Workout at home: ideas for sport in your own four walls

With a workout at home, you can keep fit easily and cheaply without leaving your own four walls. We show you four fitness workouts with which you can strengthen your muscles and train your endurance.

Workout at home: the basics

You don’t even have to leave your apartment for an effective fitness program. You can also do workouts at home that work on different muscle groups while also training your endurance. Often enough is enough 15 to 25 minutes per workout so that you can easily integrate it into your everyday life.

For the following workouts you do not need dumbbells or other aids, you only work with yours own body weight. With the right execution and enough repetitions, you can also make your muscles burn and achieve the desired effects.

Be sure to warm up a bit before the workouts by letting your joints circle, running briefly on the spot, or a few Yoga sun greetings carry out. If the floor in your apartment is too hard for you, it is best to use a yoga or sleeping mat.

Fitness at home: cardio workout

(Photo: CC0 / Pixabay / Keifit)

You can get your cardiovascular system going with a cardio workout at home. If you do the following exercises in an interval of 50 to ten (i.e. 50 seconds for the exercise and 10 seconds rest) and do a total of three rounds, the workout will take 18 minutes.

However, you can always adjust the interval to your own needs, for example by extending the breaks. Especially as a beginner, you can only complete two rounds. Our cardio workout for home includes these exercises:

• Toggle / high knees: Run on the spot, alternately pulling your knees up as far as possible towards your navel.
• Big jump: Jump forward as far as possible. Cushion the jump by kneeling down and pushing your butt back. Now jog quickly back to your starting point and start the exercise again.
• Mountaineers / mountain climbers: Get into the push-up position. Alternately pull your knees forward towards your nose. Carry out the movements as quickly as possible.
• Jumping jacks: This popular children’s exercise also gets your heart beating. Stand shoulder-width apart and stretch your arms to the sides. Bring your legs together by a slight jump. At the same time, move your stretched arms over your head to each other. Try to do as many repetitions as possible within your specified interval.
• Lateral climbers: Start in the push-up position. Now alternately pull your right knee to your right ear and your left knee to your left ear.
• Burpees: The workout for at home ends with a cardio classic. Start in an upright position. Now jump into the push-up position by placing your hands on the floor in front of you and jumping backwards with your legs. Do a push-up. To do this, lower your body using the strength of your arms and push it up again explosively. Alternatively, you can put your knees on the floor. After the push-up, jump forward with your legs and finally up into the stand. Try to do as many repetitions here as possible. Important: Your body must be under tension and must not sag.

Note: If you have knee problems, this workout is not for you. Because of the sudden movements, the knees are heavily stressed. Therefore: Always cushion the jumps well and warm up your leg muscles well beforehand!

Workout at home: circuit training for the upper body

(Photo: CC0 / Pixabay / 5132824)

With these exercises you strengthen your arm, shoulder and Back muscles. The workout consists of two circles. Each circle has three exercises and is best repeated three times. If you plan 60 seconds for an exercise and a 20 second break, the workout will take 24 minutes. To warm up beforehand, you can circle your shoulders, swing your arms back and forth, and move your torso up and down with your back straight.

The exercises of the first circle:

• Shoulder touches: Get into the push-up position. Now alternately touch the right shoulder with the left hand and the left shoulder with the right hand.
• Pushups / push ups: Stay in the push-up position and move your body up and down with the strength of your upper arms. Make sure that your body stays straight like a board and that your bottom doesn’t sag or protrude too far. If this is still difficult for you, you can rest your knees on the floor. Tip: By varying the distance between your hands, you can use different muscle groups.
• Triceps dips: Sit on the floor with your back straight and your legs straight. Put your hands behind you. The fingertips point towards the Po. Raise your buttocks so that only your hands and heels touch the floor. Use your arms to lower your body until it almost touches the ground and then push it up again explosively. Make sure that you really do the exercise with your arms and that your hips remain firm.

If you have completed the first circle three times, you will do it with second circle continue:

• Shoulder pushups: For this push-up variation, first go to the normal push-up position. Now bring your buttocks up as far as possible. Your bottom is now the highest point. In yoga, this exercise is called the “looking down dog“. Make sure your back stays straight. Now bend your arms so that your head approaches the ground and then push yourself up again through your arms.
• Back extension / Superman: Lie on your stomach. Extend your arms forward over your head. Raise your arms and legs at the same time. Now pull the right arm and the left leg a little higher and then repeat this on the other side. Carry out this movement so quickly that a “paddle” movement arises.
• Burpees: Finally, you run the burpees (as described in the above paragraph) to get your circulation going again. If you don’t want to or can’t jump, replace the jumps with steps.

