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It is not always possible to get to the gym and have a good workout. You can be busy at work, you can’t find the right fitness center, or you just don’t like to work out with other people. However, this may not prevent you from achieving your dream body. Check out the best body-weight exercises you can do in the comfort of your home.
What accessories can make your home training easier
You should not forget about the right accessories before planning your workout. Effective fitness equipment suitable for home workouts can also help you build muscle or burn fat. They will guarantee you enough comfort and move your efforts to the next level. Which ones?[1] [2]
Fitness mat
The basic equipment for each exercise is definitely a fitness mat. Not only will it make exercise much more comfortable, it can help you prevent injuries and unpleasant bruises. They are equipped with a non-slip surface, which is ideal for yoga, stretching or dynamic exercises with jumps. With mats you’ll improve your stability while shaping your body. In addition, if you decide to include plank in your workout, your hands will certainly thank you because of the soft surface of the mat.
Foam roller
Exercising with a foam roller brings many benefits for your body. In addition to massaging the exercised muscles, it also helps to relieve pain. In addition, it can be used to exercise the sitting muscles, back, or as part of plank or squats. There are no limits to the imagination and you will appreciate the multiple use of foam rollers. What other exercises can you do with it? Read about it in our article: 15 best foam roller exercises.
Fit ball
Fit ball exercise is mainly associated with exercising the spine or yoga. However, its use is much wider and you can exercise your entire body with it. You can easily do strength and cardio workouts with fit ball. You can also use it for plank, sit-downs, press-ups or as part of HIIT trainings. It will also help you improve stability, balance and posture. But how do you choose the right fit ball? Simply sit on it and when your feet comfortably touch the ground and are at right angle, it is the right fit ball for you. For more inspiration on using fit ball in your workout, read our articles 11 Most Effective Fit Ball Exercises For Belly Formation or 13 Most Effective Fit Ball Exercises.
Workout expanders
Workout expanders are a very popular equipment in many exercises. They can make every single exercise even more challenging and lead you to better results. Their functionality is given by the resistance of the material. The stronger the resistance, the more demanding the exercise. Extremely durable expanders are used to strengthen the pectoral, sitting and abdominal muscles, as well as the legs and back muscles. You can easily exercise with them and strengthen the muscles of the whole body. For inspiration, check out some tips for expander exercises on our youtube channel.
Skipping rope
Do you like cardio, but you can’t just go jogging or use cardio machines in the gym? You can sweat properly in the comfort of your home. A simple skipping rope can be an effective aid. Skipping rope exercise has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system, improves physical condition and strengthens the muscular system. You can also choose digital skipping ropes to count the number of jumps and even measure your heart rate. With a skipping rope you can enjoy the playful form of cardio workouts even in front of the TV.
Fitness wheel
The fitness wheel can also help you shape your body, strengthen muscles and improve stamina. It can involve all muscle parts from the back to the calves during exercise. However, it is mostly used in abs workouts. Try to kneel down, grasp the wheel firmly, stretch your body, and slowly begin to move forward to get as close to the ground as possible. However, it is important to keep the body stretched. If you have successfully stretched your body using the wheel, your task is to pull the chest back towards the legs. As with many exercises, the movement forwards and backwards with the wheel is done through the abdominal muscles, not the back or hands. If you use the wheel to exercise other parts of your body, for the specific movements you will use the muscle parts you are currently exercising.
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Abs exercises
Achieving your dream sixpack can sometimes be really challenging. It requires a lot of discipline and strong nerves. However, with regular diet and abdominal muscles training using effective exercises, you will certainly be able to get rid of your fat pads in the comfort of your home. Which exercises are best for home abs workout? [3] [4]
Plank
Plank is one of the most effective body-weight exercises while not taking much time. The point of this exercise is to keep your body stretched for as long as possible. In particular, you use the abdominal muscles to achieve this goal. However, if you do the plank correctly, you exercise not only the abs, but also the muscles of the back, biceps, triceps or butt. For an even better effect from the plank, you can try out its variations, such as the side plank or the rotating plank.
Correct technique: Place your forearms on a mat with your elbows or palms aligned under your shoulders. You will then bounce off the mat by keeping the entire weight of the body on your toes and elbows or palms. Keep your body stretched in this position for as long as possible.
Crunches
Another abs exercise, which does not take a lot of time, but is very effective. However, it is important to follow the correct technique, because in the case of improper execution, instead of the abdominal muscles, you will engage the spine. The main abdominal muscles are used for basic crunches. There are, however, various other variations of this exercise, such as side crunches or vertical leg crunches. You can also try fit ball crunches to make it easier to maintain the right technique. Ultimately, however, all types have the same goal, which is firmly shaped abs.
