Get Fit With At Home Workouts
Despite what the salesperson at your local health club will tell you, it is possible to get fit without ever setting foot in a gym. You can build muscle, increase endurance, and develop cardiovascular health with at home workouts.
The two primary factors that will determine the success of any at home workout program, are commitment and exercise selection. Establishing a regular workout routine means being disciplined enough to schedule time at least three times a week to devote to your fitness goals. This can be challenging for many people as it is sometimes difficult to get away from household distractions. The secret is to dedicate a time and a location that you can use and not be interrupted.
Exercise selection is also very important. You must determine your goals. Are you looking to build muscle? Lose weight? Increase endurance? Focus on any of these will dictate the exercises and workout routines that are right for you.
There are hundreds of effective body weight exercises that you can incorporate into your workouts. These exercises focus on building real world strength, muscular endurance, and cardio capacity. The key to an effective body weight workout is to develop routines that hit all the major muscle groups of the body in a variety of resistance driven angles.
Some basic exercises to get you started include:
Leg Squats (legs)
From a standing position, with your legs shoulder width apart, squat down until your legs form a 90 degree angle. Do not squat any deeper as this may put too much pressure on your knees.
As you lower yourself, keep your back slightly arched, your head up and facing forward, and your glutes (your rear end) sticking out as if you were lowering yourself into a chair. Once you are lowered to a 90 degree angle, flex your quads (thighs), hamstrings, and glutes to raise yourself. Repeat.
Push-ups (chest, shoulders, triceps)
The classic exercise from gym class. The push-up is very effective at working the chest, shoulders, and triceps. Place your hands on the floor at shoulder width. Keep your toes on the floor and your feet together. Slowly lower yourself to the ground until your nose touches the ground. If dipping this low is too difficult, then stop at whatever point you can manage. Repeat.
There are multiple variations of the push-up including the close grip push-up that focuses on the triceps. In this exercise, you keep your hands 6-9 inches apart when doing the push-up.
Leg Raises (abdominals)
In addition to crunches, leg raises are very effective at working the core abdominal muscles. Lying flat on your back and keeping your hands by your sides and your legs together, slowly raise your legs off the ground until they are at about a 45 degree angle. You will feel your abs tightening throughout the motion. Flex your abs as you slowly lower your legs to the floor. Repeat.
You can get fit using at home workouts. Do you want to build muscle? Do you want real world strength? Do you want an at home workout that travels with you wherever you go? Check out this highly recommended at home workout program.
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