In today’s world, every one known the indispensability of a good health. No matter what job you have, a good health always means improved performance.
The question is, can a good health be achieved by exercise at home? The answer to that is a simple YES. In fact, if you not into heavy bodybuilding then it is absolutely enough for you.
Note – There are many body weight exercises you can do at home, but having a pair of dumbbells can help to include many more moves in your exercise repertoire.
Other things you may require are resistance band, a gym ball, a mat and a bench. All these don’t cost much, if they are messing with your budget then you can buy one at a time.
List of exercises to do at home:
From preventing the risk of getting injured to improving your performance, a great warm-up session can do every thing. Here is a set of warm up exercises to do at home.
Basic Push ups
Push ups are the most basic exercise that you can do pretty much everywhere. If you are doing push ups correctly, then you are targeting your entire upper body and your core.
Level – Intermediate
Sets/reps – 3/10
Variation – Diamond push ups, wide grip push ups, single hand push ups
Equipment – None
Targeted muscles – Chest, triceps, upper back, shoulders, biceps, traps, forearms, core
Shoulder press
Your shoulder is also divided into 3 parts; front, middle and rear deltoids. Depending upon the incline, you can target your front and middle deltoids, more or less.
Level – Beginner
Sets/reps – 3-4/15
Variation – single arm shoulder press with rotation
Equipment – Dumbbells/ kettle-bell
Targeted muscles – Front and middle delts
Single leg deadlift
You’ll have to do deadlift with only one leg. The other leg is used to counter-balance the weight of your upper body.
Don’t bend the knees forward, it will help you to activate your hams properly.
Level – Intermediate
Sets/reps – 3/8
Variation – Single leg deadlift with weights
Equipment – None/dumbbells
Targeted muscles – Hamstring, calves, quads, glutes
Mountain climbers
Mountain climber is more of an intensity based exercise. You can include this on the day of cardio and it is equally amazing exercise for your abs. It helps in building muscles, but it is more of a fitness exercise at home.
Level – Advance
Sets/reps – 3/20-25
Variation – Do it on a bench
Equipment – Mat/bench
Targeted muscles – Abs,core,quads, hip flexors
Spinal balance
If you do it properly, spinal balance pose targets pretty much each and every muscle in your body. From your shoulder to your calves it activates everything. Being a compound exercises it helps produce more testosterone.
Level – Beginner
Sets/reps – 1/10 on each side
Variation – Only do one leg/arm at a time
Equipment – Mat/none
Targeted muscles – Shoulder, back, abs, hams, glutes
Hammer curl
It is one of very few exercises that really targets your brachialis. You don’t need heavy ass dumbbells for this exercise.
You need to squeeze really hard at the top and keep the elbow static.
Level – Beginner
Sets/reps – 3/10
Variation – Use a preacher bench
Equipment – Dumbbells
Targeted muscles – Biceps, Brachialis
Squat
Squat is a staple exercise for every leg workout. It is highly recommended by each and every trainer.
If you keep you legs close to each other then you are training your quads and back more and if you keep your feet at a distance you will train you hams and glutes more.
Level – Beginner
Sets/reps – 3/12
Variation – Jump squats, side squats
Equipment – None
Targeted muscles – Hams, glutes, lower back, quads, calves
Bicycle crunch
Bicycle crunch is an exercise for both upper and lower abs.
The slower you go the better! Because it allows your muscles to be under tension for more amount of time.
Level – Intermediate
Sets/reps – 4/15
Variation – Standing bicycle crunch
Equipment – Mat
Targeted muscles – Entire abdominal region
Rear delts fly
Most of the people while training shoulders tend to neglect the rear delts. This exercise is the only exercise which targets your rear delts directly. You can also use resistance bands to perform standing rear delts fly.
Level – Intermediate
Sets/reps – 3/15
Variation – Standing rear delt flys with resistance bands
Equipment – dumbbells/resistance band
Targeted muscles – Rear delts
Shrugs
To get big traps all you have to do is shrug.
