Working Out at Home for Beginners
When it comes to getting fit, there are a lot of different options out there.
You can join a gym, go for a run outside, or get involved with a local sports activity like volleyball.
But what if you want to get in shape and don’t have a lot of time, money, and experience?
This is where working out at home comes in.
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of working out at home and why home workouts might be the best option for you!
Advantages of Working Out at Home
Since the pandemic, home workouts have become the go-to fitness option for many people.
Here are the benefits of exercising at home:
Convenient and Time Efficient
Home workouts are more time efficient than going to the gym.
You can do them at any time of the day, without having to worry about being late to a fitness class due to traffic or parking.
What’s more, you’ll save a ton of time by removing the commute from the situation altogether.
Privacy and Comfort
If you’re new to fitness, home workouts offer more privacy, so you don’t have to feel like someone is always looking over at you.
What’s more, you don’t have to share space or equipment with other members – It’s just you in the comfort of your own home.
Travel Friendly
Let’s say that you’re traveling. You can’t bring your gym with you, but you can bring a home workout with you.
The workouts you do at home are easily accessible even while traveling or working.
Cost Effective
Despite the pandemic, the cost of a gym membership has stayed the same. In some cities, it’s increased!
Online workout subscriptions are generally cheaper than gym or boutique studio memberships. They give you access to ALL of the Body FX workouts, nutritional guidance, support group, and daily health and fitness tips.
Home workouts can also keep costs down by ensuring you don’t have to pay for gym upgrades such as child-care, towel service, parking, or extra hidden maintenance fees.
Variety (Never Get Bored!)
Many online platforms provide access to hundreds of workouts that vary in training style and length of workout.
You can choose what your body needs based on your experience and goals. Or if you’re feeling like you want to try something new, you can do a workout that interests you.
Body FX offers a ton of fun fitness classes including Yoga, Pilates, HIIT, Bootcamp, Dance, Boxing, and many more!
By going through so many workouts, you’ll get exposure to many fitness professionals and personalities.
That means you’ll find a trainer that you enjoy exercising with, which will motivate you to stay with the program.
Support
If you sign up for an online subscription, once you fall in love with one workout series, you’ll find there’s an entire community who feels the same way. This community is there for support, and it allows you to connect with people from all over the world, motivating one another to keep going.
Even if you do it on your own, you’ll find plenty of Facebook and online groups that are more than happy to support you through your fitness journey.
Disadvantages of Working Out at Home
Now let’s take a look at the disadvantages of exercising at home and the things most people don’t talk about.
Equipment
Your workouts can be limited if you don’t have any equipment to work with, but that doesn’t mean you’ll have nothing to choose from.
Bodyweight workouts are highly effective and don’t require equipment.
If you’re ready to get started with home workouts and make the investment, it’s important to realize that a full home gym can be expensive, if you buy it brand new.
While the initial investment can be pricey, it’s ultimately worth it as it’ll pay for itself in only a few years.
However, if you’re limited on space, this can become an issue. There are plenty of workouts you can do with only a little space but walking exercises and dancing might be tough.
Distractions
Your home can be a distraction. If you don’t have a room dedicated to exercise – or at least a private room where you can lock the door – you can easily get distracted by work, friends, and family.
Before you start working out from home, think about where you’re going to exercise.
Make a plan to turn that into sacred space, where no one will disturb you while you’re in there.
Motivation
Motivating yourself while exercising at home can be tough.
You may feel like you are missing the socialization and community that comes with group fitness classes.
Without this social element, you may have trouble motivating yourself to start a workout or to push harder in your workouts without others around to motivate you.
The way around this is to join an online support group where you’ll meet others chasing the same goals of building muscle and burning fat. You can link up with others who will be there to motivate you (and they’ll probably expect the same from you!).
No Accountability (If You Don’t Seek It Out)
To be fair, this applies to commercial gym workouts as well. Unless you’re working out with a trainer or friend, you won’t have anyone holding you accountable in both the gym and at home.
If you usually do classes at the gym, you won’t get feedback on your form and technique at home, like you normally would.
As we mentioned above, if you do home workouts, we highly recommend joining an online community who is also doing the same home workout videos as you.
You’ll quickly find others who can hold you accountable and provide you with feedback.
How to Get Started with Home Workouts
Ready to start your own home workout routine? Here are some ways you can get started right away.
Hire a Personal Trainer
If you’re brand new to fitness and don’t feel comfortable starting a workout routine on your own, hiring a personal trainer is the way to go.
A good personal trainer will assess your needs and create a program for you that is tailored specifically to help you reach your goals.
This is especially helpful if you have any medical conditions or injuries that need to be taken into account.
You can opt to hire an in-home personal trainer or find one you’re comfortable with online. The latter option will be cheaper if you’re on a budget.
Research and DIY
If you want to get started with home workouts but don’t have the budget for a personal trainer, you can create your own workout program.
This involves researching exercises that match your goals, learning the proper form and technique, and then putting together a routine.
We recommend starting with bodyweight workouts as they are simple, effective, and can be done anywhere.
