Bodyweight exercises will make your at-home workout challenging no matter your fitness level. Start with our beginner routine, and in just a matter of months, you could be well on your way to mastering the advanced routine. Earn that sweat equity today!
A key point to make is that if your home gym looks anything like mine ... meaning you have nothing more than a pull-up bar, some dumbbells and a bit of floor space, this is definitely the workout for you! You'll get an excellent burn; give it a try!
home gym workout exercises
Rule #1 about this workout - Keep in mind the muscle you are focusing on. This will allow you to achieve a much greater contraction and will thus be getting more muscle breakdown for eventual muscle growth.
Overall it is hard to achieve the same results from using the equipment at home, especially if you have a limited amount of equipment lying around. The gym definitely has a wide the variety of pieces of equipment that would definitely not be found in most homes.
The gym also has so many separate pieces of equipment that can isolate different muscles and even specific parts of those muscles. For example look at the cable machines, there are literally hundreds of exercises that can be done using those that couldn't possibly be mimicked at home.
That isn't to say that an excellent workout isn't possible at home, because it is. This is obvious because one is shown above. But if that workout is the only one you do, you could be lacking strength and conditioning in other body parts that are hard to isolate at home.
One of the most versatile pieces of equipment that is often overlooked when making a home gym would be a nice upright abs rack. It seems odd that you can ask any guy what body part they would most like to have completely ripped and muscular and they will say abs, but when you look at their home gym all they have is a barbell set.
If I could have one piece of workout equipment I would pick a pull-up, dips, leg raise combo piece. The variations of exercises that can be done on this piece are virtually endless. It's almost a full-body workout in itself on one machine. That is definitely the next thing on my "To Buy" list. If only I had the space for it ...
The best home gym workout is one that is able to incorporate the equipment you have, however limited, in a way that allows you to get a workout comparable to those who train in gyms. It's basically a matter of making the most of what you have.
Now, we will take each muscle group one by one and lay out a variety of exercises you can do at home which will allow for the best home gym workouts without the worry of requiring equipment that could only be found in large gyms.
Squats are probably the best exercise you can do for the quads, but if you're working out at home then you will find it difficult to do this exercise. As I mentioned above, it is not advisable to hoist a bar over your head and start squatting. This is an easy way to incur a serious injury.
Lunges provide the best alternative to squats as they can safely and effectively stimulate the quads as well as the hamstrings secondarily. When working out at home, they should always be done with dumbbells and not a barbell.
There are two options for performing lunges, both of which are greatly effective. In the space where you have your home gym set up you can simply perform stationary lunges, either working one leg at a time or alternating legs between each lunge.
This muscle group can be easily be worked with very little equipment. There are so many exercises that can be used, you are virtually unlimited. Barbell curls, alternating dumbbell curls, hammer curls, concentration curls, and reverse curls are a few basic bicep exercises that can be done with nothing more than a dumbbell and a barbell.
In addition to lying triceps extensions, you can perform triceps kickbacks and overhead triceps extensions with dumbbells. If you work triceps with chest then close-grip pushups are a great alternative to close-grip bench presses which are not recommended for anyone training at home without a spotter.
Shoulders are another exercise that can be worked with minimal equipment. Like biceps, practically everything you need can be found in your home gym. Arnold presses, barbell military presses (with a controllable weight), and side lateral raises are some of the most effective shoulder exercises which can all be done at home.
In terms of equipment, there is no doubt that what you find in a gym will be vastly superior to what you likely have at home. Most people who workout at home are on a budget in terms of what types of equipment they can purchase. In addition, they probably have a limited amount of space to keep that equipment.
That said, there are numerous benefits from home training that may make it more effective in the gym. There are few if any distractions in your own home gym. No one is hogging the equipment you want to use and forcing you to wait or pass up on an exercise you need to finish your workout.
There are no members of the opposite sex who might lead you to show off and do more than you should be doing. You can train without a shirt on ... or h#ll, you can even train without your pants on if you want. Training can take place at your convenience and not be dependent on the operating hours of the gym. I'm sure you can think of many more positive reasons for training at home. For me, at least, this makes home training far more effective than going to the gym.
It is usually the basic home gym necessities that are overlooked because so many people. Most people will hopefully realize that a bench and free weights are absolute requirements for any home gym setup.
I believe it is a good idea to purchase a relatively inexpensive "home gym" such as the ones you can find in department stores for $100-200. These will give you extra options like leg extensions, pull-downs with a pulley attachment and press-downs for the triceps. You can then add attachments as you see fit and/or as you can afford to purchase them.
In the beginning one should expect to invest between $100-200 for the minimal amount of equipment needed to get an effective home workout program started. After this you can choose to invest in new equipment based on your needs, wants and finances.
My one piece of workout equipment would have to be the EZ curl bar. It's not only great for variation on curls, but it also can be used for developing the forearms, for lying triceps extensions and for reverse curls.
Assuming that the standard home gym consists of the basic flat bench, squat rack, dumbbells and barbells, the best home gym workout is composed of the tried and true compound lifts. A home gym is usually capable of any form of workout, however, I've included a basic German Volume Training workout program that I've used in the past which delivers results.
*Perform sets A1 and A2 back to back with 90-120 seconds of rest in between each exercise. Follow the same protocol for B1 and B2 supplementary exercises with 60 seconds of rest. Example: A1- Bench Press, 90 seconds rest, A2- Deadlift, 90 seconds rest, Bench Press ...
How much one expects to spend on a functional home gym depends on how "functional" and luxurious that one wants their personal gym. By incorporating some innovative thinking and seeking out the best value, a functional home gym can cost as little as a few hundred dollars.
I'm going to include a squat rack with the basics above and say that my preferred piece of workout equipment aside from the basics would have to be a cable machine. Although they are not a necessity, a cable machine is versatile. Cable machines are great when it comes to applying continuous tension on muscles throughout the movement.
Many people forget how much can a good session of push-ups and crunches do for your body health. When I give advice on this question to people just starting out with training I usually give them a basic plan to work at home with the least amount of equipment, and still get a good results.
Every aspect of it has it's own advantages or disadvantages. Working in your home gym means you have to spend less time traveling to and from the gym. Means you do not have to pay for the membership, and you never have to wait in the line to do the exercise. No one is there to bother you and you can play your own music. But you are alone.
While bodybuilding is an individualistic sport, a good training partner can go a long way. Also you have a better choice of exercises and equipment to choose from in the actual gym. The other thing is you meet like-minded people. They are all trying to do the same thing as you, and there can be a lot of competitive spirit going on in the gym that can push you to the limits.
By my opinion it doesn't really matter where you workout. It is how hard you workout and how persistent and consistent you are. Results will come regardless of the gym. Through all my competition days I was working out at my home gym, and I still won second place in a state championship.
As you get stronger, you can add a fourth weight day and try splitting the days between upper- and lower-body workouts. And be sure to reserve at least 2 days per week to let your body rest and recover. Your plan could look something like this:
The push-up is one of the most efficient bodyweight exercises you can do to build strength in your chest and triceps. But it also gives your shoulders, core muscles, lower back, and lower body a workout.
How-to: Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell with both hands. Raise the weight overhead with arms straight, then bend elbows and lower the weight behind your head. Raise the weight back above your head, then repeat. Keep upper arms as still and steady as possible to maximize the workout.
A multi gym is a great addition to your home gym. It's the perfect choice for a beginner, enabling you to complete a series of different exercises that target different parts of the body. We've put together a 6-week beginner's multi gym workout plan for those who are just getting started with their new home gym equipment. It's one of the best multi gym workouts out there! 2ff7e9595c
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