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The 8 Best At-Home Workout Routines: The Ultimate Guide for Training Without a Gym

The Best At-Home Workout Routines

Do you aspire to commence a workout routine but prefer the convenience of exercising from home?

No worries!

Our team of personal trainer Etobicoke excels at assisting individuals in achieving their fitness goals within the comfort of their homes.

If you’re pressed for time, simply join our complimentary weekly newsletter!

 Explore the Top 8 Home Workouts to kickstart your training today, without the need for a gym or any equipment!

      • A note on warming up and cooling down

      • Home Workout #1: Beginner Bodyweight (Start Here)

      • Home Workout #2: Advanced Bodyweight

      • Home Workout #3: The 20-Min Hotel Routine

      • Home Workout #4: High-Intensity Interval Training

      • Home Workout #5: Attack of the Angry Birds

      • Home Workout #6: Train like Batman

      • Home Workout #7: The PLP Progression

      • Home Workout #8: The Star Wars Workout!

      • Bonus No-Equipment Workout: The Playground Circuit

      • Can home workouts build muscle or help with weight loss?

    • How to build your own at-home workout

     At Home Warm-ups and stretching routines

    At Home Warm-ups and stretching routines

    Regardless of the at-home workout you choose, I emphasize beginning with a crucial step:

    Warm-up!

    I delve into the reasons for always incorporating a warm-up in an article available at this location. It need not be extensive; dedicate approximately five minutes to activate your muscles and elevate your heart rate.

    Arm circles are a great way to warm-up for your at-home workout.

    This will aid you in performing exercises correctly and reduce the risk of injury. You can engage in jogging on the spot, perform air punches and kicks, or do some jumping jacks.

    Here, we present numerous beginner-friendly options for warming up:

    Enhanced Warm-up Routine:

        • Jump rope: 2-3 minutes

        • Jumping jacks: 25 reps

        • Bodyweight squats: 20 reps

        • Lunges: 5 reps each leg

        • Hip extensions: 10 reps each side

        • Hip rotations: 5 each leg

        • Forward leg swings: 10 each leg

        • Side leg swings: 10 each leg

        • Push-ups: 10-20 reps

        • Spider-man steps: 10 reps

      Our objective is to warm you up effectively, not exhaust you.

      Step 1: Complete the above warm-up routine.

      Step 2: Proceed to your selected at-home workout.

      Here, you’ll discover 8 sequences to guide you through!

      Home Workout #1: Beginner Bodyweight

      This home workout consists of the following exercises:

          • Bodyweight squats: 20 reps.

          • Push-ups: 10 reps.

          • Walking lunges: 10 on each leg.

          • Dumbbell rows (using a milk jug or other weight): 10 per arm.

          • Plank: 15 seconds.

          • Jumping Jacks: 30 reps.

        You can vary the exercises as shown in the video.

        Home Workout #2: Advanced Bodyweight

        If you find the beginner home workout mentioned earlier too simple, you can progress to our Advanced Bodyweight Workout.

        THE ADVANCED BODYWEIGHT WORKOUT:

            • One-legged squats – 10 on each side [caution: highly challenging, attempt only if you’re in good shape]

            • Bodyweight squats: 20 repetitions

            • Walking lunges: 20 repetitions (10 each leg)

            • Jump step-ups: 20 repetitions (10 each leg)

            • Pull-ups: 10 repetitions [or inverted bodyweight rows]

            • Dips (using bar stools): 10 repetitions

            • Chin-ups: 10 repetitions [or inverted bodyweight rows with underhand grip]

            • Push-ups: 10 repetitions

            • Plank: 30 seconds

          I must caution you, the above routine will be challenging -in a beneficial way. Completing it three times is a commendable achievement.

          Home Workout #3: The 20-Min Hotel Routine

          Occasionally, you may find yourself confined to a hotel room. Perhaps you can locate the hotel gym, but it’s likely subpar—maybe a couple of machines, a malfunctioning treadmill, and no free weights.

          Frustrating.

          How about a 20-minute workout that you can perform right in the comfort of your room! Make the most of the furniture available.

          You can exercise in your hotel room, just like these individuals!

          You can work out in your hotel room like this person is doing!

          HOTEL WORKOUT LEVEL 1:

              • Bodyweight squats: 20 repetitions

              • Incline push-ups: 15 repetitions (feet on the floor, hands on the edge of the bed or desk)

              • One-arm luggage rows: 10 repetitions (each arm, using your suitcase as a weight)

              • Reverse crunches: 10 repetitions

            HOTEL WORKOUT LEVEL 2:

                • Overhead Squats: 25 repetitions

                • Push-Ups: 20 repetitions

                • Inverted Rows using the desk in your hotel room: 10 repetitions

                • Reverse Crunches: 15 repetitions

                • Set the alarm clock for 15 minutes from now and aim to complete as many circuits as you can!

              Home Workout #4: High-Intensity Interval Training

              You’re not obligated to visit a gym for High-Intensity Interval Training. A full routine can be effectively done within the comfort of your home!

