As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, I’ve been motivated to get stronger. However, I don’t belong to a gym, and frankly, I’m far less likely to do a workout if I have to take a trip somewhere.
So I’ve started doing some in-home workouts. These are great because they’re free. Technically, you may have to buy dumbbells. But you can also substitute weights with water bottles. (One liter is 2.2 pounds, one gallon is 8.35 pounds.)
I don’t do all of these, but I am doing a decent chunk of them. While there’s no guarantee that I’ll keep doing them (I go on and off things pretty regularly), for now it’s helping my confidence.
Arms
The most obvious arm exercise is the bicep curl. Hopefully you all know what that one looks like.
Tricep bench dips are great if you’re trying to tone the backs of your upper arms. I use the arm of our couch because our dining table chairs are a tad wobbly. Other people use park benches or (if they have them) weight benches.
Two other good tricep exercises are the dumbbell row and the overhead dumbbell tricep extension, but both require weights.
Finally, ya gotta tone those shoulder muscles. I call the exercise shoulder raises, but apparently they’re actually called side dumbbell lateral raises. Fancy sounding, no?
Chest
To work out the pectorals, a perennial fave is the push-up. By which I mean, most of us know and dread the push-up. I think a lot of women avoid them because many of us don’t have the strength to do a standard push-up. And “girl” push-ups are kind of humiliating.
Instead, I choose to do incline push ups. I use the arm of our couch. You can also use a bench. If you’re going to use a chair, I’d use two: one for each hand.
Another good pec workout is the standing chest press with dumbbells. It looks like this video, but I’m standing up because, well, I don’t have a bench.
Legs
And now we come to the legs. That can only mean one thing: lunges. Ugh. Ideally, you do them to the front and then to the back. Backward lunges require more balance. Given that I almost tip over with regular lunges, this workout is a struggle.
Squats are always amazing(ly painful) for your legs. But you have to make sure you keep good form (keep that back straight, don’t round it.) I can’t ge the right form, so I avoid this exercise lest I mess up my back.
For the inner thigh, I like pilates leg circles. Well, “like” is a strong word, but the suckers are effective!
Finally, to work your quads, do wall sits. Your quads may never forgive you, but they’ll look good.
Abdomen
Crunches are infamous. Most of us — that is,the sane folks — do not like them. But they work.
So. If you want to take the “easy” route, do something that’s basically all-in-one, like the bicycle crunch. The plank pose is also good, and there are a ton of variations you can try.
If you’re more determined (or masochistic… the line blurs) you can do a series of crunches that isolate each set of abs. At the very least, you need to regular and side crunches, then leg raises for your lower abdomen. There are probably more intricate options, but it’s all I can do to get through one and a half (yes, half) of that little series.
Finally, don’t forget that Netflix has a decent number of workout programs available for streaming. I recommend/hate the Fat-Burning Pilates program. Just don’t plan on sitting down for a few days.
Anyone have anything to add? I’m always interested to hear other ideas.
Liz says
You can also do declined pushups off a sturdy chair/couch– this works well for me at home. I also recommend Play It Again Sports for a few used dumbbells (not like they can't be sanitized via Lysol!). The Pilates bands (or resistance bands) are really good for arm workouts too and can make your leg circles harder.
There's somewhere besides Netflix that is like a YouTube of exercise videos– the forums on MyFitnessPal.com (free) can probably help you find it. Also, I bet some Crossfit types have bodyweight focused workouts of the day online that can give you some variety.
I'm the opposite– I need a gym between home and work that is open reasonable hours– mine's not cheap, but it at least makes sure I work out.
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