At Home Workouts

Tips for making your at home workouts a success

There are many reasons to workout at home but your personal reasons may determine whether or not your workouts are successful. If you’re choosing an at-home workout merely because you feel it’s too expensive to join a gym, you’ll likely get bored before long because you won’t have the multitude of equipment choices or even the social interaction that’s common at many gyms.

I prefer at home workouts simply for the convenience of being able to fit a workout into my schedule without adding the extra time involved when going to a gym. And, when I’m being a slug, my exercise room shouts a huge reminder to me to get back on schedule. However, we’ve all heard the jokes about exercise equipment being used as coat racks. Frankly, if you’re not working out, covering up the equipment doesn’t alter your mind or physical condition. You need the right mindset for ANY workout! 

What do you want to achieve?

The kind of at home workout you need is dependent upon what results you’re trying to achieve. Yes, there are some differences between at home workouts for men versus women, but there are also many similarities. Men's at home workouts are often focused on building (and showcasing) their musculature, such as their pecs or abs; whereas women are typically just striving to be toned and shapely. This means different workouts for different results.

Your at home workout can be something as simple as a calisthenics program, which have been around forever. However, don't ignore calisthenics because you don't think they'll get you the desired result; there are some seriously challenging programs for those striving for a more ripped appearance. There are also a multitude of video programs available by nearly every fitness expert out there. Home exercise equipment is available for every need and at every price level, including your basic dumbell collection.

When it comes down to it, most of the at home workouts for men or women can help you achieve your goals when followed consistently. If you're looking for a very low-cost workout, remember that you probably have a lot of “equipment” around your home that could be used. Just get creative with your stairs, water jugs, and furniture. It will help if you gain some insight into how muscles grow stronger or ripped what it takes to qualify as cardio, and the different results you get when doing a lot of light reps versus a few tough reps.

Location, location, location

When deciding to do at home workouts, you have to give serious thought about where you’ll work out. Again, the type of workout you’ll be doing will make a huge difference in the amount of space you’ll need. For example, I have numerous DVD workout sets but my television and DVD player are in the living room where I can’t do much without hitting walls or furniture. Plus there’s even the issue of my flooring. While carpeting is nice for some workouts, it’s really lousy for others where I need more mobility with my feet.

I use a spare bedroom for my exercise equipment but it’s not that large so I have to really think about placement so I have sufficient room to use the equipment. It’s helpful that a lot of home exercise equipment takes that into account with their space-saving designs. Home gyms have been popular for a long time and newer designs take up less space than ever before while still providing a full-body workout. I bought a Total Gym® to replace an old, big gym and I particularly like a couple of things: although it’s long and narrow when open so it can easily be slid to the side of the room when not in use and, when I’m using it, I like the way I can make quick changes for the next exercise.

The best time for your at home workouts

 Okay, you must have heard this before… the best time is whenever you’ll actually do it! I’m not a morning person so I always feel it’s more challenging to find the perfect time for my workouts. I mean, it would be much easier if I worked out first thing in the morning so I could just take my shower and get dressed for work or whatever else I have going on. But that requires getting up earlier and that’s just not going to happen.

One thing that I’ve found works great for me is to plan to work out every single day. I know, most of you probably only want to work out three times a week. The reason I schedule a daily workout is simply because I found it’s easier. Let me explain.

If I plan to work out Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, I inevitably have something come up that makes me miss one of my workout days. Once that starts happening, I find it really hard to get back on schedule and then I mope around feeling guilty because I missed a workout. By scheduling a daily workout, I don’t particularly worry about missing one here or there because it’s a more regular schedule for me.

Now, that’s just me. Analyze your own behaviors and energy levels to determine when you should schedule your workouts. Then just be consistent until it’s a habit.

Which at home workout program is for you?

All I can do is suggest programs for you. Think about the type of things you like to do when you’re not exercising and try to find a workout program that pulls some of those elements into it. For instance, if you like to dance, you might really like some of the DVD programs that incorporate dance steps. If you want to get ripped, you’ll need a program that uses weights or your own body weight to push your muscles.

In the end, you’ll probably use a variety of at home workouts to keep challenging your body and mind so the workouts don’t get boring as time goes on. Below are several options to consider:

• The Home Gym with attitude! Terrell Owens System by Bodylastics - This amazing system is used by personal trainers, pro athletes, the US military and even S.W.A.T. teams for their training. This is an inexpensive band system, yet can be used for muscle building, body toning, even weight loss. They have been featured on QVC, HSN and were an editors pick by Self magazine in 2002.
  
  
• Get all the fitness training you want with iTRAIN! (Save 10% with coupon code ITRAIN10) - This company is breaking ground in virtual personal training. iTRAIN’s success is based on their celebrity trainers updating the music and the workouts every month. Their library of motivating workouts currently offers more than 300 different workouts for various disciplines: Cardio (treadmill, cycling, climbing, outdoor running), Sculpting, Stretching (yoga, pilates), Strength and Teen hip-hop workouts.
  
  
• The Official Fitness Model Program - Fitness Model Jennifer Nicole Lee (Oxygen Magazine Cover Model and seen on TV promoting the Ab Circle Pro) created these Fitness Model™ Program workouts that you can do in the comfort of your own home. All you need is basic equipment like dumbbells, an exercise bench, and a workout mat.