Try It at Home

I’m not sure when it happened, but at some point in my adventures exploring fitness venues in the area, I’ve come to love going to the gym. My year-ago self would think I’d been brainwashed or something.

I love the feeling of a good workout, getting that extra push from others, and leaving knowing I’m now that much stronger. Of course not everyone has access, time or desire to attend gym classes or visit weight rooms. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still get a good workout and increase your strength, endurance, and health.

Those same positive things I love from a gym experience can happen right in your own home, and you don’t need an expensive home gym to achieve it either.

During my , I learned exercise after exercise that can easily be done in my own small apartment, with practically no room and little or no equipment.

Really all you need is a list, a timer, and some determination. Other pluses would be an accountability partner and if you want an extra challenge you can get an exercise ball and resistance bands for under $50. These often come with a booklet of suggested exercises and notes on proper form—and there’s always more to be found online for free.

The list and the timer can be your best friend when it comes to home workouts. The hardest thing for me about working out at home is actually making myself go through a full workout. It’s easy to get distracted by other things that need doing. If you have to sit there thinking, “Well what other exercises should I do?” you will inevitably waste time, do fewer, and probably give up early.

So at the beginning, write out a list of all the moves you intend to do and determine ahead of time the number of reps, sets, or time period for each one.

One of my favorite modes is to get a list of about twenty exercises and a minute timer. For each exercise I try to do as many as I can in that one minute. Then, as quickly as I can, I reset the timer and go on to the next one, crossing off the items on my list until I’m done. With a little time interspersed to catch my breath, I can have an intense workout in just 25 minutes.

And I know I’ve hit all the muscle groups and gotten my heart-rate up because I planned it out ahead of time.  It’s harder to say, “That’s enough for now,” when you still have jumping jacks, tricep dips and planks staring at you unchecked on your sheet.

I find the timer works better than trying to do a certain number of reps because I inevitably lose count, cheat on the last few, or take too long in between exercises if I’m just doing number of reps. With the clock counting, I can give my whole focus to doing the given exercise right all the way to the end.

One thing that I would strongly recommend for a beginner, however, is to either do a few group classes, maybe one or two personal training sessions, or at the very least some online research and have a friend check you so that you can learn proper form on the various exercises you are planning to do.

I considered myself at least an intermediate workout fanatic before starting my personal training, and I still learned a lot about proper form and the huge difference it can make. You can either injure yourself or simply not workout the muscles you want to if you don’t keep your form right. A workout buddy spotting you can be a great benefit.

 In closing, here is a list of just a few of the many exercises you can do in your own living room: jumping jacks, knee raises, jump rope, squats, squat pulses, plies, lunges, calf raises on the floor or stairs, pushups, tricep dips, arm circles, planks, side-planks, mountain climbers, bicycles, Pilates 100s, v-sits, flutter kicks.

You can modify or intensify all of these—on the one hand take it slower or find an easier level, or on the other add a jump, resistance band or bring an exercise ball into the equation. It all depends on what level you need. Know your body, but also push it. It’s supposed to be hard—that’s what makes you stronger.

Find a friend who is as determined about health as you are, turn on some music, and have fun with it!