Strength training with home workout equipment
A good home workout during this pandemic is an excellent alternative to maintain our muscle mass, boost the immune system and work on strength training. In this article we talk about the best equipment for home workouts and some exercises you can do from the comfort of your living room.
Best pieces of equipment for home workout
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TRX
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Door pull up bar
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Ab wheel
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Ankle weight
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Dumbbell set
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Kettlebell
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Resistance bands
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Stability exercise ball
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Yoga mat
Let’s take a look at them one by one:
TRX
Training at home is a great opportunity to focus your workouts on bodyweight exercises, and the TRX suspension training system is one of the best tools you can have at home for it. It allows you to work both your upper and lower body by providing different angles and levels of difficulty that can adapt to your fitness level. Although it’s more expensive than most equipment for home workouts, the benefits are worth the price and, if you’ll have only one piece of equipment, it better be the TRX.
Door pull up bar
A door and a pull up bar are all you need if you are aiming for improvement of your back, shoulder and core muscles. Through many exercises variations, this bar helps strengthen your upper body, grip strength and overall physical health; all by easily isolating muscles by changing your position on the bar. You may want to check if your doorframe can handle your weight to avoid any accidents or any unsafe positions.
Ab wheel
If you think that the wheel you’ve seen people use at the gym is only for a nicely toned six-pack, you are about to be surprised! The ab wheel is not only targeting the abs but also helps working your lats and deltoids, and it is a fantastic tool to keep your core nice and tight.
Ankle weight
Have been training at home for months now and the same old exercises don’t seem to be a challenge anymore? Then just put some weight to your ankles to add extra resistance to your lower body and you’ll surely be feeling it! They are really helpful for leg and core workouts.
Dumbbell set
When the goal is to work on strength, weight is key to provide your body with the resistance it needs. A good pair of dumbbells is ideal for you to increase the intensity of the workouts, it doesn’t matter if you are a beginner who is just starting to move weights, or you’re at a more advanced level and aim to maintain muscle mass until you can go back to the heavier weights in the gym.
Kettlebell
Kettlebeels are a brilliant tool and you can workout practically your entire body with the exercises that are possible with them; this is why it is so common to see them in sports such as CrossFit or functional training. If you are looking to spice up your workouts, take a look at this kettlebell workout plan we’ve made – not just for beginners!
Resistance bands
Resistance bands are a synonym of economy when it’s about fitness. These are budget friendly and they also save a lot of space if you don’t have room for lots of workout equipment. But this doesn’t make them any less useful! In fact, resistance bands are an excellent tool for strength training workouts and they challenge the muscles pretty well, can be used for plenty of exercises and they come in different levels of resistance, which is perfect for you to train your full body with a tool that you can just put back in any drawer once you are done with your workout.
Stability exercise ball
Core, upper body, lower body, cardio and stability… you name it! Stability balls are a very versatile tool to have at home as they can make plenty of exercises more difficult but adding an element of instability and they’ll also make you work on your balance!
Yoga mat
Sometimes working out on the floor at home can be uncomfortable, which is why having a good yoga mat at home is recommended. Beyond this, it also provides insulation between the body and the ground helping prevent any heat loss, as it won’t be transferred to the ground. Another benefit of their comfort is avoiding injury, as the floor is not always friendly with our bones and different body parts that need a bit of cushioning while performing an exercise. Some other benefits include better stability, balance and grip.
Beyond these pieces of equipment, sometimes accessories are also recommended. Make sure to check our range of towels, training belts and gloves in our list of accessories.
15 Strength training exercises at home
Take a look at these examples of strength training exercises you can do at home with some of the equipment mentioned above.
Arms
1. Biceps curl with dumbbell: Start with your body in standing position, with knees slightly bent, elbows loose (not locked out) and hands in neutral position by your side. Pull the dumbbells up squeezing the biceps and contracting the muscle, rotating your hands to face up by the end of the contraction movement. Then rotate them back with you lower your arms down to the starting position.
2. Triceps extension with dumbbell: You will start with the same standing position but with your arm holding the dumbbell behind your head. Contract the triceps and squeeze the muscle stretching your arm up. This is a good exercise to do standing so it works your core at the same time. Once you are done with the number of reps for one arm, switch and do the exercise with the other arm to complete the set.
