Regular exercise is the key to staying healthy, both physically and mentally - it’s one of the factors that can really help you to be the best man you can be.
Over the last year, home workouts have become more popular than ever before, a part of the new normal and, for many people, an alternative to stay healthy when they can’t make it to the gym or a class.
How to Get Motivated to Work Out at Home
Avoiding going out when you’ve had a bad day or the weather’s horrible are certainly perks of working out at home – not to mention the fact that you can jump straight in your own shower afterwards, without having to lug your kit, a change of clothes and all your grooming products around with you.
Despite this, some people can still find it hard to motivate themselves for exercising at home - it can be hard to feel ready to work out in the same space where you usually relax, eat or sleep.
To get in the right headspace for a home workout, transfer your usual gym routine to your home. For example, if you usually go to the gym three times a week before work, work out at home three times a week before work. Sticking to a routine soon helps it to become a habit and the motivation will start to come naturally.
Where’s the Best Place for a Home Workout?
A spare room that can be converted into a makeshift gym is the ideal home workout space. But if you don’t have this luxury, an area the size of a large bath towel can also do the job.
Choose a space that isn’t too cluttered, then you won’t need to do too much tidying before your workout and can instead start right away while your motivation is high.
If you’re self-conscious about being seen, don’t exercise directly in front of the window or make sure your curtains are closed and try to find a space where you won’t be getting in anyone else’s way.
Which Home Workout is Best for You?
Bodyweight workout at home
Bodyweight exercises can be done anywhere and are a full body workout designed to burn fat and stimulate muscle growth.
Not every exercise you usually do in the gym can be adapted for bodyweight training at home, but there’s a broad range of alternatives that will still give you the results you want. For example, try doing push-ups with different grip variations to train and strengthen different areas of your chest.
The bodyweight exercises we recommend include:
· Push-ups
· Planks
· Burpees
· The Superman
Resistance Bands
If you don’t have the space at home for a bench press or dumbbells in different weights, you should invest in resistance bands.
Resistance bands usually come in sets with handles, foot straps and a door anchor so you can attach them to a door. Each weight corresponds to a different colour which you can group together to shake up your workouts.
Resistance bands are lightweight so they can be stored easily, meaning you don’t need lots of bulky gym equipment to get a good workout at home.
HIIT workout at home
Like bodyweight exercises, a HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workout is designed to train your whole body, but at a higher and more effective level.
HIIT workouts are all about circuits. You’ll jump from one intense exercise to another, pushing yourself to your physical limit, with a short break to recover in-between sets.
A HIIT workout can help you to improve your strength, build muscle mass and lose weight, while also training your cardiovascular system and increase your maximum oxygen intake at the same time.
Your body will need time to recover after each HIIT workout, so aim to do this type of training 2-3 times a week at most.
Endurance Skipping
If you have enough space for a treadmill at home, that’s a great way to practice endurance training. But if you don’t, you can still get in some endurance training with something much smaller: a skipping rope can be just as good!
You’ll need to find quite a bit of space, but once you do, just start skipping. Did you know it can burn more calories than jogging?
Online Workouts
From workout videos to virtual personal trainer sessions and online HIIT and yoga classes, there are so many workouts you can do online from your own home.
If you know that you have a habit of putting workouts off, joining a live class can really help to motivate you. Knowing you’ve committed to paying for a class can be the driver that you need.
Ultimately, the most important thing is to keep your body moving, but if you need a little more inspiration to keep moving towards your goals, check out this motivational guide:
