Weight Loss Exercises at Home

So, it has come to our notice that you are creating an exercise plan. Hold up right there, my friend! What’s your goal?

Weight loss? Muscle gain? Or simply getting into shape?

No matter what you are striving for, there are two rules of exercising: always choose the right exercise according to your strength and body weight and follow the proper techniques. A little too much bending or arching can cause painful injuries. You might have to walk like an old person until you get yourself to a chiropractor and get those joints back into their places.

With that being said, if you are committed to getting into shape, you have two choices: join a gym and ask the instructor to have one session with you every other day of the week for at least 30 minutes or place your trust in us to give you the best ten exercises that you can easily do at home.

So, what is it going to be?

We hope you chose the second option! Now that you are interested in setting up a workout routine for weight-loss exercises at home, let’s look at why exercising is necessary:

Benefits of Exercise

Exercise is extremely important to live a healthy and fit life. The question you have never probably asked yourself is “why?”

You see, we have come far from the ways our nomadic ancestors used to live, such as moving around constantly in search of shelter and food. The large distance they traveled daily was more like a 5K marathon, which kept them active throughout the day.

Here’s an analogy to help you understand the importance of exercise: our bodies designed to move just like how a Ferrari is made to go fast. If you take the Ferrari out once or twice a week for a grocery run 3 miles away from your house, the car would develop engine problems. Similarly, having a dip in your backyard swimming pool or going to a club with your friends for dancing is not to the same as moving your body.

With time, you will develop various problems and then the time for exercising would have passed! It’s not our purpose to scare you but simply tell you how things are. Below are a couple of benefits of exercising backed by studies because we like to be thorough:

Exercise Makes People Happy

According to a study published in the International Journal of MS Care, exercise decreases feelings of stress, anxiety, depression, and improves your mood. Another study published in the journal of Frontiers in Psychiatry reported that exercise boosts the production of a chemical in the body called endorphins, which reduces pain sensitivity and produces positive feelings.

It’s Good for Your Bones and Muscles

Exercise builds and maintains strong bones and muscles. When adequate protein intake is paired with muscle building, you develop the strength to perform intense workouts. According to a study published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, exercises releases hormones that promote your muscle’s ability to absorb different amino acids. As a result, they grow faster and breakdown is less frequent.

It Helps Reduce Weight

Inactivity can have a major effect on obesity and weight gain. According to a study published in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science, when a person goes on a diet, the reduction in your calories lowers the rate of your metabolism, and this delays weight loss. On the other hand, regular exercise increases the rate of your metabolism and helps you burn more calories.

It Boosts Your Energy Levels

According to a study published in the journal of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, a person’s level of fatigue and anxiety can be reduced by exercising. The study concluded that the more people exercised, the more they felt at ease. However, the exercise used in the study model was one with low intensity so that people don’t feel exhausted.

While there are plenty more benefits of exercising but we think these four enough to convince you. Let’s discuss the types of weight loss exercises at home next:

Top 10 Exercises to Do at Home

Exercise #1

Jumping Rope

• Sets: 1
• Reps: 1 Minute

Let’s start with something simple such as jumping rope. You already know this one. However, we are going to share few tips to help you do it with a perfect posture.

• Maintain one skipping form: either jump with both feet or hop
• Instead of counting the jumps, check how long you can go. The ideal jumping time for beginners is 1 minute

Exercise #2

Forward Lunge

• Sets: 3
• Reps: 10/Side

Forward lunges target your leg muscles, those in your calves and hamstrings. Here’s how to do this exercise:

• Stand straight with your feet wide apart
• Place your hands on your hips or you can hold 2kg weights by your sides
• Take a step forward with your right leg. Make sure that your spine does not bend. Lower your body until the back and front leg form a 90° angle
• Pause for a few seconds and then step back. Follow the same movements with your left leg

Exercise #3

Explosive Lunge

• Sets: 3
• Reps: 1 Minute

Once you have mastered the forward lunge, you can progress your way upwards to the explosive lunge. This exercise targets your lower body such as the calves, glutes, hip flexors, and quads. Here’s how to do this exercise:

• Stand straight with both your feet together and hands placed on your hips
• Take a step forward with your right leg and lower your body until the back and front leg form a 90° angle
• In the next second, jump up and switch legs midair
• With your left leg forward, land softly on the mat and lower your body into a lunge

Exercise #4

Squat

• Sets: 4
• Reps: 10

Squats target your legs as well as your overall body. It boosts the strength in your glutes, hamstrings, and quads, and gives your body more mobility and balance. Your burn more calories while doing squats compared to other exercises. Here’s how to do it:

