Home Exercises – Add These to Your Workouts!
Resistance Exercises
Resistance exercises will help you burn fat and build muscle. As a personal trainer I often use resistance bands and free weights during resistance workouts and you can do this in your home workouts for awesome results. Resistance bands are an excellent option because they are very inexpensive and you can take them anywhere you want to exercise. A myth in the fitness industry is that resistance bands are only suitable to be used by beginners or those who are inexperienced with fitness routines. While bands are great for beginners they’re also a great choice for more advanced exercisers during leaning, cutting and sculpting. You can always add more bands to an exercise so you’ll never become too advanced to use them. After many years of working in the fitness industry and staying in top shape I still incorporate bands into my workouts frequently.
Resistance Bands Benefits
Benefits:
Low Impact – This means you can maintain a high level of intensity while never putting excessive impact on your muscles.
Very Portable – A full set of Resistance Bands (usually 3 bands) will fit into a small bag so you can take them anywhere. This means no excuses. You’ll never need to worry about what time your health club opens or closes, or when to go to avoid peak times. With bands you can exercise when and where you want.
Affordable – A set of Resistance bands should about $30 to $50 and most sets include an instructional DVD and manual.
Get Creative
When using resistance bands or any other exercise equipment try to keep your workouts fun and interesting. Getting creative will help keep you motivated and focused. There is very little risk of injury with bands so don’t hesitate to try a new movement or a variation of a movement you’ve done before.
Bodyweight Exercises
I sometimes refer to body weight training as Rocky Style training. I reference that movie because it highlights the fact that even top performing athletes, such as boxers, don’t always prefer to exercise in a state of the art health club facility. The quality of your workouts is determined by you, not the equipment you use.
We are built perfectly to benefit from the movements involved in push-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups. A PSP (push-up, sit-up, pull-up) combination workout is a great way to burn fat and build lean muscle.
Recommended PSP Combination Workout:
4 Sets of each exercise at your target rep
Keep a steady pace, resting no more than 40 seconds between reps and no more than 2 minutes between sets
Repetition number will vary from person to person. It is impossible for me to suggest a starting amount (target rep) because that number can differ greatly from person to person. To determine your starting rep number do as many repetitions of each exercise as you can. Divide that number in half and do four sets.
Cardio and Total Body Workouts
Cardiovascular exercise is an important part of any fitness routine. Cardio is ideal for maintaining a strong heart, improving circulation and burning fat. It is important for me to point out that contrary to popular belief cardio is not always the best way to burn fat. Dynamic, steady paced, minimal rest weight training or resistance band training can actually burn more body fat than a similarly timed cardio workout.
Your cardio workouts should be all about you. If you dread the idea of running on a treadmill stay away from the treadmill. Remember exercise has to be fun! Do whatever makes your heart pound harder than normal for 25 minutes or more at least three days per week.
Essential Home Exercises:
The list of exercises below will serve as your building blocks to designing your workout routines. Mix and match movements to create a new experience each time you exercise. All of the exercise listed below can be done in small spaces such as an office or living room and require no equipment.
Jog
Jog in place or around the house (or office) or outside. Start at a manageable pace and increase pace and time as your body adapts.
March or Walk
Walk around the house (or office) or march in place.
High Jogs
As you jog, bring your knees up high, to waist level.
Speed Skaters
Start with feet together and jump to the right, landing on the right foot. Immediately take another lateral jump to the left. Keep jumping from side to side, keeping the jumps low to the floor and swinging the arms to add intensity. Jump as far as you can each time
Heel Digs
Start with feet together. Jump up and land on right leg with the left heel straight out in front of you on the floor. Jump up and switch legs, landing on the left and bringing the right heel in front of you. Keep the body low to the ground–the higher you jump, the harder it is.
Jumping Jacks
Do jumping jacks in the traditional style or reversed to improve coordination
PlyoJacks
Begin with feet together and jump up, taking feet out to the side, landing in a low squat. Jump up and bring feet back together (a very slow jumping jack). Swing your arms overhead to add intensity.
Ice Breakers
Begin with feet wide. Jump up and land in a wide squat while swinging your right arm around, over your head and down in a chopping motion. Repeat the jump, chopping with your left arm.
Squat-Thrust
Stand with feet together. Squat down and place your hands on the floor next to your feet. In an explosive movement, jump feet backwards into a push-up position, jump feet back between hands and stand up.
Cross-Country Ski
Begin with feet together. Jump up bringing the right foot forward, left foot back. Quickly switch feet while alternating the arms with the legs (left arm comes up when right foot goes back).
Jump Kicks
Stand with feet together. Raise the right knee to waist level and then jump, switching legs and kicking out with the left leg (in a knee-up-kick pattern).
Plyo-Lunge
Begin in a lunge position, right foot forward, left foot back, both knees at 90 degree angles. Jump up and switch feet in the air, landing in a lunge with left foot forward, right foot back.
Side Kicks
Stand with feet together. Transfer your weight to the right leg, making sure your foot is out at an angle to protect your knee. Bring the left knee up and in towards the body as you look to the left, leaning the torso to the right. Extend the left leg out in a kick without locking the knee. Lower back down and repeat on the other side, alternating sides.
Front Kick with Squat
Stand with feet together. Bring the right knee up and extend the leg in a front kick (don’t lock the knee!). Lower down into a low squat (knees behind toes) and then kick with the left leg.
Lunge with Chop
Step forward with right foot into a low lunge (front knee behind toe, both knees to 90 degree angles) while simultaneously bringing left arm down towards the floor in a chopping motion. Step back and repeat for 30 seconds. Switch to the other side and repeat.
Power Jumps
This is your last exercise! Begin with feet together. Bend the knees and jump as high as you can while circling your arms overhead. Land with soft knees in a squat and repeat.
Side Lunge with Windmill Arms
Stand with legs wide, arms straight out to the sides and parallel to the floor. Bend the right knee into a side lunge and bring the left arm down towards the foot. Come back up, rotating the arms, and lunge to the left, bringing the right arm down towards the foot. Continue lunging side to side (your arms will move like a windmill). The faster you go and the lower you lunge, the harder it is.
NEVER GIVE UP just because it’s hard! Do more today than you did yesterday.
