10 Do-It-At-Home Workouts You Can Do WITHOUT A Gym
Sometimes, hitting the gym is more of a luxury than a primary need – like when your front door ends up buried under 4 feet of snow; or your car breaks down just when you needed it the most.
Other times, you just don’t have the cash to pull up that gym membership since you’ve spent everything to fix that old-timey can of a car.
Whatever the case: staying in shape is by no means restricted to having the best fitness trainer ever, sporting the latest runner shoes, or waiting for the perfect circumstance to pump iron. As long as you have the right mindset – working out at home can be both fun and also bestow great results for your body in the long run.
According to Anthony Yeung and Ben Bruno -- L.A. trainers and overall sports junkies – these are the workout techniques you should be pulling off if you want to achieve that elusive, so-close-yet-so-far-away lean beach body:
1. Bench Dips
Bench dips can be done anywhere using a sturdy surface with mid to low elevation that rests steadily on the floor. Optimal results are achieved with an exercise bench, but you can opt instead for a household chair, couch or anything that allows for 2-3 feet total upper body dip.
Make sure your improvised bench will not tip over while tugging or any kind of jerky movements.
Fires Up: triceps, shoulders.
How To Do It:
- Firmly grip the edge of your bench: palms down, thumbs close to hips and fingertips facing forward and parallel to the floor.
- Remove your gluteus maximus from the bench, straighten arms and extend legs to straight knees position. Your glutes should be located just in front of the bench.
- Bend elbows and start lowering your body. Take a breath in as you drop and exhale while pushing up. Elbows should be held pointing backwards, while forearms should rest perpendicular to the ground. Lowering level should reflect your current fitness.
- Extend elbows and push your body upward. Straighten arms to pick up your upper body and push until reaching your starting position. Shoulders should be squared. Use rhomboids to help in keeping shoulders back. Don’t overextend and keep movements slow to avoid the risk of injury.
- Perform 10-15 repetitions without breaking proper form. If it becomes too easy, try advanced bench dips by putting feet on top of another bench/chair to add more weight.
2. Elevated Feet Push-Ups (Decline Push-Ups)
Let’s face it: a standard push-up is a quintessential exercise to be done at home, but it becomes so boring and unchallenging over the years that it can get quite old after a while. Decline push-ups however? Now we’re talking.
Settle for an elevated surface like your typical exercise bench, or opt instead for a more challenging approach using an exercise ball to fire up your core muscles also.
Fires Up: chest, arms, shoulders; w/ball – all of the above + abs.
How To Do It:
- Face the floor while extending your body and supporting your body weight with your hands. Hands should be placed somewhere around 35 inches apart. Torso should fall in line with glutes as if readying for a plank.
- Elevate your feet onto a chair, sofa or other furniture. Higher elevation leads to greater resistance.
- Start lowering your body; back and shoulders straight and glutes holding tight in place. Inhale during lowering until your chest almost touches the ground. This would be a half-repetition.
- Push up with your pectoral muscles and squeeze chest until reaching starting position. Exhale while doing so. This would be another half-rep which amounts to one repetition overall.
- For beginners, repeat movement until 5-6 repetitions in accordance with your overall fitness level. Advanced individuals should strive for 10-15 reps. Be wary when starting out to avoid muscle strain and allows your muscles to slowly adapt to such rapid change in body motoric.
3. Spiderman Push-Ups
This exercise offers a great deal of flexibility since it can be performed with slight variations to hit up different muscles and muscle groups without losing its initial ‘signature touch’. Spiderman push-ups differ from decline push-ups insofar prioritizing the abdominal muscles over pectoral muscles during exercise.
Difficulty level comes on par with decline push-ups while being harder to perform than regular bodyweight push-ups.
Fires Up: abs, chest, shoulders, triceps.
How To Do It:
- Assume regular push-up position: face down, hands apart from each other while slightly surpassing shoulder width, broaden shoulders and abdominals tightened. Beginners should opt for resting on knees.
- Start lowering your body until you barely touch the floor. Inhale while lowering. As you’re sinking down, slowly start to bring about one knee to almost touch your elbow. You should strive to reach your left elbow with your left knee and vice versa.
- Push back with pectoral muscles and arms to return to starting position. Try to keep the body straight as much as possible during repetitions. Exhale while pushing up.
- Switch sides until achieving wanted reps. Ideally, go for 10-15 workout repetitions.
4. Carving Curl
By using a 1-pound weight or a completely rolled up towel, you’ll be shredding those glutes to lean perfection. The carving curl can be done anywhere in the house, as long as you treat yourself to a mat and a floor onto which it’ll rest.
Be sure to actively stretch first before starting with the exercise.
Fires Up: gluteus maximus, hamstrings.
How To Do It:
- Assume lying position with your face pointing downward.
- Tightly squeeze your preferred prop just below right hamstring (behind your right knee), shoulders relaxed, right foot flexed. Be sure that lower back is in a straight-out flat position and doesn’t interfere with the next step.
