The 5 Best Full Body Workouts at Home
Working out at home has become a popular choice for exercising. One study shows that 52% of people who exercise work out at home. Since 2019, which was before the pandemic, gym workouts have decreased by 10%. The surge in home workouts has led to more demand for indoor exercise routines. Many people have discovered that home workouts can be just as effective as going to the gym. One way to exercise your whole body quickly is by doing a full-body home workout. The article below details 5 full-body home exercise routines you can use for training. As you review the information below, remember to always consult with your physician before starting an exercise program.
What’s a Full-Body Workout?
A full-body strength workout targets all your muscles in one session. That can include your back, legs, chest, arms, and shoulder muscles. A split workout targets one muscle group. For instance, you might work out your chest and shoulders one day and your back and legs the next day. The advantages of full-body workouts are they save time, you have more rest between workouts, and they can help you burn calories quickly. Full-body workouts can be a more efficient way to exercise.
Benefits of Working Out at Home
People who exercise at home cite convenience as the biggest factor for their home workouts. Privacy and cost also influence their decision. Some people don’t like to train in a crowded gym and membership fees can be expensive. Also, the simplicity of a home workout is an advantage. All you need is some free space. If the weather is nice, you can go outside to get fresh air and sun while doing your workout and you won’t wait in line to use a machine.
Sample Workouts
From cardio to strength to endurance, home workouts cover all the fitness aspects you need to stay healthy. Below are 5 home workouts to consider.
AMRAP Workout
Time: 10 minutes
Level: Intermediate
Best for: Endurance
Equipment: None
Description: A short AMRAP workout is great when you can’t get to the gym and your time is limited. AMRAP means as many rounds as possible. AMRAP workouts may strengthen your cardiovascular system and improve your strength. A simple AMRAP circuit would be to do 10 jumping jacks, 10 pushups, and 10 squats for 5 minutes. There aren’t any breaks between the different types of exercises in AMRAP, so find your own comfortable pace.
Balance & Core Workout
Time:10 minutes
Level: Beginner
Best for: Core
Equipment: Light Weights (Dumbbells)
Best for: Strength & flexibility
Description: The balance and core workout activates your lower body and abdominal muscles, and gets you energized. It’s moderately strenuous. You should have plenty of energy left for the day when you finish. A simple core workout could be a set of 20 crunches, a 30-second plank, and 20 glute bridges. Repeat this circuit 5 times. Rest for 30 seconds between rounds.
Boxing Workout
Time: 12 minutes
Level: Intermediate
Best for: Cardio, endurance, & strength
Equipment: Light Weights
Description: Shadow boxing, which is boxing without an opponent, is a great full-body exercise that helps build upper-body and lower-body strength. The faster you execute, the more calories you’ll burn. This is an exercise that can become advanced if you quicken the pace and extend the time. One sample shadow boxing circuit is 30 seconds of jabs and crossover punches, 30 seconds of single-arm rows, 30 seconds of hooks and uppercut punches, and 30 seconds of single-leg deadlifts. Repeat this circuit 5 times.
HIIT Bodyweight Exercise
Time: 20 minutes
Level: Intermediate
Best for: Cardio, strength, & endurance
Equipment: None
Description: High intensity interval training (HIIT) is an intense, full circuit workout will tax your strength, cardiovascular limits, and endurance. This circuit, which has 7 exercises that you repeat 3 times, pushes you to your limits.
No Equipment Full-Body Workout
Time: 20 minutes
Level: Intermediate
Best for: Strength & cardio
Equipment: None
Description: The focus of this rigorous strength exercise is your hamstrings, glutes, calves, quads, chests, and triceps. You start with 15 chair squats, 15 lunges, and 15 lateral jumps as a warmup. Then do 50 jumping jacks, 21 odd object swings, and 12 object rows. Repeat 3 times and then rest for 2 minutes. Finish with 20 backpack squats, 10 couch dips, and 10 pushups. Do that circuit 3 times. This is a good mid-day wakeup workout.
Sample Exercises
Below is a guide for how to do 5 essential exercises at home.
Push-up: A push-up is when you lie flat on your stomach with your arms and legs about shoulder width apart. You use your arms, legs, shoulders, chest, and abdomen to extend fully upward and then back down again, stopping when your elbows are at 90 degrees.
- Benefits: It works every major muscle group in your body. You can adjust your push-ups to target specific muscles.
Plank: For a plank, place your arms and knees shoulder width apart and then put your elbows on the ground. Your back should be straight. Hold that position for as long as possible.
- Benefits: It strengthens your core. Variations include a 1-arm plank and positioning yourself closer or farther from the ground to increase the degree of difficulty.
Forearm Sidearm Plank: For a forearm sidearm plank, place one elbow on the ground and put your feet on top of the other. If you place your left elbow on the ground, your right foot is on top of your left foot. Put the opposite hand of the elbow that’s on the ground on your hip. Hold that position for as long as possible. Do it on both sides.
- Benefits: Strengthens your shoulders, arms, abdominal muscles, and hips.
Squats: A squat is an exercise where you stand up straight and then lower your hips and bottom to a sitting position. To do a squat, start upright with your feet shoulder width apart, your chest extended out and then lower your body until your bottom is at 90-degree angle from the floor.
- Benefits: It strengthens your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, hips, and calf muscles.
Burpees: A burpee has 2 continuous steps. Starting from a standing position, do a push-up and when you are finished, leap in the air as high as you can. The movement between the push-up and the jump should be continuous.
- Benefits: It can build strength and endurance and can help improve your anaerobic health. It’s also a quick way to burn calories.
You should tailor your home workouts to your goals. It’s possible to lose weight, add muscle, and increase your endurance with these simple exercises. Working out at home doesn’t have to be the only form of workout you do. It can complement your gym workouts. It’s important to remember, however, that a home workout can be just as effective as going to a full-service gym.