Our top exercises to do at home with No Equipment
It’s 2021 and the nightmare hasn’t ended. For the third time, gyms in England and other parts of the UK have been ordered to close their doors. Fear not though, your New Year’s fitness goals aren’t ruined because your favourite Personal Trainers (that’s me and Jenny, obviously) have put together a list of our top exercises that you can do in the comfort of your own home, even if you don’t have any fancy equipment.
We’ve compiled a list of eight different exercises using nothing but your own body weight – actually you need a chair for one of them – to form a simple but effective whole-body workout. There’s two upper body focused, three lower body focused, one core focused and two cardio focused movements.
So, grab your water bottle and a towel, find a space, and get ready.
Squats
Squats are a compound movement which means they work multiple muscle groups at the same time, including your glutes, quads, hamstrings and your core muscles too. So, they’re an absolute must for this list.
How to Squat
1. It’s important to remember that everyone’s squat will look different as we all have different joint structures and bone lengths. These are the important things to remember though.
2. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and squat backwards as if you were sitting in a chair. Aim to get your thighs parallel to the floor.
3. Push through your heels to return to a standing position and repeat.
2. Lunge
Lunges are a unilateral exercise which means they’re perfect for identifying and ironing out any muscle imbalances, whilst building strength and your sense of balance and the same time.
How to Lunge
1. Keeping your back straight, engage your core and take a big step forwards with your left foot. Bend your knee until your thigh is parallel to the floor. Allow your back heel to lift, but don’t let your knee touch the floor.
2. Step back into a standing position, then repeat by stepping forwards with your right leg.
3. Glute Bridges
This movement is a really important mobility exercise, and its great for working your glutes and the muscles in your core too.
How to do Glute Bridges
1. Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Your feet and knees should be hip-width apart.
2. Drive through your heels and squeeze your glutes to push your hips up so that your body forms a line from your shoulders to your knees.
3. Pause, then lower to repeat.
4. Burpees
Our favourite exercise on this list! Burpees are a fantastic full body movement that can be scaled up or down depending on your abilities. We’re just talking about a half burpee here, but if you want, you can add a press up. You’ll be using all your muscle groups and you’ll be working on your stamina too.
How to do Burpees
1. Crouch down, with your hands flat on the floor and with your feet just wider than shoulder-width apart.
2. With your bodyweight on your hands, kick both feet back at the same time so that your body forms a straight line from your head down to your feet. Jump forward and propel your body up in one swift movement, landing in the starting position.
5. Press Ups
Press Ups are one of the best body weight movements that you can do as they work every muscle in your upper body. They’re easily scaled down by being performed from your knees or with your hands elevated.
How to do Press Ups
1. Get yourself into the high plank position, with your hands under your shoulders. We want a nice straight line from your head all the way down to your feet.
2. Lower your body down towards the floor by bending your elbows, keeping them close to your chest.
3. Pause, then push up into the starting position.
6. Plank
A whole-body workout would be incomplete without a plank. You can perform a high plank or a forearm plank – the former being slightly more difficult than the latter – to get the muscles in your legs, arms and core fired up.
How to Plank
1. For high plank position your hands under your shoulders and for a forearm plank position your elbows under your shoulders with your forearms flat on the floor.
2. Keeping your body in a straight line from your head down to your feet, engage your core and squeeze the back of your legs together (we like to imagine we’re holding a small beanbag between our thighs here).
3. Hold this position for up to 30 seconds, or for as long as you can if you’re really confident.
7. Mountain Climbers
Mountain climbers have been included in this list as a cardio based exercise, but they’re great for your upper body and core too. They’ll help you to develop your shoulder strength and stability and can be performed in an elevated position if you struggle in this area or if you don’t have the hip flexibility.
How to do Mountain Climbers
1. Start in the high plank position, making sure that your body forms a straight line from your head down to your feet. Your hands should be directly under your shoulders and your fingers should be facing forwards, slightly spread apart for grip.
2. From this position, drive your knees up towards your chest one at a time, trying not to let your torso rock from side to side.
8. Tricep Dips
Okay, so for this one you’ll need a chair. We should have called this ‘Our Top Exercises To Do At Home With ALMOST No Equipment’.
While most people tend to focus on their biceps, the triceps are actually a bigger muscle group, so if you’re looking to increase the size of your arms or tone up those bingo wings, tricep dips are the exercise for you.
How to do Tricep Dips
1. Your hands should be shoulder width apart on the surface that you are dipping from, with your arms straight.
2. Begin the move by bending your elbows. Dip down until your elbows are at a 90o angle. This will be easier or harder depending on the position of your feet; closer to your bum and it’ll be easier, further out and it will be harder.
3. Pause, the press back up into the starting position.
This blog was written by Nicky Marie.