Home Workouts: Can I really get fit without going to the gym?
In Home Training:
Whether because of time, accessibility, personal preference, or more many people continue to ask the question- can I get in shape without going to the gym? As a personal trainer specializing in in-home training and low equipment training, I’ll explain some of the basics of getting in shape at home.
Working out at home or at the gym:
The great thing about exercise is that no matter where you do it, you’ll benefit. Exercise is all about overall health and wellness- meaning that we should try and get these benefits whenever and however we can. Some of the most immediate and well known benefits are improved physical and mental health and boosted levels of mood/energy.
Improving physical health is the most obvious benefit of regular physical activity and is known to reduce the risks of certain conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and can help to combat weight gain. In addition, regular load bearing exercise improves bone density and muscle mass which has a myriad of benefits no matter the age. I always say that no matter your goals, you won't regret getting strong.
Although we like to think of the physical benefits of exercise, the mental benefits should not be underestimated. Exercise has the ability to increase blood flow throughout the body, release stress fighting endorphins, and increase levels of neurotransmitters associated with happiness. This means that exercise is linked to reduced stress, improved mood, improved mental ability, and of course- if you tire yourself out enough- better sleep habits.
Additionally, for some of the aforementioned reasons and the increase in oxygen in the body, exercise is shown to increase energy!
Home workouts that work!: Progressing at home
So, you’re convinced about the benefits of regular physical activity but aren't convinced that you can reap these benefits without a gym? Read on and learn about the magic of progressive overload and its impact on fitness.
What is progressive overload and how does it work for us?
Progressive overload is the holy grail of fitness and boils down to a basic principle- make things more difficult in order to force the body to adapt. Progressive overload involves the gradual increase in volume of exercise overtime. Volume refers to the absolute total amount of work (or effort) performed during exercise and is made up of a few variables such as intensity, duration, and frequency.
Fortunately, your body doesn't know the difference between resistance form a gym and from anywhere else. If you want to reap benefits, we can use progressive overload for:
Muscle building and strength
By increasing the level of resistance, weight, or difficulty of our home exercises, we can break down muscles to stimulate new growth and challenge ourselves to improve our strength. A great example of this process at home is the push-up. The push-up is a foundational home workout move that you may begin performing on your knees to reduce difficulty before progressing to a full push-up and then graduating to the feet elevated push-up to make it more difficult. In this way, you can continually challenge yourself with more muscle intensive variations.
Cardio:
As a wise man once said- cardio is king (unfortunately). When it comes to aerobic exercise, the same principles apply here. Increasingly challenging your cardiovascular system with exercises like running, biking, rowing, or anything that gets your heart rate up, is the best way to improve your cardiovascular endurance and health.
Flexibility:
Fortunately, you don't need anything but your bodyweight to get in a good stretch. Overtime, increasing your range of motion and reaching a little farther than before stretches tissue and allows you to become more flexible.
How do I start working out at home? A short step-by-step
Assess yourself: Find out what you’re comfortably capable of doing physically and consider some relevant and realistic goals.
Choose your workouts: Find some forms of exercise that work for you- I recommend something that is more strength focused such as weight training or bodyweight exercises and some form of cardiovascular activity.
Create a routine: Try and create an easy to adhere to routine that fits your lifestyle and availability. Aim to incorporate at least two days per week of strength training and 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity per week.
Stay consistent and keep chipping away at it!: Consistency is king- just keep at it and don’t get yourself hurt!
Hire a personal trainer, like me!