              HIIT involves adhering to a particular schedule where you change your speeds and intensity during a shorter run, swim, bike, or row.

              Unless you have an extensive backyard, running at home can pose a challenge.

              However, guess what doesn’t demand much space?

              The infamous burpee bodyweight exercise!

              Burpees!

              To perform a burpee:

                  • Begin in a standing position, then squat down and extend your legs outward.

                  • Perform a push-up, retract your legs, and explosively jump up.

                  • For a HIIT workout, aim for 20 repetitions, followed by a two-minute rest.

                  • Repeat until you’ve truly challenged yourself.

                Home Workout #5: Attack of the Angry Birds

                The Angry Birds Workout is intended for those brief 5 or 10-minute breaks you might have.

                Similar to playing Angry Birds…

                If you have time for Angry Birds, you have time for an at home workout.

                If you can spare time for Angry Birds, you definitely have time for a home workout. Here’s how The Angry Birds Workout Plan operates: it’s surprisingly simple, focusing on just four primary movements.

                Movements:

                    • Bodyweight squats

                    • Push-ups

                    • Pull-ups (or inverted rows)

                    • Planks

                  If you don’t have the time to go through the entire sequence, no problem! Depending on your daily schedule, you can choose to do your entire workout in one go or divide your training into four separate sessions throughout the day, each session focusing on one of the exercises.

                  Sample Day for Your No-Equipment Workout:

                      • Morning: Wake up, perform 40 jumping jacks to warm up, and then do bodyweight squats.

                      • Lunchtime: Grab your suitcase (if you’re at work) or a milk jug (if you’re at home) and do inverted rows.

                      • After Work: Do another set of 50 jumping jacks and then engage in your push-ups.

                      • Evening: After dinner, hold planks while watching TV.

                      • You could even split it over two days if necessary, but the ideal goal is to complete the entire sequence in one go.

                    Home Workout #6: Train like Batman

                     We’ve put together The Batman Bodyweight Workout for you to give a shot!   Extra credit if you can manage to do this workout without any equipment in a cave – just like Bruce Wayne would.   This workout is split into two separate days for your convenience.   Batman No-Equipment Workout Day 1:   Rolling squat tuck-up jumps: 5 reps Side to side push-ups: 5 reps Modified headstand push-ups: 5 reps Jump pull-up with tuck / Pull-up with Tuck-up: 5 reps Handstands against the wall: 8 seconds   Batman No-Equipment Workout Day 2:   ‘180 Degree’ jump turns: 5 reps Tuck front lever hold: 8 seconds Tuck back lever hold: 8 seconds Low frog hold: 8 seconds This workout is already quite advanced, but if you’re looking to take it up a notch, check out the main Batman Bodyweight Workout for some tips on how to do just that.  

                     Home Workout #7: The PLP Progression

                    The PLP (Pull-Ups, Lunges, and Push-Ups) program is a progressive fitness regimen where you add one more repetition to three key exercises – Pull-Ups, Lunges, and Push-Ups – each day over a period of two months.   IMPORTANT: This program is not designed for beginners and should only be attempted if you have a consistent training background and can perform multiple repetitions of pull-ups and push-ups with excellent form.   Here’s how the PLP Progression unfolds:   Day 1:
                    • Pull-ups: 10 reps
                    • Push-ups: 10 reps
                    • Lunges: 10 reps (each leg)
                      Day 2:
                    • Pull-ups: 11 reps
                    • Push-ups: 11 reps
                    • Lunges: 11 reps (each leg)
                      Day 3:
                    •  Pull-ups: 12 reps
                    • Push-ups: 12 reps
                    • Lunges: 12 reps (each leg)
                       How long should you follow this routine?   The PLP Workout extends over a span of 60 days.   By the end of the program, you’ll be surpassing 50 pull-ups!    There are two versions to suit your fitness level:
                    •  If you can perform 10 consecutive pull-ups: Begin day 1 with 10 reps of each exercise.
                    • If you’re unable to do 10 consecutive pull-ups: Begin day 1 with 1 rep of each exercise.
                      Complete the required repetitions each day, breaking them into sets as necessary. The objective is to complete each rep with proper form, aiming for as few sets as possible while maintaining the correct form.  

                     Bonus No-Equipment Workout: The Playground Circuit

                     Do you have a nearby playground? Utilize it for your workout! You can even involve your kids, or let them do their own thing.   I’ll provide you with a Level One and a Level Two workout.     PLAYGROUND WORKOUT LEVEL ONE:
                    •  Alternating step-ups: 20 reps (10 each leg)
                    • Elevated push-ups: 10 reps
                    • Swing rows: 10 reps
                    • Assisted lunges: 8 reps each leg
                    • Bent leg reverse crunches: 10 reps
                       PLAYGROUND WORKOUT LEVEL TWO:
                    •  Bench jumps: 10 reps
                    • Lower incline push-ups: 10 reps
                    • Body rows: 10 reps
                    • Lunges: 8 reps each leg
                    • Straight leg reverse crunches: 10 reps
                    • Once you’ve completed a full set three times, reward yourself by going down the slide !