• Stand straight with your feet apart
• Let your arms loose by your sides holding weights or you can clasp them in front of your chest
• Let your weight rest on your heels and keep your back straight
• Push your hips a little back and bend your knees
• Lower your body into a position until your thighs in line with the floor
• Maintain your position for a few seconds and then rise back up

Exercise #5

Side Leg Lift Squat

• Sets: 2
• Reps: 12

This exercise combines the benefits of a squat and leg lift. The latter movement builds your outer thigh strength. Here’s how to do it:

• Stand straight with your feet apart
• Let your arms loose by your sides
• Squat, pause for a few seconds and then raise your right leg sideways (Do not try to straighten it to a 90° angle)
• Lower your leg and squat again, lifting your left leg next time

Exercise #6

Pushups

• Sets: 3
• Reps: 12

Pushups are everyone’s bane of existence but they are the best exercise that helps you build upper body strength. They work your shoulder, pectoral muscles, and triceps. When done properly, they provide immense support to your lower back by engaging the abdominal muscles. Here’s how to do it:

• Lie face down on an exercise mat
• Lift your body and raise your arms forward so that they are in line with your shoulders.
• Lower your body slowly so that your chest meets the floor
• Pause for 5 seconds and then raise your body back up. Make sure that you don’t curve your spine too much

Check out our blog on how many push ups should I be able to do. 

Exercise #7

Plank

• Sets: 2
• Reps: 10

Planks strengthen your trapezius, rhomboids, and spine. They also target your abdominal muscles and improve your posture. This can help you heal various ailments such as back pain, muscle strains, and more. Moreover, the better your posture, the more aligned your bones will be. Here’s how to do this exercise:

• Place your hands directly under your shoulders. Make sure that they are slightly shoulder-width apart. This is the same position you take when doing pushups
• Ground your toes into the mat and squeeze your glutes. This will stabilize your body. Do not lock your body too hard or you might make your knees stiff
• Neutralize your spine and neck by focusing your gaze on a spot on the mat
• Your head should be faced downwards but not hanging
• Hold this position for a few seconds and then get into a comfortable position
• Slowly increase your pause time to see how long you can hold your back straight

Check out our ab workout from home.

Exercise #8

Burpee

• Sets: 3
• Reps: 12

Burpees combine the power of crunches, squats, pull-ups, dips, and more. It’s a calisthenics workout that builds endurance and muscle strength in your upper and lower body. Basic Burpees work the muscles in your hips, legs, arms, chest, shoulders, abdomens, and buttocks. Here’s how to do it:

• Stand straight with your feet apart
• Let your arms loose by your sides
• Bend your knees, push your hips back and touch the ground with your palms. This will put you in a crouching position
• Immediately shift your weight backward and lower into a squat
• With your hands still touching the floor, shift your weight forward and push your legs back with a jump, and land in a plank position
• Jump forward so that you land outside your hands and then jump into the air while raising your hands overhead

Exercise #9

Crunches

• Set: 1
• Reps: 20

Sit-ups and crunches are almost the same. They both target the abdominal muscles but in the case of crunches, they strengthen your core too, which include your obliques and lower back muscles. This exercise helps improve your posture and balance. Keep in mind that crunches don’t help you lose weight. However, they do toughen you up so that you can perform high-intensity workouts. Here’s how to do this exercise:

• Lie down flat on your back
• Move your legs towards your chest and bend them at a 90° angle
• Cross your hands over your chest. Your hands should rest on opposite shoulders. You can also place them behind your neck
• Start by lifting your shoulder blades and head from the ground. Keep in mind that if your hands are placed behind your head then don’t pull on your neck too much
• Exhale you go up and inhale as you lower yourself

Exercise #10

Bird Dog

• Sets: 2
• Reps: 10

The bird dog exercise teaches you how to balance your weight and strengthens your core. It specifically targets your thighs, butt, and abdominal muscles… the three areas where most of the fat is located. Here’s how to do it:

• Get down on all fours and kneel with your knees slightly apart
• Place your hands, palms down on the ground
• Start with a practice lift to see if your hands and feet are coordinating. First, lift your right hand and at the same time your left leg
• When you don’t wobble, extend your hand forward, as well as your leg. Your hand and leg should be in a straight line on opposite sides
• Hold this position for a few seconds and then return to your kneeling state
• Now, switch to the left hand and right leg

Final Thoughts

This completes our weight loss exercises at home guide. The exercises explained here can easily be done in the afternoon or evening. All of these exercises except for crunches will help you shed those extra pounds that you have been carrying on you for a very long time. Don’t forget to include a healthy diet plan in your workout schedule and do drink plenty of water so that you don’t lock up your muscles due to a lack of electrolytes.

For a free personal training session visit www.onthegofitnesspro.com