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home workout

You don’t need an expensive gym membership to get fit, so scrap the £20 a month membership fee and invest in these pieces of equipment. They are sure to get you in awesome shape, while providing convenient workouts in the comfort of your own home.

1 – Resistance bands

Resistance bands are a great addition to anybody’s workout routine. Thanks to their size and light weight, they make the perfect portable home equipment that can be stored anywhere.

Just like exercise machines, they come in various resistance levels from light, to extremely heavy.

  • Crab walks
    • While standing, place the resistance band around both feet
    • Get into a quarter squat
    • Staying in a quarter squat, slowly put your leg out to the side then lower it to the floor
    • Then follow with the other leg until both legs are touching
  • Kick backs
    • Kneeling on the floor, place the resistance band around one of your feat
    • Hold onto the other end of the resistance band with the same side hand as the foot being used.
    • While kneeling, put both hands on the floor
    • Slowly kick back the food with the resistance band attached to it.

 

  • Rear delt flys
    • In both hands, hold the resistance band out in front of you with your arms straight
    • Keeping your arms straight, pull the resistance band to your chest
    • Slowly bring back to the starting position
  • Tricep kick backs
    • Tie the resistance band around something solid, like a door handle
    • Keep your upper arm parallel with the floor
    • Making sure your elbow doesn’t more up or down, slowly extend your arm until you can’t straighten it out any more.
    • Hold it for 3 seconds, and then put it back to the starting position.
  • Bicep Curls
    • Stand on one end of the resistance band whilst holding on to the other in your hand
    • Keep your elbows close to your body
    • Bend at the elbow bringing your hand up towards your shoulder
  • Rows
    • Tie one end of the resistance band around something sturdy
    • Hold onto the other end with one hand
    • Squeeze your shoulder blades back, and slightly lean forwards at your hips
    • Stretch out arm out that is holding the resistance band
    • Then pull the arm back so you feel your back muscle working

2- Steps

Step workouts are brilliant and popular for aerobic exercise. However, for some reason they are not so popular with anaerobic exercise but they should be! Steps are excellent for body weight exercise which can help tone and strengthen your physique.

  • Glute bridge
    • Put the back of your shoulders on to the step.
    • Have your feet out in front of you, so you have a little bit more than a 90o bend in your knee.
    • Squeeze your glutes as tight as you can
    • Slowly lower your bum down until you are a few inches away from the floor.
    • Keeping your glutes tensed, raise your hips and hold at the top for 3 seconds
  • Box squat
    • Stack the box up until it is just below knee height
    • Have your feet shoulder width apart
    • Make sure your feet stay flat on the gorund and you down lift your heels up
    • Slowly sit back until your bum taps the box
    • Once you have tapped the box, stand back up
  • Step up
    • Stack the boxes up so you have a 90o bend in your knee when you put one foot on it
    • Place one foot onto the box
    • Step up onto the box making sure the working knee locks out before the other leg is placed onto the box
    • Always make sure you are pushing through the whole of your foot and not just your toes
    • Try and keep your knees from traveling too much over your toes
  • Bulgarian split squat
    • Set the steps up to knee height
    • Face away from the steps
    • Place the top of one foot onto the step
    • Hop forward with your other foot so you are able to lunge down
    • Slowly lower your body down until your back knee is 1 inch away from the floor
    • Stand up by pushing through your entire foot and not just the toes
  • Calf raises
    • Hold onto something to help with balance
    • Place your toes on the edge of the step so your heels are hanging off.
    • Lift yourself up as high as you can on your tip toes
    • Hold at the top for 5 seconds
    • Slowly lower yourself down so your heels are lower than the step, then repeat.
  • Incline push up
    • Put both hands onto the step
    • Keep your knees or toes on the ground, along with the palms of your hands which should be just outside shoulder width.
    • Slowly lower your body with your elbows pointing towards your feet
    • Once you have gone as low as you can, push up and repeat
  • Decline push up
    • Put both hands onto the floor
    • Keep your toes on the step,
    • Make sure hands are just outside shoulder width.
    • Slowly lower your body with your elbows pointing towards your feet
    • Once you have gone as low as you can, push up and repeat

 

3 – Pull up bar

The pull up bar is one of the most commonly known pieces of exercise equipment, like the suspension trainer, you can workout in any room with a door frame! With just the bar you can create intense and effective workouts to target the whole upper body.

  • Pull up
    • Hold on to the bar with both hands facing away from you, making sure they are just outside shoulder width
    • Hang so your arms are locked out
    • Pull your body up, making sure your elbows are slightly going behind you
    • Go up until your chin is close to the bar
    • Slowly lower yourself down until your arms lock out
  • Chin up
    • Hold on to the bar with both hands towards you, making sure they are just outside shoulder width
    • Hang so your arms are locked out
    • Pull your body up, making sure your elbows are slightly going behind you
    • Go up until your chin is close to the bar
    • Slowly lower yourself down until your arms lock out
  • Leg Raises
    • Hang from the bar with a shoulder width grip
    • Keep your bum and abs tight
    • Bring your legs up straight out in front of you, making sure not to swing
  • Knee Raises
    • Hang from the bar with a shoulder width grip
    • Keep your bum and abs tight
    • Bring your knees up, making sure not to swing

4 - Suspension trainer

Suspension trainers turn any exercise into a greater challenge. Having to support yourself and limit moving, forces your abs to work tenfold. As long as you have a door, you can turn any room into a gym with a seemingly never ending list of exercises to do. Training at home has never been so convenient.

  • Squat
    • Set the adjustments up to chest height
    • Face the anchor point
    • Hold on to each handle with both hands
    • Step back so the suspension trainer is pulling away from the anchor point
    • Have your feet shoulder width apart
    • Make sure your feet stay flat on the gorund and you down lift your heels up
    • Slowly sit back until your legs are at a 90 degree angle
    • Stand back up, and repeat.
  • Pike
    • Bring the adjustments so the handles are 1ft from the floor
    • Place your feet into the handles
    • Put your hands in a push up position
    • Keep your bum and abs tensed
    • Bring your feet towards your head so your hips rise in the air
    • Keeping your abs tight, slowly lower your legs back to the starting position
  • Chest Press
    • Bring the adjustments up to hip height
    • Hold onto the handles with both hands
    • Keeping your bum and abs tensed, slowly lean forward
    • Keep your toes on the ground
    • Make sure your hands are just outside shoulder width.
    • Slowly lower your body with your elbows pointing towards your feet
    • Once you have gone as low as you can, push up and repeat
  • Row
    • Bring the adjustments up to hip height
    • Hold both handles in each hand
    • Face the anchor point
    • Keep your bum and abs tight
    • Slowly lower yourself backwards until your arms are fully extended
    • Keeping your legs locked out, pull yourself up with your arms, making sure you keep your elbows slightly tucked in to your body.
    • Hold at the top for 2 seconds
    • Slowly lower yourself back down.
  • Mountain climber
    • Set the adjustments so the handles are 1ft from the ground
    • Place feet into the handles
    • Get into a press up position
    • Alternating between legs, bring your knees up to your chest