The Best At-Home Workout
with Little to No Equipment

See also: Types of Exercise

It’s that time of the year when almost everyone has set a resolution to lose weight. However, for most people starting to go to the gym is incredibly difficult. It’s hard to find the time in our busy schedules to actually go to the gym and work out. Well, no worries as with today’s technology you can bring the gym to your home.

Nowadays, it’s possible to work out anywhere, even inside a hotel room. So, no more excuses!

Read more to learn how you can exercise wherever you are with little to no equipment.

Check out DG Athlete for more information on home workouts and exercise tips.


Full Body Workouts with Little to No Equipment

This workout will be divided into two groups, namely: bodyweight exercises that rely on your whole body weight to perform the exercise and exercises that require at least one versatile piece of equipment.

Bodyweight Exercises

With the help of your body weight, it’s quite possible to perform different challenging exercises to help you attain your fitness goals anywhere. These exercises don’t take up too much of your time to complete, so don’t worry about finding the time to do them.

Push-ups

You’re probably familiar with these already. This exercise is great because it works your core and upper body at the same time. Specifically, push-ups work the chest muscles, shoulders, abdominals, triceps, and the serratus anterior.

Push-Ups are an effective exercise you can use to build strength. Their greatest advantage is that you can do them anywhere with no equipment.

How to do Push-Ups

  1. Start by kneeling on the floor or a mat. Then proceed to put your feet together behind you.
  2. Bend forward and position yourself in a plank position with your palms facing down on the mat.
  3. Slowly start lowering your body towards the floor. Make sure you keep your head straight while you lower your body.
  4. Once your chin touches the ground, press your arms upwards.
  5. You can continue with this movement for at least 10 reps.

Bicycle Crunches

The bicycle crunch is an excellent bodyweight exercise that targets the abdominal muscles by engaging all the muscle groups. This, in turn, helps build your core.

How to Do Bicycle Crunches

  1. Start by lying down on your back.
  2. Place your hands on the side and proceed to lift your knees.
  3. Then bend your knees until they get to 45 degrees.
  4. Start moving your legs in a bicycle pedal-like motions.
  5. Then start moving your elbow in the opposite direction.
  6. You can do at least 10 reps each day.

Burpees

Burpees are a great exercise to burn fat and build muscles at the same time. The muscles this exercise works include the back, arms, core, chest, glutes and legs. This workout also causes a spike in your heart rate, thus ultimately improving your cardiovascular fitness. It also tests your coordination and balance.

How to do Burpees

  1. Stand with your feet slightly apart. Make sure you place your arms at the side.
  2. Bend your knees, straighten your back, and proceed to lower your body into a squat like position.
  3. Place your hands on the floor and kick your feet back, so you land in a push-up position on both your hands and toes.
  4. Do one push-up and then proceed to do a frog kick before standing back up.
  5. Repeat the same process for at least 10 reps of 2 to 3 sets.

Minimal Equipment Workouts

You don’t require all the workout equipment you find in the gym to exercise. All you need is one or two pieces to help give your body an extra challenge. Some of the equipment you can consider having in your home include:

A kettlebell

A kettlebell is a piece of workout equipment that offers numerous benefits to its users. Some of its benefits include strength and cardio training, working different muscles, and improving stability. Like other weights, kettlebells come in different sizes.

Choosing the right kettlebell is an essential factor to consider when working out with a kettlebell. Kettlebell exercises you can include in your daily workout routine include:

The Kettlebell Swing

The kettlebell swing is a well-known kettlebell exercise. It works the glutes, hips, abs, shoulders, lats, hamstrings, grip, and pecs.

How to do the Kettlebell Swing

  1. Stand with your feet wide apart as you grip the kettlebell handle with both hands
  2. Slightly bend your knees and proceed to hinge the kettlebell forward at your hips
  3. Swing the kettlebell between your legs
  4. Stand up, and with the momentum of your hips, swing the kettlebell up to your chest height.

The Kettlebell Squat

Like the regular squat, the kettlebell squat works on your body’s largest muscles like the hamstrings and quadriceps. It also works on your glutes, core, and calf muscles. The kettlebell squat also helps improve your stability by working on your different stabilizing muscles.

How to do the Kettlebell Squat

  1. Start by standing with your feet apart with your toes slightly turned out
  2. Grip the sides of the kettlebell handle with your hands and position it at chest height
  3. Proceed to bend your hips and knees into a squat with the kettlebell still in position
  4. Return to standing and repeat the same motion. You can do at least 10 reps for 2 to 3 sets.

Jump Rope

Most of us have, at one point in time, used a jump rope. It’s not only a fun activity; it’s also an excellent workout. It works on your hamstrings, quadriceps and glutes. This exercise also strengthens your calf muscles and helps improve your body’s elasticity.

Some of the benefits you can expect from jumping with a rope include:

  1. Weight loss
  2. Improved mental sharpness
  3. Cardiovascular training

How to Use a Jump Rope

  1. Start by adjusting the length of your jump rope
  2. Hold the rope’s handles
  3. Step in front of the jump rope and make sure your legs remain straight
  4. Start skipping

Tips to Remember

Make sure you start with a little warm-up before you perform any of the above exercises. Then do the bodyweight workout or minimal equipment workout for at least a few sets. This will allow your body to get the full benefits that come with every exercise.

Also, ensure that you get sufficient rest between each exercise. Resting sufficiently allows your muscles to rebuild and it enables your body to get used to each workout. You can choose to use one or all the workouts for your exercise routine.

If you include all the above workouts, ensure you start with smaller reps and increase gradually.

Here is a complete workout routine you can use with the above exercises:

  1. Warm-up for 5 minutes
  2. Push-ups: at least 2 sets of 10 reps
  3. Rest (from 30-60 seconds to 2 minutes)
  4. Bicycle Crunches: at least 2 sets of 10 reps
  5. Rest (from 30-60 seconds to 2 minutes)
  6. Kettlebell Swings: at least two sets of 10 reps
  7. Rest (from 30-60 seconds to 2 minutes)
  8. Cooldown and Stretching


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Conclusion

Exercise is an essential part of our lifestyle. With the above workouts, you can exercise in the comfort of your home. No more worry about renewing your gym subscription. No more excuses. With the above workout, you can get to exercise anywhere and at any time.


About the Author


Robert Lemus is a writer for Simple Fitness Hub, a website focused on providing simple and clear workout tips and reviews. Additionally, he is a huge advocate of natural bodybuilding and loves everything about the sport.

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