- While holding your form, lift your right leg and slowly lower. You should feel a slight burn in your right glute meaning your form is correct.
- Switch sides and repeat for 20 reps.
5. Body Saw
The body saw is the perfect exercise to put your abdominals through a rigorous regimen, including rotating, flexing and extending the abs to build muscles and strengthen the core. The body saw is very similar to doing planks, only it’s more dynamic and proves a tougher opponent to beat.
It’s also very simple.
Fires Up: abs, core muscles.
How To Do It:
- Find a slick floor in your home since body saws would require to slide your feet from one point to another. If not, put towels underneath that will work just as fine. (Note: this exercise won’t work with a rubber matting underneath).
- Assume a plank position. Then tighten abs and squeeze your gluteus maximus while holding a parallel stance to the flooring.
- Start pushing your bodyweight back by employing forearms. Push as hard and far as you can.
- Pause for 2 seconds and start pulling back until starting position is reached. Do as many reps as possible. Aim to push further back to hit your abs harder.
6. PiYo Flip
The PiYo flip requires advanced levels of body extension and should not be trifled with by beginners. It’s also great for boosting up mood, improving blood flow and mustering energy for days to come.
Fires Up: the whole body.
How To Do It:
- Start off by entering in a plank posture while distributing balance on your toes and palms. Your body should stand flat.
- Bend your left knee to exactly 90 degrees, so that your shins rest perpendicular to the ground. Lift your left hand while the other stays put and rotate until one hip crosses the other. Stand still for few seconds, with your left arm stretched and fingertips pointing upward.
- Proceed with rotation, during which you want to hold your balance onto your right foot; your left knee should be bent at this point, while right leg stretched as your left hand slowly extends behind your assumed posture.
- You should end up facing upward during motions, back bent and left foot in the opposing direction against your right foot on the other side of the floor. This would conclude half a rep. Proceed with the same motion only backwards to achieve starting position – one rep.
- Continue with exercise until 10-15 repetitions while equally training each side of the body.
7. Burpees
Burpees are great for shaking off any excess stress your body has accumulated during a long day, or if you opt instead for doing this exercise first thing in the morning – burpees are an excellent way to help kick-start your day.
You can do them with or without extra weights. For beginners, try to not do too many at once. Build strength first and only then add repetitions in accordance with your current fitness level.
Fires Up: the whole body.
How To Do It:
- Assume a standing stance with feet slightly apart from each other. Start lowering until you achieve a squatting posture and rest your fingertips atop the flooring.
- Extend your legs back and bring your whole body into regular push-up position. If not possible, slowly walk your way back while firmly holding balance with your hands to support your bodyweight.
- Do one repetition of a regular push-up.
- Repeat the second step in reverse (i.e. kicking your legs to a squatting stance). While squatting, bring yourself to a stand-up position and jump as high as you can, all done within one motion. If not possible, slowly walk your way up front and break the single motion into several segments to match your strength. Clap your hands while in the air.
- Do 15 repetitions, or if out of shape or struggling – 5 would do the trick.
8. 180's
This is basically a jump-and-turn exercise which you can do anywhere at home, provided you have a proper ceiling height so you don’t accidentally bump into it.
It’s a great method to burn calories while also having fun.
Fires Up: abs, gluteus maximus, quads, calves.
How To Do It:
- Take a standing position and let arms freely rest by your side.
- Do a regular squat, and give yourself the kick to jump up during which you turn 1800 and land in the same squatting position, only this time facing the other way.
- From squatting stance, bring one leg forward slowly for greater resistance, or simply kick it out for lower resistance.
- Repeat step 2 to 3 in opposite direction while kicking out the other leg after landing.
- A preferred goal is 12 repetitions with using both legs.
9. Alligator Drags
Alligator drags require a lot of upper body strength and this is why they’re very hard to pull out properly. Still interested? Let’s delve right into the mechanics of the exercise.
Fires Up: abdominal muscles, shoulders, arms.
How To Do It:
- Place your feet atop two towels and make sure the floor is slick.
- Assume a push-up stance and tightly squeeze your glutes and abdominal muscles.
- Start marching forward with your arms during which your legs should drag behind. Try to keep your back and legs as straight as possible.
10. Stork SeeSaw
The stork seesaw builds up lower body strength by employing steady and exact movements. You can do this exercise within the confines of your home anytime at your leisure.
Fires Up: back, abdominals, hamstrings, glutes.
How To Do It:
- Assume a standing position, hands tightly grasped behind your back. Slowly start lifting your left knee forward until it reaches your hip, foot fully flexed.
- Whilst keeping your balance on your right leg, do half a squat and then bend forward until your back becomes parallel with the flooring. Your heel should be at point with your back.
- Repeat motion in reverse until you reach the starting position.
- For optimal results, aim at 12 reps while alternating between legs.
- Beginners should start with hands resting on their hips for lower resistance during the workout.