Beginner’s Guide to At-Home Workouts

The Beginners Guide to At-Home Workouts

At-home workouts can be as effective as going to the gym. Having a gym membership is not necessary to get into shape. Before I became a stay at home mom I had the time and money to have a gym membership. But when I quit my job to stay at home I had to give it up. I needed to find a way to workout from home.

There could be many reasons why you would prefer to workout at home and not at a Gym.

• Gym Memberships are expensive
• Gyms can be crowded
• There’s a lot of sweaty people 
• Getting yourself to go to the gym can be a challenge

If any of these reasons apply to you fear not because you can get fit from home. 

What are At-Home Workouts?

You can get an effective workout at home. There are many different ways to exercise from home. You can use the internet to stream workouts to follow.

YouTube is a great free way to find a wide variety of workouts. Streaming memberships are also a good way to workout at home.

Many of these workouts don’t need a lot of equipment. Some hand weights are all you need. Another option is using your body weight.

How to get started with Working out at Home

The best way to get started is to figure out what you like to do. Do you like to dance? Do you prefer cardio workouts? Or do you like lifting weights? The best way to get started working out at home is to figure out what you like. 

Another important part of getting started is finding time in your schedule to exercise. Trying to exercise for an hour each day when you’ve never exercised before may be too much.

You should start out slowly if you’re not used to working out. You can start with 30-minute workouts. Then once you’re used to working out you can increase the length of your fitness routine.

Examples of At-Home Workouts

Youtube

YouTube is an excellent resource for free workout videos. There are many amazing fitness instructors who have channels on YouTube. I can easily break a sweat. While being in the comfort of my own home.

When it comes to working out, I need someone to tell me what to do. It’s easier for me to watch and follow what someone is doing rather than trying to exercise on my own.

Channels to follow on YouTube

PopSugar Fitness

PopSugar Fitness channel is AMAZING!!! It offers a ton of different workouts. You will definitely never get bored! If you’re short on time and only have 10 minutes or if you are looking to work out for an hour you won’t be disappointed.

You can find a variety of workouts from this channel. Such as cardio, bodyweight, dance, and strength training workouts. Here is a list of 20-minute workouts that will make you sweat!

BeFit

BeFit also has high-quality workouts to help you get into shape from home. They have several boot camps you can follow. There is a 21-day cleanse yoga workout plan. A 30-day fat burn workout plan. And there is even a 90-day workout plan. These workout plans will guide you to which videos you need to do to achieve your goals. 

I have done the 30-day fat burn plan and I loved it.  When I wanted to start working out again after having my first baby this is what I did. It’s the best beginner workout on YouTube because most of the workouts are 10 minutes long. It’s a great way to ease yourself back into working out.

Livestrong Women

There is a workout series on this channel called Stronger. The Stronger series is 10 free workouts that kick your butt into shape. In these workouts, you’ll be doing high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Also, plyometric workouts, strength training, and cardio workouts.  

Fitness DVDs

Fitness DVDs are an inexpensive home workout. If your internet is slow and streaming workouts are not ideal try investing in fitness DVDs. You can either buy them new, used on eBay, or at a thrift store. If you’re on Facebook try joining a buy nothing group.  You can ask if anyone has some DVDs you can borrow or have. 

Jillian Michales

I enjoy Jillian Michaels’ workouts. I have been a fan of hers since she was on The Biggest Loser. She is a tough fitness trainer and will get you results. If you listen to what she has to say.

I enjoyed the Ripped in 30 DVD. She has several DVDs to choose from. If you are a beginner or advanced you’ll find a DVD to meet your fitness goals. 

Zumba

Zumba takes the “work” out of a workout. By mixing low-intensity and high-intensity moves for interval-style training. Latin and World music are used to get your bodying moving and breaking a sweat. 

Beachbody workouts

Beachbody as an online streaming subscription. But if you would rather not have a membership there are DVDs you can buy. Some popular Beachbody DVDs are 21-Day Fix, INSANITY, PiYO, and P90x.

Streaming Subscriptions

Beachbody

Beachbody is a popular online streaming fitness program. The cost of a Beachbody membership ranges in price. A three-month membership is $40. A six-month membership is $60. And a one-year membership costs around $100.

I joined Beachbody in last summer and I love it! It is worth the investment. There are a lot of programs to do so you will never get bored. I’m currently getting my butt kicked by The Work!

Les Mills

Les Mills on demand has a variety of workouts to choose from. Including strength, cardio, HIIT, dance, and flexibility. There are over 1000 workouts to choose from. You don’t need any equipment to start. You can choose workouts with or without weights and other exercise equipment.

I took Les Mill classes when I had a membership to 24-hour Fitness. The class that I enjoyed was CRXWORK. Which is available on demand. I thought you would need a lot of equipment to do these classes at home. But you can do a lot of the classes with no equipment or things like hand weights and resistance bands. 

One month membership costs $15, three-month membership is $36, and a yearly membership is $120.

Peloton

I would love to own a Peloton bike one day and be able to take cycling classes at home. But until that days comes Peloton offers thousands of classes for at-home workouts. Types of classes are strength, yoga, Bootcamp, stretching, and meditation. A one-month membership is $15. 

Follow Fitness Bloggers

Betty Rocker

The Betty Rocker offers a free 30-day challenge. You’ll receive an email for a 15-minute workout every day for 30 days. Also, there’s a lot of exercises on her website you can do at home. She also has programs you can buy to help you reach your fitness goal.

