Home Workouts

It’s entirely possible to get ripped at home. You’ll need nothing more than your body and a little space. HIIT no-equipment home cardio workouts can be as gentle or as intense as you’d like them to be. I manage to maintain excellent fitness with no equipment needed for an effective home workout. This article is for you if: I hope it brings a little nostalgia in addition to adding value to you. COVID-19 changed Everything There are a few pivotal moments in life when we clearly remember where we were. If I asked where you were during the 9/11 terror attacks, you’d probably recall it vividly. I was stacking bananas for a major retailer at the time! Here’s a version with even shorter sentences: Another key moment many will remember: “Where were you during the lockdown announcement?” I was at the gym on 23.03.2020. Boris Johnson’s televised conference had just started. I asked the instructor if I could finish my last set of dips. Then I left, dazed and confused. My plans no longer included the gym. This moment forced many, myself included, to reconsider how we could stay fit at home. HIIT no-equipment home cardio workouts became an essential part of my routine, proving that getting ripped at home is not only possible but highly effective. Lost Without A Gym There I was, aged 38, and I’d never taken more than a two-week all-inclusive holiday away from the gym. The meme above perfectly summarises my face as I drove past, gazing longingly. It was a toss-up between using that, or a photo of 1970s Bruce Banner (or David, in the TV series) walking to the lonely man theme. Stallone’s pain felt closer to my own. The national applause for health and key workers was very moving. But the other side of humanity appeared: the opportunity to make a quick buck during a shortage. I could live with the price hikes on hand sanitiser and toilet roll. But dumbbells? Usually around £20 and now worth more than an Apple product. How on earth was I going to stay fit at home? My COVID weight gain The simple answer to the question of staying fit during lockdown was a resounding, “I wasn’t.” Well, not for around six weeks. My gym habit had been swiftly replaced by a newfound love of beer, junk food, and, more worryingly, I was a proud participant in ‘Neck and Nominate.’ Remember that? If you don’t, you’d be forgiven for eliminating this short-lived fad from your memory. I’ve always maintained (for 10 years at least) around half a stone (3-4 kg) and a few percent body fat fluctuations throughout the year. I weighed myself around once a month pre-COVID, as I was fairly consistent in my habits. After stepping on the scales at the end of April 2020, I’d put on a good stone and a half, and let’s just note that my body fat percentage started with a 2. Far Beyond My Fighting Weight A good fighting weight for me at 5 foot 10 (177.8 cm) is around 80 kilos (176 lbs) at around 13% body fat. Sometimes a little lower during the summer or higher in the winter, but that’s my yearly average. I’d never become so out of shape so quickly before. Then again, I hadn’t really been in the habit of ‘necking’ pints of lager for social media entertainment… It was a funny old time. I could tidy up my diet (which is the main component of fat loss). Exercise has always been a huge motivator for me, driving great body composition changes. It would be many months before I could get back to a gym, and gym workouts were all I’d known for a very long time up until that point. My journey into HIIT no-equipment home cardio workouts Home cardio workouts without equipment were never part of my life (I’m a product of the pants and vest primary school P.E. era, so perhaps some emotional scarring deterred me from anything home cardio related). The last time I’d really worked out at home was when I was 14, armed with barbells and dumbbells in my garage. Now, I was a 38-year-old man with a fully occupied three-bedroom house and no space to work out. The conservatory was now my home office and was the perfect venue to host my home HIIT workouts. HIIT (high-intensity interval training) was usually my time-efficient go-to in the gym following a strength workout. I knew this to be an efficient method of rapidly increasing fitness in minimal time (the trade-off being increased intensity). The heart rate shoots up, gets to a semi-recovered state, and off you go again. There was no reason why this HIIT no-equipment home workout wouldn’t work with the two necessities I could bring to the table—my body and a little space to use it. I’d already taken action to reduce my calories and increase steps in line with my 10-week fat loss plan. I was now adding in three official home HIIT workouts per week and severely limiting my Neck and Nominate participation. Research shows that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can improve aerobic capacity by 10% to 15% after just a few weeks of training. A study published in the Journal of Physiology found that people doing HIIT burned 25-30% more calories compared to other forms of exercise, despite shorter workout times My get ripped at home workout I’ve viewed some random home workout articles online, and after sampling multiple weird exercises, I thought I’d stick with the basics. I started with the following workout, resting 30 seconds between exercises (you’ll find exercise demo uploads later on): I’d neglected my fitness for six weeks or so. Luckily I still had a strong base to work upon and started the workout with all the vigorous enthusiasm my false sense of confidence could muster. I intended to repeat the above workout three times. I barely lasted one rotation and was a pool of sweat … Read more

