Chasing that post-workout feeling?
Exercising at home may not be your first choice, but it can still leave you reaping the rewards, even with the absence of heavy weights and other more advance gym equipment. At the end of the day, it's the effort you put in, not the equipment you're using.
This article will take you through the essential factors to consider when planning your next home workout, to make sure you're left with zero distractions, other than the sweat dripping down your brow.
Whether you are working from home, or simply don't have access to a gym or weights right now - if done correctly, exercising at home will release plenty of endorphins to set you up for a positive, productive day or end your work day feeling accomplished.
Our environment has a massive impact on the way we train and the motivation we have before and during exercise.
Here are our tips for you to make the most out of exercising at home. Ensuring you have the best environment and approach possible for a sweaty-sesh...
Where Is Best To Workout At Home
Is the living room or the garden your new 'nasium? Or are you one of the lucky ones with a home gym?
Deciding where you're going to get sweaty and complete your daily workout is a great place to start, with the most important thing being a safe, spacious area for you to get into full workout-mode without worrying about your surroundings.
Staying indoors can be great for most types of home workout, and let's face it, the weather isn't always on our side... Yoga, mobility, core and bodyweight training can all be completed indoors.
Indoor workouts do have their limitations, however. It can often become warm quickly and space can quite easily become an issue (e.g. your ma' wont apreciate your skipping rope pulling down one of her chandeliers).
This is where a change of environment may help. Utilising private outdoor space such as a garage or garden will give ample more space for your home workouts, a cooler temperature (for most) and a change of scenery from being locked indoors for the majority of your day. Training outdoors also offers the opportunity to easily include sprints, running and skipping into your home workout.
Having a designated zone where you always go to train will also help build on the routine you create, moving your mindset away from your work-from-home-life and remove any unwanted distractions, such as televisions and annoying siblings.
Here's a list of places great for exercising at home:
Living Room
Spare Room
Garden
Garage
Driveway
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What Type Of Home Workout Should I Do
Now you have a clear vision of where you will be training, its time to plan your workout...
In our current climate, there are hundreds, if not thousands of home and bodyweight workouts accessible for free on social media, YouTube and online.
You'll most likely have come across many (many) personal trainers taking their expertise online, delivering LIVE home workouts such as the experts on our Gymshark Facebook Page.
Following live home workout sessions online is a great way to 'just turn up and sweat', with the session and guidance all provided free of charge by a qualified professional - you'll have all the motivation you need along with a well planned home workout.
If live streams aren't your thing, the Gymshark App has plenty of free home workouts, including explanations of each exercise - so you know you're doing it right!
If you prefer doing things your own way, try curating a list of your favourite bodyweight exercises to help build your own basic workout routine. Utilise these bodyweight movements along with cardio based exercises such as short sprints, running on the spot, jumping jacks or skipping. Having a time-based, or rep-based workout structure with short rest times will help keep things intense when exercising from home.
Here's a list of workout ideas for exercising at home:
Bodyweight Circuit
Abs Blast
Skipping
Yoga
Mobility / Flexibility
Plyometrics
When Is The Best Time To Workout At Home
First off, let's get one thing clear; there's no set time that's best to workout at home. We all have preferences and reasons to train at different times of the day.
There are many benefits linked with exercising in the morning and in the evening, which are part of an age-old debate to which time of the day is best to workout (we won't get into that today). However, building a consistent routine will force an adaptation in your body and mindset to train at a certain time each day, which has been linked to increasing performance.
Whether a morning workout is a perfect start to your day, or an evening yoga unwind is your daily activity - choose a time that's achievable in your daily routine and stick to it.
MOTIVATING YOURSELF TO WORKOUT AT HOME
No matter your situation, motivation is the ultimate driving factor that determines whether you have a good workout, a bad workout, or maybe no workout at all...
We all have different reasons to exercise. Our journeys are all unique, and many of us are at different stages of our training. Finding what keeps you motivated is the key to unlocking a consistent home exercise routine, making your daily workouts a staple, non-negotiable part of your day.
Setting goals can be a great way to stay motivated while tracking progress and achievements along the way.
Here are five great ways to track progress when exercising from home:
Increasing repetitions
Decreasing rest times
Measuring distance
Increasing exercise duration
Scoring how you feel each morning out of 1-10
Besides setting goals, external factors can also play a huge part in motivating us to get off the sofa and push a little bit further each session.
Here are five awesome ways to stay motivated when exercising at home:
Blast your favourite music
Involve family members in your workouts
Follow YouTube or live stream workouts
Make use of a round-timer app for your circuits
Combining intrinsically motivating factors such as goal setting alongside external factors will help keep you motivated to workout at home - meaning no matter what gets in your way, your daily home workout will get ticked of your daily to-do.
Do you exercise at home? Share your tips with the Gymshark community...
Drop a comment below!