Things to keep in mind:
- Don’t go fast and squeeze at the top.
- Go till bottom and then pull up.
- Use only traps to lift the weight.
- Focus!
Level – Beginner
Sets/reps – 3/15 X 3
Variation – Shrugs with resistance band
Equipment – dumbbells/resistance band
Targeted muscles – Traps only
Bench dips
Bench dips is a nice exercise to do at home for triceps and it also gives a good stretch to your upper chest.
There is no fixed place where you can place your hands and get the maximum tension on triceps.
Level – Intermediate
Sets/reps – 3/8
Variation – Do weighted bench dips
Equipment – Bench/chair
Targeted muscles – Triceps
Burpees
This exercise should be a part of every at home workout. Burpees is an amazing mixture of cardio and compound exercise. If done with right intensity, this is the best fat burning exercise.
If you do burpees regularly, your lung capacity will also increase and an increase in lung capacity means prevention of many diseases.
Level – Advance
Sets/reps – 3/1 min
Equipment – None
Targeted muscles – Full body workout
Chin ups
Chin ups are nothing, but pull ups with hands in supinated position. If you are having problem in having doing normal type of pull ups, then you can start with this one.
Level – Intermediate
Sets/reps – 3/8-10
Variation – close grip, wide grip
Equipment – Pull up bar
Targeted muscles – biceps, lats, shoulder
Shoulder plate/dumbbell rotation
All you have to do is rotate the dumbbells over your body in a slow and controlled way. This helps in activating all the 3 delts of your shoulder.
To make this exercise a little bit difficult you can do this on a bench. As you are going against the gravity, the stress on your shoulders will be higher.
Level – Beginner
Sets/reps – 3/15
Variation – Dumbbell rotation in front
Equipment – Pull up bar
Targeted muscles – biceps, lats, shoulder
Romanian deadlift
Romanian deadlift is a form of deadlift which is very effective in targeting your hamstrings. You have to go as deep as you can without bending your knees.
The right way to do it, is mimicking sitting on a chair. You have to make sure to squeeze your glutes while coming to straight position.
Level – Intermediate
Sets/reps – 3/12
Variation – Stiff-leg deadlift
Equipment – None/dumbbells
Targeted muscles – Calves, glutes, Hams, hip flexor
Leg raise
Leg raise is an exercise for your lower abs and lower back. Doing this on a pull up bar makes the exercise more beneficial.
The motion should be slow and controlled, so make sure you don’t drop your legs too quickly.
Level – Advance
Sets/reps – 3/8
Variation – Hanging leg raise, lying leg raise
Equipment – None/pull up bar
Targeted muscles – Lower abs, lower back, arms
Back extension
Back extension is a nice way to train your lower back. It not only keeps your back straight, but it also prevents back pain.
If you are doing this at home, you can use bench or bed or sofa.
Level – Intermediate
Sets/reps – 3/12
Variation – Back hyper extension without dumbbells
Equipment – Sofa/bed/bench
Targeted muscles – Lower back
Pike push ups
In pike push ups you don’t have to stand in the vertical position, but your feet should be off the ground. A table or a high tool is required.
Once you have done enough of the pike push ups and build enough strength, you can move to more difficult handstand push ups.
Level – Intermediate
Sets/reps – 3/8
Variation – Handstand push ups
Equipment – Table/high stool
Targeted muscles – Shoulders, triceps
Hip thrust
Hip thrust is directed more to your glutes. It is a type of bridge, but in this you’ll take the support of the bench.
The range of motion in the hip thrust is greater than the bridge.
Squeezing your glutes at the top is more important the entire range of motion combined.
Level – Beginner
Sets/reps – 3/12
Variation – Glute bridge
Equipment – bench/bed/sofa/dumbbells
Targeted muscles – Glutes
Calf raise
Calf raise is the most common and most directed exercise for your calves. You can either use dumbbells to increase the weight or do one calf at a time.
Doing calf raise on just one leg will transfer the entire load of the body onto your calves.
