Make no mistake, the gym is a great place to achieve your fitness goals. There you can have access to great equipment, expert advice and make new friends who’ll give you the motivation to to turn up and feel the burn when your enthusiasm wanes. For some, though, it’s simply not an option. If costs are prohibitive or you’re too far out in the sticks to get to a gym before opening or closing time then it can be a real struggle to meet your fitness goals outside of this supportive environment. Maybe you have access to the gym but want to feel more confident in your fitness level and appearance before you get out there to work out in front of others.
Whatever your circumstances, the great news, however, is that that it’s never been easier to get fit. You don’t need to join the gym to get started on smashing your strength and cardiovascular fitness goals. You don’t even need to go outside, though going out for a run or on your bicycle are both great ways of burning calories and kick-starting your fitness. You can drum a great workout together at home using just a few inexpensive items.
Whether you’re looking to lose weight, increase muscle tone or improve your posture and flexibility, these exercises will be invaluable to you:
Pushups
An oldie but a goodie, there’s a reason that these are everyone’s favorite workout. If you’ve never seen the appeal, here’s why. They’re a compound exercise that works numerous muscle groups at the same time, burning calories and improving your metabolism. As well as exercising your chest, they help you to tone your abs, triceps and shoulders. As they get easier you can change the intensity by moving your hand placement inwards. Now feel that burn!
Pull ups
These are difficult to be sure but there’s absolutely no better back exercise and as well as exercising your back, arms and upper body, they’ll strengthen your core and improve your posture, too! You need to make sure you have a safe, secure bar to pull up from. We recommend a ceiling mounted pull up bar to afford you more space and greater flexibility. If you’re just starting out, we recommend using rubber resistance bands to assist you in pulling up your body weight.
Front plank
If you really want to set your abs on fire, this is one you can do while watching TV (or doing just about anything else so long as you’re lying on your front). Aim for around 30 seconds at a time and then progress up to a minute. Before you know it, you’ll be using your stomach as a toast rack!
Squat jumps
If you don’t have a bicycle and running doesn’t appeal to you, then prepare to meet the ultimate cardio workout. Jumping up from a squatting position is not only a great compound exercise for your quads, glutes, core and lower back, you’ll also really notice your ticker feeling the strain after a few reps. They’re a great way to burn fat and increase your strength at the same time.