Once you have a basic understanding of how to work out at home, you can add in some equipment-based exercises or try out some workout videos.
Don’t forget to regularly modify your home workouts.
Join an Online Workout Subscription
This is going to be the best option if you’re on a budget and you don’t want to spend hours trying to make your own workouts.
When you join a “virtual gym” like Body FX, you’ll have access to a variety of classes that are ideal for your specific fitness goal.
In particular, Body FX has modifications for ALL exercises so you can take all of our workouts at your own pace.
This is usually the route most people go when they are just starting out with home workouts. It removes the pressure of figuring it out for yourself. And it’s like having a personal trainer without the cost.
10 Home Workout Exercises for Beginners
If you’re opting to try to build your own at-home workout, we can help!
Here are our recommended exercises for beginners (many of which you can find in the Body FX programs).
Bodyweight Squats
Muscles targeted: glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves
How to do it: Start with your feet shoulder-width apart and lower your hips back and down like you’re sitting in a chair. Once your thighs are parallel to the ground, drive through your heels to return to standing.
Lunges
Muscles targeted: glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves
How to do it: Start with your feet shoulder-width apart and take a big step forward with your left leg. Lower your hips until your right knee is just above the ground. Be sure to keep your front knee directly above your ankle and don’t let it go past your toes. Push off of your front foot to return to starting position. Repeat on the other side.
Step Ups
Muscles targeted: glutes, quads, hamstrings
How to do it: Using a box, bench, or other sturdy surface, step up and place your entire foot on top of it. Press through your heel to stand up on the box, bringing your other leg up so that both legs are on the box. Step back down with the same leg that you stepped up with, and repeat.
Jumping Jacks
Muscles targeted: shoulders, chest, arms, legs
How to do it: Start with your feet together and your hands at your sides. As you jump up, raise your arms above your head and spread your legs out wide. Return to starting position and repeat.
Pushups
Muscles targeted: chest, shoulders, triceps
How to do it: Start in a high plank position with your hands shoulder-width apart and your feet hip-width apart. Bend your elbows to lower your chest down to the ground, maintaining a straight line from head to heel the entire time. Push back up to the starting position.
Time-Under-Tension Pushups
Muscles targeted: chest, shoulders, triceps
How to do it: Same as a normal pushup but take two-to-three seconds to lower yourself, pause, and another two-to-three to raise up.
Pullups
Muscles targeted: back, biceps
How to do it: Hang from a pullup bar with your palms facing away from you and your hands shoulder-width apart. Bend your elbows and pull yourself up so that your chin is above the bar. As you perform a pull-up, think about bringing your chest to the bar. Lower yourself back down until your arms are fully extended.
Superman
Muscles targeted: lower back, glutes
How to do it: Lie face down on the ground with your arms extended out in front of you and your legs straight. Simultaneously raise your arms and legs off of the ground, keeping them as straight as possible. Hold for a few seconds and then return to starting position.
Planks
Muscles targeted: abs, obliques, glutes, quads, hamstrings
How to do it: Start in a push-up position but bend your elbows and rest your weight on your forearms instead of your hands. Keep your back flat, abs engaged, and legs straight. Hold this position for as long as you can.
Crunches
Muscles targeted: rectus abdominis
How to do it: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Place your hands behind your head and curl your upper body off the ground by “crunching” your upper abdominal muscles. In other words, let your stomach muscles pull you up – do not use momentum. Use your abs to curl up until your torso is at a 90-degree angle with the ground, then slowly lower back down.
Home Workout for Beginners
Taking the exercises from above, here’s a workout that you can do (right now).
Keep in mind that you need to warm-up and cool-down after every workout.
Also, remember that if you want to mix it up, try new exercises, and get support and motivation, we’re here to help you!
Every Body FX membership comes with access to our entire exercise library, daily tips and advice sent to your email, nutritional coaching, AND the best support system and group you’ll find in the industry.
With that said, here’s a great at-home workout to get you started:
Perform all of the repetitions for one exercise before progressing on to the next one. If you want to challenge yourself, don’t stop for a break until you finish the list.
Once you reach the final exercise – planks – perform this one to failure. So, in other words, do the exercise until you cannot maintain proper form and control.
Finish the list then take a short break – around two to three minutes – then begin again. Repeat the list up to three times.
- Bodyweight Squats: 25
- Lunges: 12
- Step Ups: 10
- Jumping Jacks: 30
- Pushups: 5
- Superman: 10
- Crunches: 15
- Plank: Failure
Home Workouts: Same Results as the Gym at Home
A lot of people worry about not getting the same results from home workouts as they would at the gym.
The truth is you can get great results from both!
It all comes down to how dedicated and consistent you are with your workouts.
If you’re someone who easily talks themselves out of making the drive to the gym, we recommend doing home workouts.
This way, you won’t have to overthink your situation. You simply get up, log in to your home workout subscriptions, and put on the program you want to do.
And why wait to get started?
Try the ENTIRE Body FX workout collection now for FREE for a full month!
