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Ready to start your fitness journey but lack the time or money to get into a gym? Or perhaps you find the gym too intimidating and don’t feel comfortable learning the ropes with an audience?
Well, I have great news for you: you don’t need a gym to get in shape!
If the COVID pandemic taught us anything about exercise, it’s that you can absolutely get a great workout from home – even without any equipment.
A review on resistance training during the pandemic revealed that strength and muscle gains can be achieved with a light or even no external load, especially with high repetitions, full range of motion and maximal muscle contraction.
In plain English, this means you can use your bodyweight as a form of resistance, and so long as you perform each exercise with the appropriate effort, it’s no different than using weights or a machine.
To be clear, this isn’t just applicable for beginners – everyone can benefit from learning how to get a great workout without any equipment! With or without a gym membership, there will be times when you want to exercise but simply don’t have time for the trip to the gym. Or you’re traveling leaving only your hotel furniture to leverage.
Experienced lifters may be thinking, “There’s no way I can get a solid workout without a gym!” However, while many people were gaining weight and losing muscle gains during the pandemic, most of my clients were seeing their best results yet from home.
As a virtual personal trainer, most of my clients train from home, and many do so without any equipment at all. So, I have to get creative to ensure my clients are challenged throughout all stages of their fitness journey.
In this article, we’ll discuss some of my favorite at-home exercises, how to modify them as you progress and how to utilize your home itself to enhance your workouts.
Lower Body Strength Exercises
There are myriad options for training your legs from home. Let’s take a look at a few of them:
1.Squats
Squats are one of the best exercises to start with because they are a compound exercise, meaning they recruit multiple muscle groups simultaneously. They give you the most bang for your buck.
Let’s go over a few of the versatile options, working our way from easiest to most difficult.
Chair Squat
For this exercise, all you need is a chair or comparable elevated surface to sit upon. Think of this as training wheels for a regular squat. As these become easier, try simply tapping your butt to the chair rather than fully sitting in order to more closely emulate a “regular” squat.
Source: Roundglass Gympik
Bodyweight Squat
Once you feel comfortable, remove the chair and try a bodyweight squat. Try not to overthink it – it’s the same exercise just without the training wheels! If they’re becoming easier but you’re not quite ready to progress to the next variation, make sure to utilize my tips for increasing difficulty at the end of the article.
Source: Roundglass Gympik
Single-leg Chair Squat
This next variation requires some balance, so make sure you’re working on a flat surface with a firm seat and wearing flat or no shoes for optimal stability.
Source: Roundglass Gympik