Shoulder
3. Single-arm kettlebell press: In a standing position, rest the kettlebell inside your shoulder with your arm flexed and with a neutral grip (avoid flexing your wrist). Brace your core, inhale and then press up with the kettlebell going towards the ceiling, exhaling while you do the movement. Keep the bell over your shoulder and your hips locked, also avoid shrugging. Then lower down the bell to the starting position.
Chest
4. Kettlebell floor chest press: Lying on the ground, grab the dumbbells with your arms in a way that they are hanging in the outside of your arms. Push the bells all the way up until they are right above your shoulders. Then bring them back down to the starting position.
5. Standard push-ups: Using a yoga mat for safety and comfort, the standard push up remains one of the best exercises for chest strength. Get down on all fours, with your hands slightly wider than your shoulders, and then straighten your arms and legs. Lower your body until the chest nearly touches the floor, pause, then push yourself back up.
Back
6. Pull ups on bar: You are going to grab the bar with your hands in a wide grip and lift your body weight all the way up in an explosive movement, then go back down in a controlled and slow movement. Do a short pause at the bottom and go back up for your second repetition. Always make sure to perform a slow movement on the way down.
7. Back extensions on exercise ball: Go ahead and lie over the ball with your feet on the ground and your stomach on the ball. Make sure your head and your shoulders are in line with the rest of the body in a straight line. From there you are going to lift up your chest, using your lower back muscles to create the movement and squeezing your butt and your stomach as you go up. Then slowly go back to the starting position.
Hamstring
8. TRX leg curl: Lay down on a mat on the floor in a way that your feet are right under the anchor point of the TRX. Place your feet on the hanging TRX and your are going to keep your body straight as a plank, with a tight core, and your hands on the ground for support with your balance (or behind your head if you want to make it a bit harder). Once you are in the starting position you are going to bring your heels to your butt, breathing out and keeping your hip raised. Then bring your helps back to the starting position keeping your core tight and making sure not to let your hip fall down to the floor.
Thighs
9. Side walks with resistance band: Put on the band right above your knees and set up with the hip-wide standing position and about a quarter squat. Then step laterally maintaining the quarter squat position. Make sure your leg is moving all together, moving also the thigh and not just the foot; to achieve this, it helps by opening the knees and rotating them slightly.
Abs
10. Full ab workout: A yoga mat is all you need to have fantastic and intense workout to tone your belly and work on your abs, but if you want to make it even more intense try it wearing some ankle weights. Take a look at this 10-mins real-time workout with our fitness stars, Stephanie Davis and Zsombor Magosi:
(Insert videos: https://youtu.be/BdIKPY1Twlo / https://youtu.be/nNWFS1WPF3k)
11. Legs raise on pull up bar: A great exercise to work on your abdominal muscles! Hang on the pull up bar with a grip slightly wider than your shoulders, then pull your knees up towards the chest and lift the tailbone back up in order to achieve a contraction that works on your “six-pack” abs. Then slowly lower your legs to get back in the starting position. Try to keep your back muscles contracted around the scapula for better balance.
Core
12. Body saw on TRX: Starting with your feet directly below the anchor point in a nice strong plank on your forearms and elbows, extend your legs back and up from your resting position to get into full plank position. Drive your head back towards the anchor point with a straight body and then bring your head as far in front of your hands as you can, maintaining that tight strong plan throughout the movement.
13. Arm rotations on stability ball: Lay on the ball with your arms, with your forearms on the ball and your feet on the ground, forming an almost plank position. For this exercise, all you need to do is to make circular movements with your arms driving the ball to make circles, keeping your core tight. You can do the rotations 5 times clockwise and 5 times anticlockwise for a determined period of time.
Butt
14. Donkey kicks with resistance bands: Place the resistance band on your thighs, just above your knees. Go down to an all-fours position with your wrists directly below your shoulders and knees below your hips. With your right foot flexed, kick with the same foot up towards the ceiling using the core to keep the body stable and making sure to keep the leg in line with the hip. Focus on the movement to avoid arching your back or opening the leg out of the hip line while you lift it. Pull the leg back to starting position and perform the same movement with the other leg.
15. Butt lifts: Get yourself in all fours and then straighten one leg up, pointing your toe. Lift your leg up to about hip height (or a little higher if your fitness level allows it) and squeeze your butt at the top. Keep your hips steady, shoulders unlocked and core tight while you move your leg in up and down movements.
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