A well-crafted training plan is critical to elevating your workouts and achieving results. Everything from the number of reps, sequence of exercises, rest intervals, time under tension and weight of load can impact your progress. And the best part is, you can easily put together a high-quality workout at home, even without equipment.
There are plenty of options for bodyweight-only workouts, including online workouts and videos, and a quick search on YouTube will reveal countless routines that you can do in your living room or bedroom. A few key pieces of equipment can make the experience a lot more enjoyable as well — a set of resistance bands, kettlebell or a foam roller won’t cost you much and will give you a great workout.
If you’re working from home, you can try to schedule a regular exercise session each week that will help you maintain your fitness level. However, it’s important to remember that regular exercise isn’t just about keeping you fit; it’s also important for mental health. Exercise boosts endorphins, helps you sleep better and improves your immune system, so it’s not something to skip out on.
The goal when working out at home is to have a well-rounded workout that targets all of the major muscle groups. A good place to start is putting together a weekly routine with upper-body, lower-body and core moves. Once you have a few of these, try mixing in some plyometric and jumping-based movements to challenge your cardiovascular endurance.
Adding some short, high-intensity sessions can also help you increase your overall level of fitness. This could be a EMOM (every minute on the minute) workout where you perform one exercise for one minute and then rest, or another short circuit-style workout.
When training at home, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut by sticking with the same exercises and workout routines. This can lead to the development of weak spots, and it doesn’t always provide the results you’re after. To avoid this, it’s important to keep your workouts fresh by introducing new moves, changing up the order of exercises and increasing the intensity of your work by adding more reps or decreasing the rest interval between sets.
Finally, it’s important to remember that proper recovery is just as important as exercise when you’re exercising at home. It’s easy to ignore the need for a solid post-workout cooldown, but doing so can lead to injury. For example, skipping the cooldown can cause a loss in muscle glycogen, which can lead to fatigue and reduce performance, and it may also result in delayed onset of muscle soreness. A good recovery plan includes active stretching and foam rolling. You can also try to add in a few minutes of cardio after your workout, and don’t forget to hydrate! This will help you stay healthy and avoid injuries.
Milena Estêvão is a YouTuber passionate about sharing her experiences (challenges, successes and motivations) in the fitness activities she is involved in.
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