Level – Beginner
Sets/reps – 3/15 X 3
Variation – Above
Equipment – Dumbbells/stair
Targeted muscles – Calves
Wall sit
Wall sit is the easiest exercise you can do without any equipment. Lean against the wall and mimic a sitting position, such that, your back is pressed against the wall and your thighs are parallel to the ground.
The entire weight of your body should be on your heals and your back should be straight.
Level – Beginner
Sets/reps – 3/30 secs
Variation – Wall sit holding dumbbells
Equipment – Wall
Targeted muscles – Thighs, hams, glutes
Front raise for shoulder
If you are not using any weight there should be no problem in controlling the movement. Don’t raise your hand too quickly and don’t drop too quickly.
Now, to add load you can do two things, either use dumbbells or use resistance band.
Level – Intermediate
Sets/reps – 3/12
Variation – With dumbbells or with resistance band
Equipment – None/dumbbells/resistance band
Targeted muscles – Shoulder
Dragon walk
It is almost like lizard walk, but in this you have too keep your body close to the ground.This exercise trains pretty much each and every muscle in your body.
As you are training so many muscles simultaneously, you are breaking so many fibres, which promotes your body to produce more testosterone.
Level – Intermediate
Sets/reps – 3/10(forward and reverse)
Variation – Lizard walk
Equipment – None
Targeted muscles – Arms, legs,core, shoulder
Side planks
You can reduce the size of love handles in just one session.
In that one session, you are not burning any fat, instead you are toning the muscles around that area.
Level – Intermediate
Sets/reps – 3/30 secs
Variation – Side plank hip dips
Equipment – None/Mat
Targeted muscles – Obliques
Bicep curl
Bicep curl is a very common exercise for your biceps. At home if you have dumbbells then you can do curls with them and if you don’t have dumbbells you can use resistance band.
While doing biceps curls it is important to be in control while bringing your hands down. While going up that type of slow and controlled movement is not compulsory.
Level – Beginner
Sets/reps – 4/15
Variation – Leaning biceps curl
Equipment – Dumbbell/Resistance band
Targeted muscles – Short head and long head of biceps
Towel pulls
You have to do this lying on the ground. It trains your lats and upper back very well. If you find it difficult to do pull ups, then towel pull is a nice way to train the muscles to go to next level.
Things to remember:
- Back should be arched.
- Keep your hands forward gripping the towels ends.
- Pull the towel while giving a squeeze to your lats and upper back muscles.
- Your head and upper chest should be above the ground.
Level – Beginner
Sets/reps – 4/12
Variation – Lift you feet above the ground too
Equipment – Towel
Targeted muscles – Lats and upper back
Pistol squat
It is commonly known as one legged squat. Since, all the body weight is on one leg it is a pretty difficult exercise to do. Plus, balancing part makes it more daunting.
When doing pistol squats, you might not be able to do this at once. You should try day by day to go deeper and deeper.
Level – Advance
Sets/reps – 1/8 (for each side)
Variation – Standing box pistol squat, Skater pistol squat
Equipment – None/Box/Stairs
Targeted muscles – Quads,hams, calves
Flutter kicks
Most of the people the mistake of going too fast. Going slow keeps your muscles under tension for longer duration, which is required.
Since, you are targeting big muscles, the amount of calories you burn is also very high.
Level – Intermediate
Sets/reps – 3/till failure
Variation – sideways flutter kicks, Backward flutter kicks
Equipment – None/Mat
Targeted muscles – Abs, core
Crab walk
Crab walk is a nice and easy exercise to do at home. It trains your legs, abs core and arm. When you are doing at Crab Walk only your palms and heels should be on the ground. The higher your hips are the better it is for hams and abs.
Level – Intermediate
Sets/reps – 1/Until exhaustion
Variation – Foreward Crab walk, Backward Carb walk
Equipment – None
Targeted muscles – Triceps, shoulder, Hams, Quads, Abs
These were some exercises to do at home, not only for good health, but also for a decent muscle gain.