Correct technique: You are lying on a mat with knees bent and feet on the ground. Put your hands behind your head and push the lower back of the pelvis down, while lifting the upper part slightly forward. Keep your stomach stretched while exercising.
Russian twist
An ideal home workout abs exercise is a Russian twist. Compared to crunches, however, oblique abdominal muscles, which take care of rotation of the torso, are much more engaged in this exercise. Regular rotation of the center of the body can also help improve posture. You can also use dumbbell, kettlebell or water bottle for a more effective workout.
Correct technique: Sit on the mat, bend your legs in your knees and keep your hands straight in front of you. Keep your back at a 45 ° angle to the floor and slowly begin to rotate the torso first to one side and then to the other side. If you gently lift your feet off the ground while rotating, the exercise will be much more intense.
V-sit crunches
This exercise consists of regularly lifting the legs and torso to stretch the abdominal muscles as much as possible. In addition, thanks to this exercise you can also strengthen the right balance and body coordination. In order to achieve the best effect, it is necessary to repeat the exercise in a smaller number but with even greater intensity.
Correct technique: Lie on your back. Raise your legs and torso with a single movement, trying to reach out for your toes. Stay in this position for a while and lower the torso and legs again to the ground.
Mountain climbers
Mountain climbers is an intense exercise that effectively strengthens almost every muscle part in the body – deltoid, biceps, triceps, chest, oblique abdominal muscles, hamstrings or hip muscles. Most often, however, this exercise belongs to abs training, as it requires complete concentration and stretching of the abdominal muscles. You can perform mountain climbers anywhere, but use a fitness mat to prevent your feet or hands from slipping.
Correct technique: Get into plank position with outstretched hands. Then bend the right leg and pull it to the left elbow and return it to its starting position. Repeat the same movement with the left foot, pulling to the right elbow. Repeat the exercise in regular rhythm.
For even more great abs training tips, read our article 21 Best Body Weight Exercises For Strengthening Your Stomach.
Butt and thigh exercises
Squats – sumo, deep, squat jumps
No squat, no booty. Squats are the most basic exercise for the perfect butt. Thanks to their different variations, you can strengthen not only the buttocks, but also the thigh muscles. Deep squats are very effective for forming the butt, wide-stance squats or sumo squats are effective in shaping the rear thigh muscles. If you decide to include any type of squat in your training plan, you will surely pump your muscles and achieve great results. You can also make squats more difficult by using expanders or weights.
Correct technique: The execution of the squat depends on its type. However, there are still some principles: keep your back straight; feet should be straight, not sideways; do not overload your knees when getting up from a squat position. For more information on the correct squatting technique, read How to do squats and lunges correctly?.
Platform step-ups
For this exercise you will need an aid in the form of a small box or step. The basis is the alternate stepping up onto a higher platform, where you engage mainly the front and rear thigh muscles. If you decide to make this exercise more difficult, try using a higher platform, or track the intensity of this exercise and try to beat your best time. This exercise is also ideal as part of HIIT training.
Correct technique: Prepare a platform on which you stand up with one foot and rise up. Then you get off it and repeat the step-up with the other foot.
Bridge
The point of this exercise is to lift the pelvis to a 90 ° angle and subsequent squeezing of the sitting muscles. Depending on which version of the bridge you choose, you will exercise such muscles. If you exercise with your legs astride and your feet firmly on the ground, you are exercising your butt. If you join your legs with your thighs while lifting, you exercise your butt and the rear thigh muscles. However, when you have your legs astride and stand on your toes, you mainly exercise the front thigh muscles.
Correct technique: Lie your back on the mat, bend your legs and lift the pelvis up as high as possible, squeezing the sitting muscles in this position. Stay at least 2 seconds in the uppermost position.
Abduction
Abduction is an exercise where you are in a knee-bend position, pushing and pulling your legs apart, strengthening the inside and outside of the thigh muscles and buttocks. Generally, this exercise is done on a machine, but there is also its home variant. You can also use expanders to make this exercise more challenging.
Correct technique: Put in a wide knee-bend position and stay in it. Then start pushing and pulling your knees towards or apart from each other. For the best effect, try to stay in this position for as long as possible.
Kick-backs
One of the basic exercises for the butt is kick-backs. Even though a very simple exercise, it can cause muscle cramps, that is why your body should be relaxed and stretched before exercise.