You can get more exercises and detailed instructions on how to do this in these articles: Arm training: this is how you get a strong upper body and TricepsExercises: 3 effective exercises for at home

Exercise at home for legs and buttocks

(Photo: CC0 / Pixabay / happyveganfit)

You do not need any special equipment or heavy dumbbells to train your leg and butt muscles. With the right exercises, you can also strengthen them with a workout at home. This workout is also divided into two circles, which you should do as described in the previous section.

These exercises form the first circle:

• Squats: Start in an upright position. Your knees are loose. Now bend your knees and push your hips back so that your upper body sinks down. Make sure to push your butt far back so that your knees are not in front of your toes. Keep your torso upright and your back straight. Then push yourself upwards again from the strength of your thighs and tense your buttocks.
• Lunges / lunges right: Start on the right side. Your right foot is in front of your upper body. The angle between the lower leg and thigh is approximately 90 degrees. Your left foot is placed behind you. Now pull your left leg forward and pull it up so that your knee is level with your chest. If you want, you can do a little jump. Repeat this exercise at your pace for the duration of the interval.
• Lunges left: Do the lunge for the next exercise on the other side.

For the second circle do the following exercises:

• Squat jumps: The basis of this exercise is the squat (as described above). For a small cardio effect, you can now add a little jump when you push yourself up again.
• Butt Superman: Lie on your stomach. Now just raise your legs. Your upper body stays on the floor. Angle your lower legs so that the angle between your upper and lower legs is about 90 degrees. Now make small pulsating movements with your legs upwards. Even if your legs move only minimally, you should soon feel a burning sensation in your pomuscles.
• Leg lifts: Get into the push-up position. Now alternately lift your legs up as far as possible. Tense your butt muscles consciously.

Carry out abdominal workout at home

(Photo: CC0 / Pixabay / 5132824)

To strengthen your fitness at home, you should also include exercises for your abdominal and core muscles in your workouts. You don’t just have to lie on the floor and do sit-ups and crunches. The best thing to do is to alternate between different types of exercise, sometimes in the push-up position and sometimes in the supine position. This is how you put all your muscles to work and train your coordination. If you do the following exercises in intervals of 50 to ten and do three rounds, the abdominal workout will take 21 minutes.

• Plank: Get into the push-up position. Keep doing this exercise for the entire interval. Make sure that your body forms a line and your back does not sag.
• Cracked candle: Sit on the floor. Roll backwards with a little momentum so that your torso is on the floor with your legs pointing vertically upwards. Also raise your hips so that you end up in the full candle. Get some momentum again and swing yourself up so that you land in an upright position. If you want, you can jump up briefly.
• Bicycle crunches: Lie on the floor. The legs are raised. Put your hands on your temples. Now pull your head and chest area to the left and at the same time pull your left knee to your right elbow. Make sure that you really tighten your abdominal muscles and not just pull your head with your hands. On the other hand, you are doing the same movement. Repeat the exercise alternately.
• Right side plank: Enter the side plank. For this, your right forearm and your feet are on the floor. Your right elbow should be under your shoulder. You can stretch your left arm up or rest it on your hip. Your legs are straight. Now lower your hips down and then push them up again.
• Side plank left: Repeat the same sequence of movements on the left.
• Burpees without pushups: Perform the burpees (as described in the paragraphs above). However, leave out the push-up and jump forward again after the plank.
• Rudder crunches: Sit on the floor. Raise your legs up from the floor and stretch your arms forward. Make sure your back is straight. Now stretch your legs and at the same time lower your upper body slightly so that you are almost on the floor. Now use the strength of your torso to return to the starting position by pulling your upper body back up and bending your legs.

You can find more ideas and explanations here: Abdominal training: 5 effective Exercises for home

Read more on Techzle.com:

• Yoga for beginners – these tips will make your start easier
• Sustainable & fair sportswear: the best brands
• Exercise: How to find the right sport