home may look different than your public gym, but the benefits are still there, and no equipment is required.
There are a plethora of exercises that can be done indoors without any equipment, targeting various muscle groups and fitness goals. Here are a few options to try.
Cardiovascular exercises
The American College of Sports Medicine said, “Substantial health benefits are gained when adults achieve 150-300 minutes per week of moderate-intensity exercise or 75-150 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise per week.”
Cardiovascular workouts often don’t require an abundance of gear. Numerous heart-pumping exercises can be performed at home without any or just a few pieces of equipment.
Medical News Today recommended the following at-home workouts depending on experience level:
Stand in place.
Dance to music.
Air squats.
Arm circles.
Jumping jacks.
Stair climb.
Upper body exercises
Upper body workouts are often associated with lifting weights in the gym, something many people don't have lying around in their homes.
But Barbend said it’s still possible “to get a great workout without fancy machines or an abundance of free weights. But training your upper body at home may take a bit more creativity than you’re used to.”
Here are a few workout options to try at home:
Pushups.
Dips.
Plank to pushup.
Side and lateral arm raises.
Pressups.
Floor tricep dips.
Related
Core exercises
Ab workouts might be the easiest workout to perform at home with little to no equipment.
“Your core is the central part of your body. It includes your pelvis, lower back, hips and stomach. The stomach muscles sometimes are called abs,” per the Mayo Clinic. “Core exercises train the muscles in your core to work in harmony. This leads to better balance and steadiness, also called stability.”
With a comfortable surface to workout on, here's a list of ab workouts that are easy to tackle at home:
Planks.
Russian twists.
Leg raises.
Bicycle crunches.
Superman
Heal touches.
Lower body exercises
The lower body houses some of the largest muscles, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and calves. By strengthening these muscles, you can improve your overall strength, agility and endurance.
Functional movements in our daily lives, such as standing, walking, running, climbing stairs and lifting objects, predominantly engage our lower body muscles. Strengthening these muscles through exercises helps improve daily activities and reduces the risk of injuries.
According to Self, “Leg exercises don’t have to be complicated to be effective—and they don’t need to require any equipment either. There are plenty of bodyweight leg exercises you can add to your at-home workout routine that will help you improve your strength in daily life and get closer to your fitness goals, too.”
Here’s a list of lower body exercises to try at home:
Squats.
Lunges.
Glute bridges.
Wall sit.
Calf raises.
With these exercises, you can create various workout routines based on your goals, whether it’s strength training or cardiovascular fitness. It’s important to listen to your body and adjust exercises as needed.
