Top 10 Exercises You Can Do At Home When You Can’t Go To The Gym

If you want to get healthier, fitter and build a better body there are many exercises you can do at home without going to a traditional gym. While there are some people who like the routine of going to a gym at a set time each week for their workout, there are many of us who often don’t have the time. Plus some people don’t have the budget for a gym membership or simple don’t have the inclination to go to a gym to exercise.

In fact some people, such as the highly trained and toned Navy Seals, actually prefer doing at home workouts.  You can exercise at home without equipment and really give your body the attention it deserves. This means you don’t have to worry about other people looking at you when you’re at the gym or waste time waiting around for other people to finish with equipment that you want to use.

Here are 10 exercises to do at home when you can’t (or don’t want to) go to the gym.

Free Report: Top 5 Exercise Mistakes

10 Exercises To Do At Home When You Can’t Go To The Gym

1. Squats

Your legs are the biggest group of muscles in your body. If you work out your legs properly, not only will you get a more toned lower body, but also your overall metabolism will increase. This will help you burn fat throughout your entire body.  Perhaps the most popular exercise for the lower body are squats.

The most important thing to realize with squats is that going up is as important as going down. Do your squats in a slow and deliberate manner, both going up and down. This exercise mainly targets your quadriceps but also works your glutes, hamstrings, calves and abs.

2. Wall, Diamond & Regular Push-Ups

Push-ups are a great exercises you can do at home. They build your abdominal, arm, upper chest and back muscles. Normal push-ups work out all these muscles quite well. Make sure you have the correct form by positioning your arms at exactly shoulder length while keeping your back completely straight like a plank.

To vary things up, you can do push-ups against a wall instead. This helps change up the muscles you’re working out. The wall push-up works up the upper body more. The diamond push-up involves putting your hands together in the form of an empty “diamond.” Put your hands in front of you while you do a floor push-up. This makes the push-up a lot harder to perform.

3.  Planks

Although the plank mainly tightens your stomach muscles, it also strengthens your chest, arms, glutes, legs and back. It’s one of the most basic exercises to do at home. Although you might find planking difficult in the beginning, they will become easier over time.  Planking is great for the whole body and is actually considered as being a better exercise for your abs than crunches. The longer you can hold the plank, the stronger your lower back will be and the better your abs will look once you burn the fat off them.

4. Step Ups

You can use your stairs or any type of step to perform step ups. You can burn close to 500 calories in 30 minutes doing step ups and they tone up all the muscles in your legs. To perform step ups, step on and off the step as quickly (and safely) as you can, making sure you alternate the foot that steps first each time.

5. Jump Rope & Invisible Jump Rope

Jumping rope exercises your arms, legs and is one of the best cardiac exercises you can do at home. It’s a surprisingly effective workout method that you can use to push your body quite hard. If you don’t have a jump rope, don’t worry – you can just use an invisible jump rope. Just imagine that you’re holding a jump rope and use the same motions. It might take a little getting used to, but the benefits are the same since you’re working out the same muscle groups. Working out with a sports jump rope will boost your cardiovascular health, improve your agility, enhance your coordination and increases your overall endurance.

6. Weight Lifts

A simple weight set can cost as little as $40 at your local shopping mall. Or, you often pick up a set from your local classifieds or garage sales. Using a set of weights, you can do just about anything you can do at the gym from the comfort of your own home. You can use a combination of weight lifting exercises like bell presses, deadlifts, shoulder presses, raises, rows, curls and more to workout almost any muscle in your body. For literally the price of a single month at the gym, you can have your own fully equipped home gym.

7. Cycling 

Cycling on regular and stationary bikes are both excellent workouts to do at home. It works your legs, your core and your arms. You can burn between 400 and 500 calories when cycling at about 10 miles an hour. Also, if you’re on a regular bike it gets you out in the fresh air. Don’t have a bike? No problem. Starting in crunch position with your hands behind your ears, reach your elbow to the opposite knee, extending the other leg out. Repeat the motion, alternating sides, and working your legs as if riding a bicycle. Continue the motion for at least 30 seconds, before resting and then repeating.

8. Go for a Walk, Jog or Run

Walking is probably one of the most basic exercises to do at home. It’s perfect if you’re a little out of shape or overweight. It’s easy on your joints, and you can increase your walks according to your ability. One hour of brisk walking can burn up to 240 calories. If you want to go a bit faster, running daily for about 30 to 60 minutes helps to maintain a healthy weight. It also improves heart health, your mood and strengthens your bones, joints and muscles.

9. Resistance Bands

Resistance bands have become an integral part of professional body building due to their ability to target many different muscle areas. When using resistance bands, choose ones with a resistance appropriate to your strength and the exercise you are doing. They are reasonably priced and extremely versatile so can be used to work out many different areas of the body.

10. Yoga

Although yoga isn’t for everyone, it’s incredibly popular and is a great way to stay healthy when taken seriously. To do yoga you really need nothing more than your body, but you might want to get a yoga mat too. That’s all you’ll need to start doing your own home yoga program. If you’re not already familiar with yoga practice, then you can pick up some great yoga instruction online for next to nothing.

Top 5 Exercise Mistakes (Free Report)

Knowing what not to do is as important as knowing what to do when it comes to burning fat and losing weight. Being healthy is about taking action to do more of the right things, and fewer of the wrong things every day.

Did you know your exercise routine may actually be hindering your weight loss efforts. There are certain mistakes that are easy to make which can cause your weight loss to slow down and even cause you to gain weight!  Download my free report, Top 5 Exercise Mistakes  to help  you improve your fat burning workouts so you get the results you deserve.