Completing a full-body workout at home is an often overlooked luxury. 

Reasons why you can’t access a gym likely vary, ranging from “no gyms nearby” to a hectic schedule — and since the COVID-19 pandemic began, shuttered gyms have emphasized our need to work out at home.

If you’ve found yourself cut off from your regular schedule — and you want an exercise routine to keep yourself in shape — here’s a list of the best home workouts. Even better, many of these exercises require little to no setup; you just need a mat, some good shoes, and a little space to stretch.

Preparing for an at-home workout

We’ve prepared a workout plan fit for any home gym. If you have some dumbbells, kettlebells, or resistance bands, you can easily add them in for resistance training — but your bodyweight is more than enough to get started.

Before you begin, include a few warm-ups to make your body relaxed and limber. You risk pulling a muscle if you don’t get the blood flowing. This will help prevent injuries and keep you healthy. 

Your warm-up will depend on your exercise space, fitness level, and potential healthcare concerns when working out from home. 

Some general warm-ups well-suited for no equipment workouts include:

• Jumping jacks.

• Squats.

• Lunges.

• Pushups.

• Hip rotations.

Ensure you’re adequately hydrated with an energy drink before starting your bodyweight exercises. Once you do, you’re ready for your beginner workout. Whatever time of day best fits your schedule works for this plan.

For beginner’s bodyweight exercises

First, we want to stress that there’s nothing wrong with getting fit by yourself. You may be more comfortable with this arrangement if you’re new to the fitness world. Youtube is full of exercise tutorials if you don’t recognize an exercise or want to check your form. 

As a beginner, home workouts for women and men alike should be tailored to your current skill level and desired area of improvement, just like the warm-up stage.

Some of the best beginner exercises that you can consider are:

• Stationary lunges. These exercises require no additional equipment except a good set of shoes and a flat piece of ground. They’ll work wonders on your hamstrings, glutes, and quads. Stand on your mat with a split stance and your right leg in front of the left. Bend your knees to lunge until your back thigh nearly touches the ground. Drive through your front foot (only using your back foot for stability). 

• Side-lying hip abduction. If you sit at your desk all day, you’ll want to incorporate this strength training exercise into your routine. It can build muscles in your hips, which suffer from too much sitting. For this move, lie on your side with your body straight. Lift your top leg up, keeping the rest of your body still, then lower the leg until both legs touch. Each leg lift is a rep. 

• Plank to downward dog. Want to build your shoulder strength without using dumbbells? Plank to a downward dog is an excellent option to build endurance in your upper body. Here, move into a plank position with your arms straight and your hands directly below your shoulders. Then, with hands and feet flat on the ground, push your hips back and raise your body upwards into the downward dog position. Hold, then shift forward to a plank. This completes your rep.

• Forearm plank. This full bodyweight workout engages your core muscles and helps with overall balance. Grab a mat, and move into a plank position, resting on your forearms with your elbows directly below your shoulders. Hold in this position for 30 seconds.

• Knee push-ups. Do you want to do burpees, pushups, or crunches, but aren’t sure you have the strength to finish these reps? Try knee pushups instead, which are a beginner’s alternative. Instead of your regular pushup form with your legs straight out, brace yourself on your knees instead. Bend your arms to lower your chest to the ground, then push back up to straight arms to complete the rep.

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For intermediate bodyweight exercises

If you’ve got some core strength but you’re not sure how to implement it outside of the gym, try:

• Pushups. This exercise is standard for most workout routines and will help you build your tricep. If knee pushups are too easy, lift your knees and put those arms to work. This progression is a great way to see your strength increase, too.  

• Walking lunge. Like other leg workouts for a stronger lower body, this evolution of the standing lunge will enhance your glutes, hamstrings, and mobility. Instead of a stationary position, stand with your legs together, then step your right leg forward into the starting position of a stationary lunge. Lower your body into the lunge, then push through your front foot — in this case, the right one — to your original upright stance, then pull your back foot forward to standing. Place your left foot in front of you and complete a lunge on the other side. 

• Squats. These exercises are a favorite of many a personal trainer. And while they can be done at the beginner’s stage, they work exceptionally well in a more high-intensity workout routine. Best of all, squats are great in a small apartment space. Methods you can try include bodyweight squats, with your knees bent and arms stretched out in front, or chair squats, where you utilize a piece of furniture to control your squat position. From standing, push your hips back and bend your knees, lowering down until your knees are bent at 90 degrees. Push through your heels to return to a standing position and complete a rep. 

Beginner and intermediate workouts can be combined with cardio in each stage of the fitness game, especially if weight loss or heart health is the primary goal. 

One of the most effective cardio methods (and the cheapest) is a brisk walk. After the cardio, you can pack up your gear and freshen up. You can also go for a run or a bike ride. 

When you’re starting out, you can do your cardio on days that you don’t complete these exercises to avoid overworking yourself. As your fitness improves, add cardio workouts to your exercise routine.

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For a beginner’s at-home exercise routine:

• Start with warm-ups: General stretching of legs and arms and jumping jacks (3 sets of 10 reps).

• Move into exercises: Chair squats (3 sets of 10 reps), knee pushups (3 sets of 10 reps), stationary lunges (3 sets of 10 reps), plank to downward dog (3 sets of 10 reps), forearm plank (3 sets of 10 reps), side-lying hip abduction (3 sets of 10 reps).

• Finish off your routine with cardio: 30 minutes brisk walk, either outdoors or on a treadmill. 

• Complete this routine: 3-4 times per week.

• To make it harder: Each week, add another set of 10 reps, add 5 reps to each set, or complete the workout more frequently. 

For an intermediate at-home exercise routine: 

• Start with warm-ups: General stretching of legs and arms, and jumping jacks (3 sets of 15 reps).

• Move into exercises: Squats (3 sets of 10 reps), pushups (3 sets of 15 reps), walking lunge (3 sets of 15 reps), forearm plank (3 sets of 10 reps), side-lying hip abduction (3 sets of 15 reps).

• Finish off your routine with cardio: 30-45 minutes brisk walk, either outdoors or on a treadmill.

• Complete this routine: 3-4 times per week.

• To make it harder: Each week, add another set of 10 reps, add 5 reps to each set, or complete the workout more frequently.

Are at-home workouts effective?

A little skepticism is expected, as home-based HIIT workouts don’t have access to all the professional tools you’d find at a gym. However, we’re happy to report the skepticism is without merit. The best at-home workouts can help you lose weight or build muscle mass, so long as you’re consistent.

To avoid plateauing, you’ll need to practice “progressive overload.” 

Progressive overload refers to the practice of gradually increasing the intensity of your workout to enhance your heart rate and keep things challenging. As you build strength, some muscle groups will adapt to the workout and stop growing; even a total body workout needs variation.

You can max out the power by increasing repetitions and decreasing rest periods or adding more reps or some weight. A heavy book or a full jug of water are a great DIY version of dumbbells to make things more challenging.

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Is 30 minutes of working out a day enough?

Some exercise is always better than none at all — and all exercise is good exercise. 

As your routine progresses, it’ll need to lengthen to see the same level of improvement within that home-based setting (remember, progressive overload). For example, you should use standing lunges until you find them easy to complete. Then, move on to walking or jumping lunges next. 

Are you looking for some healthy food ideas for after your workout? Gopuff will help you shop for the right snacks online, with the perfect foods to eat after a workout available for delivery right to your door.