Are you ready to get in shape in the comfort of your own home? Let’s be honest, sometimes making it to a fitness class or to the gym just isn’t possible. Your schedule is packed full of meetings, soccer games, and in general life. You might even travel often for work and events that leave it difficult to get in a solid workout. No matter how much time you have, I am going to offer you some of the most effective movements you can do at home, in a hotel, or even at the park while your kids play.
- CHEST
Women often want to avoid working on their chest muscles but you shouldn’t. It will not change the size of your breast but it will build the muscle underneath to make your breast appear more firm. It also helps women with posture and allows you to breathe easier.
The BEST workout you can do at home for your chest is a pushup or a pushup variation. For those of you new to pushups I like to suggest starting in a plank position either on your knees or on your toes. Once you feel more stabilized here then begin to lower your body into a pushup and come up slowly. Begin increasing reps weekly and over time you will begin to see and feel a difference.
If you are already a master at pushups and can do anywhere from 20-30 pushups, then start changing it up a bit. Try moving your hands to a wide grip pushup, close grip, or a reverse grip pushup. You can even change your feet up by stacking one on top of another, raising one foot up for each rep, or elevating your toes on a chair as you lower your body. Play around with different variations until you find the one you enjoy the most.
- BACK
Ladies if you want your waist to appear smaller this is an area you want to pay attention to. The BEST workout for you back at home is a basic pullup. It is a full upper body compound movement where you will get the most bang. Now if you are not in the position to do a bodyweight pullup, then adding in a resistance band to help will be beneficial here. It will loosen the tension it takes to bring your body up and down.
The NEXT great movement is a body row. You can use a resistance band or a towel and secure it to something sturdy. While holding onto the towel or band you will lower your upper body and pull up towards the secure object. I’ve also found that doing body rows with your kitchen table work wonderfully to engage your back muscles.
- SHOULDERS
Every lady loves a defined cut in their shoulders especially during the summer months. I find the BEST exercises for your shoulders at home do require a band and you can add more tension if needed. Some of the basic movements to use with a band are a front raise or a lateral raise and pause at the top with full contraction. If you have a smaller band, you can do band pull aparts in front of your chest. All 3 of these options will give you a solid shoulder workout.
If you are more advanced, then handstand pushups are a great option to do at home.
- LEGS
Our leg muscles are one of the strongest muscles we have but also can be more of a challenge to work at home. Sure you could do 100 squats and at some point begin to feel a burn but want to know a better movement? LUNGES! Yes lunges will take your quads to the next level. You can change these up to by doing stationary lunges, walking lunges, farmer’s walk if you have dumbbells, lateral lunges, or even reverse lunges. These are all great options that do not require any equipment. The key to making these so valuable is to go slow and really focus on mind to muscle.
- CORE
Your core is one of the foundational muscles that supports all movements in your body. My favorite core exercise to do at home is the plank. You can achieve massive results in a short amount of time with this movement. Start by going down to the floor and laying down. Slowly raise your upper body onto your forearms and once you are stabilized come up on your knees. If you feel able, raise to your toes while trying to keep a straight back and hold as long as you can. This will end up being a full body workout by the time you are done. Practice these weekly to build strength.
- ARMS
Are you ready to stop your arms from jiggling? Yes! Great, let’s start with your triceps. Two of the most effective workouts to do at home for the back of your arms are dips which you can do off a chair or low table and close grip pushups. Try mixing them up weekly. Next are your biceps which you can use a band or even a towel. If you are using a band then you can do any range of motion like a basic curl, hammer curls, or wide curls. If you are using a towel you can do the same movements by adding tension on the towel. Hold the towel shoulder width apart and put pressure like you are trying to pull the towel but not actually doing it. Once there is tension then begin to curl the towel towards your chest nice and slow. If you have a pullup bar you can also add in chin ups which will provide a solid workout for your biceps.
No matter how much time you have during the day you can always get in a workout with little to no equipment. Practice these movements with intention and you will begin to notice a change in your physique.
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