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Personally, I’m a fan of at-home workouts. I honestly think that, if you dedicate yourself, you can do just as much as you would in any gym and get the same results. Plus, there are some important advantages that come with exercising at home.
- It’s free
With each new year, gym memberships just get more and more expensive. In São Paulo, where I used to live, some of the prices were just outrageous. Even though paying for it can make you more motivated to actually commit and go, I’m not sure if most of the gyms are really worth the price.
- Saves time
If your actual workout lasts one hour, you can expect to waste a little (or a lot) more time getting to the gym and going back home. If you never leave your house, the total time you spend is exactly the time you exercise.
- You can do it whenever you want
If you are into lifting, you can go to the gym and do it whenever you want, but if you like to attend different classes like zumba, pilates, boot camp or spinning, you’ll have to adapt to your gym’s schedule.
- You avoid the crowds
There were some good gyms in São Paulo with great prices, but can you imagine how many people would show up at the same time (before 9am and after 6pm) in a city with over 11 million inhabitants? A lot.
I know a gym membership also has many advantages, but that’s not where I’m going with this article. My goal is to share some tips to get results working out at home, which is something I’ll probably be doing a lot, now that I’m moving every month.
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Avoid The Crowds
Get a little help online
The Internet brought us good things and bad things, but it certainly made working out at home much easier. You can find classes of pretty much anything, just by going on Youtube and typing “Classes of…”.
If you want something with a little more structure, there are tons of DVDs with different classes and fitness programs you can purchase. It’s cheaper than a gym membership, and you’ll only have to pay for it once.
I haven’t tried that many at-home workout videos, but that didn’t happen because I don’t like them. I tried Beachbody’s Insanity a few years ago and absolutely loved it. In fact, I liked it so much that I never gave any other program a chance, and every time I wanted to work out at home, I’d just choose one of the Insanity workouts. Now that I’ll be home more often and have no access to a gym, I’ll certainly try a few different ones.
Exercise ideas to work out at home
There are numerous ways to workout at home. You just have to be creative and play with the different possibilities.
Cardio Workouts
Even if you don’t have a treadmill or a stationary bike at home, there are many ways to get a good cardio workout. If you live in a house or apartment with a swimming pool, going for a swim can burn tons of calories, for example.
Stairs are another great option! For those who live in apartments, going up and down the stairs will not only burn calories and fat, it’ll also strengthen the legs and make them more toned.
What about a jump rope workout? That’s certainly not just a child’s play anymore, it’s actually an amazing fitness tool that will literally make you exhausted. If you don’t know how to do it alone, there are many videos online with jump rope workouts. Just pick one and try it!
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The same thing goes for a step workout. If you like it, you can buy your own step and follow the online classes. It’s a great way to get your heart rate up.
Another idea is to try the numerous options of online cardio workout videos. Many of them don’t require any special equipment; you’ll focus on moves like jumping jacks, kicking, punching, basically anything that gets you moving.
This last option might be more for the girls (of course there is no problem if the guys want to try it, but they usually don’t), but what about dancing? You can get a great cardio workout with dance classes, either online or by purchasing a DVD. Zumba, for example, is a great choice.
Strength Training
Many people think that it’s really hard to do strength training at home, but it’s not that difficult. If you love lifting weights, you might consider buying some and having them in your house, but that’s not necessary if it’s not your thing.
You can get a killer workout in just by using the weight of your own body. Have you heard about calisthenics exercises? That’s what they are all about. Focus on pushups, pull-ups, squats, lunges, planks and tons of different exercises for your abs, just to name a few. You can do pretty much anything with your body, but if you still want to add more weight, just improvise and use different objects, like rice bags, for example.
Mix and Match
At least for me, the ideal workout involves both cardio and strength training at the same time. My beloved Insanity is just like that, combining cardio with other activities involving your own bodyweight.
You can certainly put together something like that at home. Just combine different exercises from both groups and start sweating.
Circuit training is a great option to do that. You can find a class online or use your creativity to put together a circuit of your favorite exercises. Choose three or four and do them one after the other, defining a number of minutes or reps for each one. Then you can take a short break and start it all over again.
Another possibility is to do a boot camp workout, which is an amazing way to combine strength training and cardio. Just pick one of the many classes available online and give it a try!
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