Let's get straight into it: home workouts do the business. “In the comfort of your own home” is the sort of phrase you hear on TV adverts with an excitable voiceover and products that you never thought could exist, usually cost £19.99 and are available on the phone or from “select stores”. In this instance, however, it's no snake oil: you really can get fit from a home workout.
It's pretty simple, really: working out = good, and happily, the location doesn’t matter too much. Science has proven that home workouts can boost your cardiometabolic health, benefitting your blood pressure and lowering your risk of heart disease and obesity. Another study found students were more focused and creative when they exercised at home, meaning a quick workout could do wonders for that empty slideshow presentation you've been staring at for the last three hours.
Maybe you hate the gym. Maybe you hate people. Maybe you like to work out in front of the TV. Maybe you don’t like having to towel down every bit of equipment after work. Or you might be fed up of waiting for bodybuilders/local swimwear models to finish with your favourite bit of kit. We could go on, but it's clear to see that the reasons for working out at home are myriad.
The secret weapon of home workouts is the simplicity. So how do we get started, and what workout is going to give us the best bang for our buck? Let’s dive in.
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Building fitness at home can involve everything from bodyweight exercises to a cardio workout. Whether HIIT workouts are your thing, or you’re more into total body muscle-building workouts and strength training, all exercise is good as long as it gets your heart rate up.
Little and often can be as good as getting proper ‘sessions’ in the tank. A recent study found that exercising for just 13 minutes can have beneficial results, showing “marked increases in strength and endurance can be attained by resistance-trained individuals with just three 13-minute weekly sessions over an 8-week period.” Be it five minutes of skipping (trust us, it's a killer) or a ten-minute HIIT workout, short and sweet exercise is a fitness secret weapon.
Given consistency, you’re guaranteed to build muscles – no personal trainer or app-prescribed workout routines required. It’s not about working out for X minutes a day, or just focusing on your upper body a week before you go on holiday. For best results, full-body workouts that are designed to hit all muscle groups will provide the most well-rounded approach. As mentioned above, experts think it’s actually consistency – finding something you like and can realistically do a few times a week – that helps most.
In other words, it isn’t about shortcuts. Speaking of which…
Unfortunately, a stomach fat-exclusive workout doesn’t exist. Removing fat from a specific area – known as spot reduction – is nearly impossible, besides going under the knife. Your best bet is to focus on workouts that will get your heart rate up as you work through a series of repetitions with minimal rest. HIIT and Tabatha workouts are ideal, as is something like skipping, sprints on your spin bike, or incorporating plyometric exercises like burpees or box jumps.
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There is no definitive ‘best’ home workout, as it depends on a range of factors such as your body type, age, activity levels, goals, available space and equipment to hand. A pretty safe bet, though, is the below workout from Dr Kianoush Missaghi, training specialist at Freeletics.
Two-by-two metres is all you need for this equipment-free, full-body workout adaptable to any fitness level. Aim for five rounds of the following, allowing little rest between sets:
10 x burpees
20 x high knees
10 x push-ups
20 x split lunges
20 x crunches
Your core will be challenged through burpee and push-up exercises, while the explosive high knees and split lunges will take care of developing your power and speed endurance. Your cardio system won’t have much time to rest, so your heart will have to work hard, too. Finally, by working at maximum output for nine to 15 minutes, you’ll keep your heart rate up for maximum calorie burn.