Correct technique: Execute a proper stretching before doing the exercise. Then kneel down, place your hands on the mat in front of you and lift one leg upright upwards. When lifting the leg, squeeze the sitting muscles.
Side lunges
This exercise engages mainly the large and medium sitting muscles, but also the thigh muscles. There is also a classic variant of lunges when you step forward with one foot forward or backward. However, with side lunges, you engage sitting muscles much more. You can also use expanders to make this exercise more difficult.
Correct technique: Put yourself in a wide-stance knee-bend position that will be your starting position. Then, with one foot, step to the side and pull your other foot towards it. However, there must still be a gap between the feet as in the starting position. Keep your back straight and repeat the same side movement with the other leg. For more information on proper lunge technique, read How to do squats and lunges correctly ?.
Wall sit
The ideal leg exercise that you can do anywhere. Only a simple wall will be needed. The point of the exercise is to stay in the sitting position as long as possible. For the best effect, you can put a kettlebell or water bottle on your thighs.
Correct technique: Stand with your back against the wall so that you touch it with your head, back, butt and legs. Then start moving down so that your back is still stuck to the wall, but your feet are getting off the wall and push them in front of you. Stop only when you are in a position as if you were sitting on an imaginary chair at 90 ° angle. Try to stay in this position for as long as possible. [5] [6]
For even more tips on sitting and thigh muscles exercise, check out our homeworkout video with butt exercises.
Back exercises
The candlestick
Candle pose, also called Sarvangasana, is one of many yoga exercises. It is a handstand on the shoulders, in which each part of the body is involved in the movement. This exercise can have a beneficial effect on your spine with regular repetition, but it will also strengthen the sitting muscles. It is important to stay in the candle position as long as possible while stretching the whole body.
Correct technique: Lie on your back, bend your legs in your knees and pull them to your chest. Then support your lower back with your hands and raise your butt up while slowly straightening your legs. Put enough emphasis on strengthening your muscles to maintain balance. Stay in this position for at least two or three minutes.
Expander or resistance band rows
For back exercises, the expander can effectively replace the rollers found in the gym. The basis is to anchor the expander or band to the door, rail or simply to the feet and row. The stronger the resistance of the band, the more intense is the strengthening of muscle mass.
Correct technique: There are several types of back exercises using expanders. It is important, however, to grasp the expander properly and to pull using the back muscles, not the hands.
Push-ups
The most common exercise for strengthening the back muscles and the entire upper body is push-up. It affects the triceps, pectoral muscles, shoulders and lower back. Push-ups are a fast and effective strength-building exercise and can be performed virtually anywhere because they require no equipment.
Correct technique: Kneel on the mat and place your hands in front of you on the shoulder width. Then spread your legs out and carefully use your hands to bring the whole body to the ground. It is important to maintain a firm body during this movement. Do not allow your lower back or hips to rise up. After approaching the ground, push your entire stretched body up again with your hands. Repeat the exercise regularly. [7]
We certainly couldn’t address all the exercises that you could do in the comfort of your home. We have chosen the most basic and intensive ones that can make your pursuit of a better form easier. Note, however, that each exercise should be repeated at least 10 times in three sets. Pay attention to the correct technique and regular drinking regime.
Did our home training guide help you? What fitness accessories do you think is essential for home exercise? Let us know in the comments section, and if you liked the article, support it by sharing it.
[1] Matt Biss – Go Big AND Stay Home: How To Build Your Ultimate Home Gym – https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/go-big-and-stay-home-build-your-ultimate-home-gym.html
[2] Matt Kollat – Best home gym: all the equipment you need to work out at home – https://www.t3.com/features/best-home-gym
[3] The Best Abs Workout For The Gym: Circuits For Upper Abs, Lower Abs, And Obliques And Core – https://www.coachmag.co.uk/workouts/abs-workouts
[4] Kristine Thomason – The 15 Best Abs Exercises Of All Time – https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/a19996405/best-ab-exercises/
[5] Jessica Smith – Trainers Reveal: The Best Butt Exercises of All Time – https://www.shape.com/fitness/workouts/trainers-reveal-best-butt-exercises-all-time
[6] Paige Waehner – Get Your Best Butt by Working Your Glutes, Hips, and Thighs – https://www.verywellfit.com/your-best-butt-working-the-glutes-hips-and-thighs-1229536
[7] Sven Friedrich – 6 Helpful Bodyweight Exercises for a Strong Back – https://www.runtastic.com/blog/en/6-helpful-bodyweight-exercises-for-a-strong-back/
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