PLANNING THE ULTIMATE AT HOME WORKOUT PROGRAM with limited equipment…

Things needed:

• Your body
• Space for your body to move
• Sunlight

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Handy extras:

• Heavier household objects
• Bands
• A few dumbbells or kettlebells

If quarantine taught us anything, it’s creativity for planning a sweaty, effective workout.  As a coach, it was amazing for me to see how many people got on a healthy path during quarantine.  Now, so many have found a passion for working out—whether it be in a gym or at home.  Super cool to see how many people have made their home their gym!

Here are my top tips on planning the ultimate at home workout program…

Establish the number of days and length of time you can commit to.

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I recommend daily activity, such as walking, for 15 minutes and at least 2 days of resistance training for 30 minutes.  If you’re resistance training 3 or less days per week, plan to train full body. If training 4+ days, you can break it down into upper body and lower body workouts.

Always warm up for 5-10 minutes.

Your warm up should include dynamic stretching, or stretching while moving.  I like to start with a 15-45 minute walk, too.  Pay special attention to your shoulders and hips as they are your most mobile joints & assist in the majority of exercises.

Choose 6-10 exercises for your workout.

With minimal equipment, you can add in more exercises to train effectively.

Full body work:

1 chest, 1 back, 1 shoulder, 1-2 arms + 1 quad, 1 hamstring, 1-2 glutes + 1-2 core

Upper work:

2 chest, 2 back, 2 shoulder, 1-2 arms + 1-2 core

Lower work:

2 quad, 2 hamstring, 2 glutes + 1-2 core

Make your at home workout harder:

• Increase the rep count.  Don’t be afraid to hit 15-20 reps with minimal equipment.
• Add pauses, holds, and tempos.
• Decrease the rest time.
• Use bands and weights (check out my YouTube for how to – Gray Gaines)

Assign cardio days.

If cardiovascular health is your goal (which it should be to stay healthy!), assign cardio days.  My recommendation:

• Daily Zone 1 cardio (light walking, household chores, gardening)
• Zone 2 cardio two to four days per week (elliptical, stairs, easy hikes, swim, incline walks)
• Harder cardio sessions 1-2 times per week (strenuous run/sprints, hike, bike, stair master)
• Avoid hectic cardio on intense leg days unless 6-9 hours apart.  Your legs take longer to recover!

Do your workouts outside in the sunlight as often as possible!

The sunlight has healing powers and is a REQUIREMENT for adequate sleep, energy, happy moods, and immunity.

The ultimate at home workout program is one that is diverse and challenges you in a multitude of ways!  We know exercise is a huge piece of the “staying healthy” puzzle! 

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