For most, getting to the gym every day is just not a reality. With things like work and kids, it’s no surprise that the most common exercise cop-out is not having time to go to the gym. The good news is that even on your busiest days, you can still burn calories, build strength, and shred fat from the comfort of your own home.
Don’t let the long drive or the busy gym floor deter you from a good sweat. You’re gonna want to go ahead and bookmark this one. Here are my top ten trainer-approved bodyweight moves that will have you dripping on the living room floor.
1. Squats
Stand tall and place your feet about shoulder-width apart. Extend your hands straight out in front of you to help keep your balance. Sit back and down like you're sitting into an imaginary chair. Keep your head facing forward and chest high. Press your weight back into your heels and lower down as far as you can comfortably go. Keep your body tight, and push through your heels to bring yourself back to the starting position.
2. Lunges
Stand upright, with your hands at your hips. Take a full step backward with one foot. Lower your hips so that your front leg becomes parallel to the floor with the knee positioned directly over the ankle. Your back knee should be bent at a 90-degree angle and pointing toward the floor with the heel lifted. Return to standing by pressing your front heel into the floor and bringing your back leg forward to complete one rep.
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3. Mountain climbers
Start in a traditional plank — shoulders over hands and weight on your toes. With your abs fully engaged, bring your right knee forward under your chest, with the toes just off the ground. Return to your plank. Switch legs, bringing the left knee forward. Keep switching legs and begin to pick up the pace until it feels a little like running in place in a plank position.
4. Push-ups
Start in a traditional plank — shoulders over hands and weight on your toes. With your abs fully engaged, bring your right knee forward under your chest, with the toes just off the ground. Return to your plank. Switch legs, bringing the left knee forward. Keep switching legs and begin to pick up the pace until it feels a little like running in place in a plank position.
5. Burpees
Stand straight with feet shoulder-width apart. Push your hips back, bend your knees, and lower your body into a squat, placing your hands on the floor directly in front of your feet. Shift your weight onto your hands and jump your feet back into a plank position. Your body should form a straight line from your head to heels. Jump your feet back in behind your hands and then jump straight up into the air. Land and immediately lower back down for your next rep.
6. Tricep dips
Sit on the floor and position your hands behind you with your elbows pointing back and fingers forward. Raise your hips up, squeezing the glutes and abs. Slowly bend your elbows to lower your body straight down to the floor. Press back up and repeat.
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7. Glute bridges
Lie faceup on the floor, with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Keep your arms at your side with your palms down. Lift your hips off the ground until your knees, hips, and shoulders form a straight line. Hold it for a couple of seconds before lowering back down.
8. Plank
Place your hands directly under shoulders, ground your toes into the floor and squeeze glutes to stabilize your body. Your legs should be working too! Neutralize your neck and spine, looking at a spot on the floor about a foot beyond your hands to keep your head in line with your back. Hold the position for the indicated amount of time.
9. Walkouts
Stand tall with your legs extended as straight as possible as you bend over from the hips and touch the floor with your palms flat on the floor. Keep your legs as straight as you can while walking your hands out into a plank position. Walk your hands back in towards your feet and stand up.
10. In & Out Abs
Start in a v-sit position balancing on your tailbone. Keep your abs contracted to support your lower back and tuck your chin in as you lean back into the “out” position. Just before your back touches the floor, reverse directions lifting your upper body back up away from the floor and draw your knees in towards your chest to return to the “in” position.
I hope these 10 exercises provide you with enough ammunition to create your own killer home workouts and make some serious progress on your fitness goals, even on those days that you can’t make it to the gym. Need some more workout inspo? Be sure to check out @sweatwithsierra on Instagram.
