4 Easy At-Home Workout Ideas to Keep You Moving
Like many across the globe, you may be finding yourself spending more time working out at home. Developing a new home fitness routine can be daunting, to say the least. Especially if you are lacking gym equipment, a workout plan, and a home gym.
Luckily, you can still get your daily dose of exercise. We at Relyf have consulted with one of our team members, CJ Britton, who holds a Level 1 Crossfit Certification and coaches at a gym near our HQ.
CJ has populated 4 easy home workouts that will help you sweat, stay active, and keep your body performing at its best! These bodyweight exercises require no exercise equipment and are great to get your heart rate up while you're at home. Take the brain drain out of home workout ideas and follow our 4 exercises below.
1. Running at Home
First and foremost you can't beat a good run for a cardio workout. In terms of at-home workouts, it's infinitely scalable and is challenging no matter where you are in your fitness journey. Many workout styles all utilize some form of running in their workout routines. It can cover anything from a low to high-intensity movement and is easy to track progress.
If you're just getting started, set a goal for yourself to run/jog/walk 1 mile. Use Google Maps to set a .5 mile marker from your house and run/jog/walk there and return back home. It's the perfect way to be active and an added bonus is if it's pretty outside you get some much-needed vitamin D as well!
Are you a more experienced athlete? Look to beat a previous record like your 1-mile run, or a 5k. And if you're really looking for a challenge wear a weighted vest, or fill a running backpack with 10lbs and take off.
2. Push-ups at Home Until Failure
When you need strength training or weight training, at home pushups are a great solution. Also known as a "Death by ___" workout. This style of work out is simplistic in its approach and a great way to push yourself in a safe and scalable way while working on your arms and upper body. Here is how it works. Get your phone out and start a running timer.
- As soon as you start the clock do 1 push-up.
- When the clock hits 1 minute do 2 push-ups.
- When the clock hits 2 minutes do 3 push-ups.
- Add one push-up until you can no longer complete the number of required push-ups
This style of workout is great for anyone looking for a good arm pump while at home. If push-ups aren't your thing you can always do them from your knees or substitute push-ups for air squats. Speaking of air squats.
3. Bring Sally Up Air Squats at Home
Ever listened to "Flowers" by Moby? If you have ever done Crossfit you might have heard of this song. It goes "Bring Sally Up, Bring Sally Down, Lift and Squat gotta tear the ground." Here's the workout.
Turn on Flowers by Moby, widen your feet to squat stance (feet pointed slightly out, underneath your shoulders). When the song says "Bring Sally Up" stand all the way up. When the song says "Bring Sally Down" go down to the bottom of an air squat, return to the start position when you hear “Bring Sally Up” and repeat.
Here is where it gets spicy. Sit at the bottom of the squat until the song says "Bring Sally Up" again. Enjoy, and watch bring sally air squats for a great example of what the workout looks like. If you're feeling really strong swap air squats for push-ups and hover right off the ground at the bottom of the push-up. Air squats are a great way to increase your range of motion and set your legs on fire using only this bodyweight workout.
4. Body Weight Triplet at Home
In the mood for something more challenging but find yourself lacking in the home fitness equipment section. For a quick little sprint that works out your full body, try 21-15-9 Sit-ups, Push-Ups and Air Squats. This home workout routine is perfect for the more advanced athlete. How this works is you do 21 sit-ups, 21 push-ups, and 21 air squats, then 15 sit-ups, 15 push-ups, and 15 air squats. Then finish with 9 sit-ups, 9 push-ups, and 9 air squats. Time yourself on your phone and see if you can beat your previous time as you do it multiple days.
Wanting to try something even more challenging? Sub out the air squats for pistols, single-leg squats. Definitely not for the beginner!
As always, everyone is different and fitness levels vary. But don't let an interruption in your routine keep you from staying active. Stay moving even when it is difficult and you will find additional clarity from your body being balanced. A healthy body helps keep a healthy mind and vice-versa.
One final tip that will help with your at-home exercises, is to designate a workout space in your home. It could be an area of a room, or your backyard or a spot in your garage. Focus on keeping your home workout routine in the same area of your house. Just like your mind switches into “workout mode” when it walks into a gym, so will it be when you designate an area for your at-home workouts. Use this time as a way to detach yourself from work and stress and focus on your body, on moving and on pushing yourself. And as always, be safe!
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