Blogilates

Cassey Ho is the face behind the popular Blogilates site. She has a 28-day workout calendar for beginners. All you have to do is follow the workouts on the calendar by subscribing to her YouTube channel.

Fit Bottomed Girls

Fit Bottomed Girls site has a ton of free workouts for you to do at home. There is circuit training, strength training and yoga workouts to choose from. If you happen to have a row machine at home they have workouts for that too.

Fitness Apps

Sweat: Kayla Itsines Fitness

You can workout at home with five different fitness trainers. Kayla Itsines program is great for at-home workouts. Expect to do high-intensity plyometric training using minimal equipment

The price of the Sweat app is $20 a month. Or $120 for a yearly membership. 

Lose Weight at Home – Home Workout in 30 days

This app claims to help you lose weight fast with at-home workouts and a healthy diet in 30 days. You receive diet plans along with the workouts. The no-equipment workout plan has arm, butt, abdominal, and leg workout. 

To access all features of the app the cost is $9.99 a month. Or $39.99 for all access yearly membership.

Tone It Up

The Tone it up fitness app has daily workouts and customized programs from amazing trainers. From HIIT, yoga, barre, strength, weights, kickboxing, kettlebell, and cardio workouts. There are also hundreds of healthy recipes for your weight loss goals. 

There is a 7-day free trial. After that, you can pay $14.99 monthly or $100 for a yearly membership.

Tips for Success for At-Home Workouts

Make it a routine

Choose how many days a week you want to exercise and stick with it. If you’re new to exercising you may not want to start out working out an hour a day for 6 days a week.

Try committing to 30 minutes a day for five days a week. And when you get stronger and more fit you can commit to longer workouts.

You should also experiment with what time a day you like to exercise. Do you prefer to get it done right when you wake up in the morning? Or do you prefer to exercise in the evening? Try to work out the same time every day that way it becomes part of your daily routine.

Wear workout clothes

If you prefer to workout first thing in the morning then you should put your workout clothes on when you wake up. Or wear your workout clothes to bed. That way when you wake up you’re ready to get moving.

But, if you prefer to exercise after work then put your workout clothes as soon as you get home. That way you will be one step closes to completing your workout for the day.

Don’t expect perfection

When you start working out at home give yourself some time to learn how you want to do it. Don’t expect to jump into working out at home and staying consistant with it. You will have to learn what time to work out works for you. Also, where in your home is the best place to do it. Eventually wyou will have a routine and you will become consistant.

Common Questions About Working out at Home

How do I find time to workout at home?

The short answer is to pick a time and do it. Can you wake up earlier? What about doing a 30-minute workout before you start dinner? Pick a time that works for you and stick with it. Make sure to workout at the same time every day. That way it is in your schedule and you know when to expect it.

How do I workout at home with kids?

Working out at home can be tough. Especially when your kids want your attention every moment they’re awake! You could try waking up earlier than they do to get your workout in. Also, you can try to wait until nap time or when they are asleep for the night.

I have tried to wake up earlier to workout before my kids wake up. But that doesn’t work out for me because my son has a sixth sense. If I wake up early so does he! I prefer to workout in the morning though because if I wait until naptime I will make a ton of excuses why I can’t work out. So I usually workout in the morning while my kids are binge-watching YouTube:). 

They still end up asking for everything from me. Or gravitating to where I’m exercising but I’m able to get my workout in. Even with them being around. I also tell them that it is my time to exercise and they need to let me get it done. 

Before you start exercising try setting up an activity for your kids. If you don’t them to get a lot of screen time while you workout. Get a coloring book or blank paper, and crayons out. You could also get out some Play-Doh or Legos and ask them to build you something.  

What is the best exercise to workout at home?

The best workout to do at home is a mix of cardio and strength training. Cardio workouts help you burn calories. Also, cardio strengthens your heart and muscles.

Strength training is good for you to do because it makes you stronger and more fit. It also helps you increase your metabolism. So you can burn more calories and lose weight.

How do I workout at home without equipment?

The best way to workout at home without equipment is to use your own body weight. Push-ups, planks, lunges, and squats can be done without weights.

Also, cardio exercises are a great way to make you sweat. You are moving your body and burning calories.

Of course, adding weights to these exercises can help you burn more calories. But you can still get in a good workout without any equipment.

Can working out at home can be effective?

At-home workouts can be effective. You have to put in the work as you would at a gym to see results. If you were working out five days a week at the gym then you should continue working out five days a week at home.

Equipment for Working out at Home

When working out at home you don’t need a lot of expensive equipment. Your own bodyweight could be all you need to workout. But if you do want to use equipment all you need are a few pairs of dumbbells. Ranging in size from light, medium, and heavy.

Other items you can consider buying are resistance bands and loops. A mat would be good to have if you have hardwood flooring. 

The Last Thing You Need to Know about At-Home Workouts

Now you know how to get an effective at-home workout. You can workout free with videos from YouTube. Or you can get a membership to an online streaming subscription. You have many options available. Choose the one you like and get moving!

Being a new mom I wanted to get back into shape. But I had to find a way to do that at home. So I started with what I already knew. I had a collection of Jillian Michaels DVDs and hand weights. So that’s how I started out working out at home. 

I hope you enjoyed this beginner’s guide to at-home workouts! What at-home workouts do you prefer? Let me know in the comments:)