When most people think of home fitness, they think of those expensive machines that cost thousands of Dollars. The fact however is that home fitness goals can easily be attained with very little equipment or even no equipment at all. You just need good knowledge about how you can work your body to get the results that you want. This article will give you some simple exercises that will serve you well to help you achieve your fitness goals from home.
Best Body Weight Exercises
Your body weight can be your greatest accessory to achieving your fitness goals. If you are fit enough to lift your own body weight, there is a good chance that you will be in pretty good shape. The average person will struggle to lift their own body weight and thus you can begin making improvements to your fitness by making use of exercises that are designed to lift your body weight. The most popular exercises are given below.
1. The Push Up - This is one of the most common exercises to be found although it is also the most underused exercises in a fitness program. A push up works your chest, arms, back, core and even your legs to a certain extent. This makes it a total body workout. If you are in a good physical condition, you should be able to do about 30 pushups without tiring too easily. If you are in pretty bad shape and cannot even manage one or two, begin with ladies pushups where you support some of your weight with your knees. As you get stronger, move on to a regular push up and try to increase your repetitions. All you will need to do a push up is a nice workout mat although even that is not really necessary.
2. The Pull Up - This is a more difficult exercise although it is one that will reward you very well. The pull up is an intense workout for the upper body and not everyone will be able to them. To begin with, you might have to start out with a weight assisted pull up that will offset some of your body weight. You can also try wide grips and close grips to see which one you are more comfortable with. One would have to install a pull up bar somewhere in the house to do the pull ups. Try not to hang from ledges or other forms of constructions if you do not have a pull up bar. A pull up bar is inexpensive and will be well worth the investment. Also, make sure that you have it professionally installed as it will have to be sturdy enough to support your body weight.
3. Workouts for the core - A total body workout is never complete with a workout for your core muscles or your abdominal muscles. Lie down on your back and keep your leg folded at your knees. Slowly raise your upper body with your hands clasped behind your head and gradually try to touch your knees with your chin. Try not to do it quickly as momentum will reduce the effectiveness of this exercise. Another way to work your core is to use the pull up bar. Use your hands and firmly grip the pull up to suspend yourself. Then, slowly raise your knees and bring it up to your chest as you are suspended from the pull up bar. This is another great exercise to work your core.
As you can see from the article above, you can get started on your home fitness program with hardly any equipment at all. Not having equipment or not being able to visit a gym should no longer be excuses that you should use.