Full Body Home Workout

Our bodies are the only place we will always be in. The human body is a temple of neurological paths and muscle fibers, in a sense, and should be properly maintained through physical activities and good food.

However, many people are afraid to even step in a gym, or go outside and enjoy the nature, along with a jog. For those people, taking the first step to a healthier body (and mind) seems impossible!

… And even if they take that step, they don’t stick to training for that long because they are “Busy”.

Maybe they’re actually worried about what other people think of them, or have some kind of insecurity, or simply don’t know how to execute the exercises.

If you recognize yourself in some of the statements above, we’re here to help you get started! Below, we will give you a simple full body home workout, that is done using mostly your bodyweight, as well as some basic equipment.

Execution of the exercise:

• Place your hands on the floor, slightly below the shoulder line, fingers point forward. Heels are together and your head looks forward. Your body should be straight like a guitar string
• Go down, until the upper arm is parallel with the ground
• Push up until you almost reach full lock of the elbow joint
• Go down slowly, push up explosively

Breathing

This is simple, yet often misunderstood. For EVERY exercise, you INHALE on the NEGATIVE part of the exercise (The part where we do not apply strength and effort whatsoever) and EXHALE on the POSITIVE part, where you apply strength and effort.

So, for this exercise, you would INHALE while going down and EXHALE while pushing up. Do not forget to control your breathing.

For all you ladies reading this article- If this exercise is hard for you, stand on your knees to make the movement easier to go through!

Bench dips

Bench dips are an exercise, used to primarily target the triceps, and secondarily, the chest.

Execution

• Sit on a bench sideways and place your hands beside you. Lift your body up in the air, by only standing on your hands.
• Place your legs on the ground, or on another bench if you want to use your full bodyweight
• Let your body down until the upper arm is parallel to the ground
• Push yourself up to the initial position

Important notes

• Neck reflexes – Look up to emphasize on the triceps
• Injury prevention – Do not quickly lock out your elbows at the top, to avoid joint damage
• Control the movement and feel your triceps/chest/shoulders working

Dumbbell exercises

Now that we’ve gone through the first two very basic body-weight exercises you can do at home, let’s move on to the exercises that require simple equipment, like a pair of dumbbells.

Shoulder exercise

Dumbbell lateral raises

This is a static exercise that tenses the whole body, and mainly the core musculature.

Execution:

• Lay on the ground, standing on your elbows and toes
• Keep your body straight
• Hold this position for as long as possible

Leg exercises

Body-weight (wall) squats

This is an exercise that primarily targets the quadriceps, and secondarily the glutes and hamstrings.

Execution:

• Place your legs at shoulder width
• Open your toes slightly, so that they won’t point forward
• Cross your arms and place them on your shoulders
• Keep your back straight
• Let your butt down, until your legs are parallel to the ground
• Go up without locking your knees

Notes

• You can step wider to target the glutes
• You can contract the glutes at the top of the exercise
• If you have a hard time driving the tension through the heels, you can elevate your heels by up to an inch and a half
• Keeping your back against a wall is optional, as shown on the exercise illustration- It allows you to control the movement better, resulting in further quadriceps engagement.

Dumbbell walking lunges

A perfect exercise that targets the quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes

Execution:

• Stand up straight and the dumbbells by your side
• Take a big step forward and let your body down, keeping the back straight
• Don’t let your knee touch the ground
• Come up and proceed to doing the same movement on the other leg

Note

Control the movement and don’t go too fast on it, as you might lose balance.

Cardio through exercises

As a cardio routine, you can do these 3 exercises in a superset, meaning, you do them consecutively with no rest in between the exercises.

Burpees

This is one of the most effective body-weight exercises, that is cardio oriented, but also develops pushing and jumping strength, explosiveness and endurance.

Execution

• Stand up straight with your arms next to you
• Squat down and place your palms slightly wider than shoulder width
• Kick back with your legs, so that you’re in a push up position
• Do a push up
• Return legs to original position
• Squat up and jump
• Repeat

Mountain climbers

This is pretty much a full body exercise, with a core focus, that can be applied in everyday workouts as well as cardio workouts.

Execution:

• Stay in a push-up position
• Arms are as wide as shoulder width or slightly wider
• Get your knees closer to your chest, by curling the leg in
• Get it back to the original position
• Repeat on the other leg

Tip:

Try to imagine you’re actually climbing a mountain or a wall.

Rope jumping

This is an exercise that primarily targets the calf musculature, but also tenses the quadriceps and most muscles on the upper portion of the body.

Execution

• Stand up straight
• Place rope behind you
• Spin the rope
• Jump and sync with the movement of your wrists
• Keep a moderate pace

Note

When you get used to the movement and synchronizing the rope and your jumps, you can start alternating your steps- Dance, in a sense. You don’t really need to jump that high, just as high as the rope is thick, so it can pass below you. Try to play with the rope.

Summary

You don’t necessarily need to go to the gym.

As you can see in this workout guide, there are plenty of options when it comes to working out at home, or outdoor.

This routine is suitable for beginners and intermediate athletes, that are looking to improve their overall health and looks, without the need to visit the gym.

Stay fit!