It’s not a new truism, but the fact remains: the best workout you can do is the one that you do. When we can’t get to the gym, it’s very easy to use that as an excuse not to get moving. Whether your gym is closed when you want it most, or you’ve simply run out of time to get there, home workouts are just as effective for hitting your health goals.
You might miss out on the gym camaraderie, and you might not be able to follow your usual workouts due to a lack of expensive equipment, but don’t let that stop you. If you’re working out from home more than you expected, here are the best five ways to elevate your home workout game. You might never want to go back to the gym again!
1. Get Dressed Up
Without that focus of getting ready and travelling to the gym, it can be hard to stay motivated about exercise and keeping fit. That’s why you need to establish a home workout routine as early as possible. One of the ways to ensure that you get into that motivational mindset is to get your gym clothes on.
When you take the time to dress as if you’re going to your local gym, you can be sure that you’ll put more work in. It’s not just a trick of the mind either, because your workout clothes have been designed to help. They are functional and can support your body, and all while helping you to stay motivated!
Dress for gym success and it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been working out from home.
2. Set Health and Fitness Goals
We all have goals in the gym. Whether that’s a six-pack, a stronger heart, or more endurance, those goals are critical for gym success. A common mistake when working out at home is to dismiss the goals you have set for yourself at the gym.
That’s because we tend to assume that our home workouts are going to make it slower to hit those goals. The key here is to create new goals that match your equipment and your overall aims. Don’t set unrealistic goals that will only be achieved with the equipment that your gym has but that you don’t have at home.
Try simple goals, like challenging yourself to beat the number of reps and sets you do for each muscle group. Track all of your progress, and don’t beat yourself up if you’re not going at the speed you’d expect while going to the gym. Working out from home may mean different goals, but once you get used to them, you’ll see that progress can be just as fast at home as in any dedicated workout space.
3. Use Videos
If you’re a regular at the gym, you likely have your favourite equipment and your workout routine set in stone. The problem with suddenly having to work out at home is that your routine can be forcefully disrupted. One of the reasons why so many people struggle with home workouts is because they aren’t sure what approach to take or what exercise is best to do.
Endless video tutorials are available online, and just subscribing to one or two channels can give you all of the guidance you’ll need. Make sure that you choose the videos that match your goals. For example, if you want to have a solid cardio workout, watch some cardio workout videos.
You can even get advice about nutrition and after-workout care to ensure that you don’t burn yourself out or cause an injury due to a whole new routine.
4. Use Every Muscle Group
It might be tempting, especially if you lack even basic gym equipment, but don’t stick to the same three exercises and hope for the best. Just like going to the gym, you need to ensure that all of your muscle groups get the right focus.
Leg-day in the gym might be a pain, but you do it anyway because you know it’s important for symmetry and balance. Just because you can’t use the local leg press doesn’t mean you can’t work those legs. We all have favourite exercises but don’t just stick to those.
Just like going to the gym, it’s also important that you don’t forget to follow your usual after-workout care. That means committing to your warm-down and using natural pain relief remedies to relieve sore muscles. Don’t forget to balance your weekly routines so that you’re giving every muscle group some kind of workout.
5. Exercise to Your Strengths
One of the biggest mistakes that people make when moving to home workouts is setting unrealistic goals about when they exercise. It’s very easy to claim that you’re going to get an hour of exercise first thing every morning, but in the cold mornings that can be very hard to stick to.
Those unrealistic expectations will take the motivation right out of you. So if you’re not a morning person or you’re more used to working out after work, don’t try to make sudden changes too quickly. Get used to working out when you know you’ll be at optimal motivation and energy. Working out in the morning might be good for you, but if you don’t do that workout then it negatively affects the rest of your day.
Level up Your Home Workouts Today
The fact is that you don’t need expensive gym memberships and gym equipment to get a real workout and earn those gains. Even simple exercises can have a long term impact that will see you getting the results you’re hoping for.
Don’t dismiss home workouts because you don’t have the weights or equipment that you’re used to. With the right approach, your at-home workout can be just as effective as any gym routine, and you don’t even need to leave the house to do them right.