A full body dumbbell workout at home can be enough to achieve all of your fitness and physique aspirations. For many, a gym is the holy grail of fitness. For others, it’s as appealing as downing a kale smoothie. Perhaps: This article will provide you with a full body dumbbell workout at home, and as a secondary objective – assist with setting up a budget home gym with minimal equipment and space for well under £200. I assure you, put in the work (combined with diet) and effort, and you’ll reap the rewards of a stronger, more muscular, and better-looking physique, all while singing to Bon Jovi between sets. The Benefits Of Strength Training At Home Convenience and Flexibility One of the most significant benefits of a full body dumbbell workout at home is the convenience it offers. You can exercise whenever you want, without being tied to gym hours or schedules. This flexibility makes it easier to integrate workouts into a busy lifestyle, whether it’s early in the morning, late at night, or during lunch breaks. You’ll also take advantage of every minute working out, and there’s no more timing your workouts around gym time-wasters and machine hoggers. Cost Savings Setting up a budget home gym can save you money in the long run. There are no gym membership fees, commuting costs, or the need for expensive workout gear. Privacy and Comfort Strength training at home provides a level of privacy that gyms cannot match. You can work out without feeling self-conscious or intimidated by other gym-goers. This can be particularly beneficial for beginners or those who are returning to fitness after a long break. You have the freedom to experiment with different exercises and routines in a comfortable environment. Just close the curtains if you work out in the buff! Your neighbours don’t want to be seeing that whilst eating their morning cereal. Customised Workout Environment At home, you have full control over your workout environment. You can choose your own music, adjust the temperature, and avoid waiting for equipment. This personalised space can make your workouts more enjoyable and tailored to your preferences, helping to maintain motivation and consistency. Feel free to get your best of Britney Spears blasting in your favourite Taylor Swift T-shirt. Time Efficiency Without the need to travel to and from the gym, strength training at home can save you a significant amount of time. This efficiency allows you to fit in more frequent and shorter workouts, which can be just as effective as longer sessions at the gym. The reduced time commitment can help in maintaining a consistent exercise routine. What Results Can I Expect from My Full Body Dumbbell Workout At Home? The Muscle Building Magic Don’t be fooled into believing you won’t achieve an effective strength training workout at home. The above muscle building process can be triggered with minimal equipment. As a contrast, many people are spinning their wheels at commercial gyms every day and wondering why they’re not progressing. “Strength training, whether done at home or in a gym, promotes muscle growth through mechanical tension, metabolic stress, and muscle damage. These three factors are key for hypertrophy.”— Dr. Brad Schoenfeld, PhD, Exercise Science Researcher Providing you are armed with equipment that works the whole body (you will be, based upon my recommendations below), you’ll achieve every bit of strength and muscular gains as per a commercial gym. My Full Body Dumbbell Workout At Home Results My early weight training years were confined to a garage. Keeping me company were nothing more than a bench, a barbell, and a pair of dumbbells. I made excellent progress for one reason – I worked hard and continually lifted more weight or increased the reps. Many moons ago, when my eldest was born, I strength trained at home for a few months. I used nothing more than the equipment I’m recommending to you. I progressed excellently and made significant strength and physique gains. Some of my friends, who were avid gym members, made none! I promise you this – put in the work, follow a decent plan, and you’ll be surprised at the end results from your full body dumbbell workout at home.  “Studies have shown that resistance training with free weights such as dumbbells can significantly improve strength and muscular endurance, even with limited equipment.”— Dr. Stuart Phillips, Professor of Kinesiology at McMaster University Home Gym Considerations You’ll need to ponder over the following home gym considerations: Available Space Consider the amount of space you have available for your home gym. You don’t need a large area, but you should choose a location that can accommodate your essential equipment and allows for a range of motion. Common options include basements, garages, spare rooms, or even a section of a living room. Measure the space to ensure you can fit the equipment you plan to purchase. Flooring Invest in good-quality flooring to protect both your equipment and your home. Rubber mats or foam tiles are excellent choices as they provide cushioning, reduce noise, and prevent damage to your floors. Lighting and Ventilation Ensure your home gym has adequate lighting and ventilation. Good lighting is crucial for safety and creating an inviting environment. Natural light is ideal, but if that’s not possible, invest in bright, energy-efficient lighting. Proper ventilation helps keep the space comfortable, reduces odours, and improves air quality, which can be achieved with windows, fans, or a portable air conditioner. The Benefits of Dumbbells “A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that resistance training using free weights, such as dumbbells, leads to greater improvements in muscular strength and endurance compared to machine-based exercises.”— Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research The cost of home gyms can easily escalate into the thousands, and that’s only purchasing a fraction of the equipment you’ll find in a gym. I know many people who have gone down this route and now use their gym equipment as glorified coat hangers. In … Read more