Buying exercise equipment and setting up a home gym is often the easiest part of getting fit without a gym membership. But having a carefully planned workout program can then be a tricky task.
To help you create a home gym workout routine that can transform your body, our team got together with a few clients to discuss different goals.
We then also came up with a 5-day exercise program that you can easily adapt for weight loss or muscle building.
Let me show you what it’s about.
Quick Summary
- Before you just start doing random exercises with some equipment you’ve pulled together, take a step back and determine your goals.
- Your workout program should focus on goals and combine a mix of cardio and strength training to get you into a leaner and fitter shape.
- You won’t need a huge amount of expensive equipment as you can do bodyweight exercises for an effective workout.
Setting the Right Goals for Each Muscle Group Workout Plan
The first thing you need to ask yourself is whether you just want to lose weight, build up muscle mass, or a combination of both.
And you also want to take a look in the mirror to see which muscle groups and body parts you want to change the most.
For some people, it will be getting rid of body fat around the belly and developing a stronger core.
Others might be looking for big biceps and shoulders.
And some of you might just want to drop a few pounds and become physically more healthy with great workout routines that are fun and easy to do at home.
What I would say here is that if you want to build up more lean mass, then aim for muscle hypertrophy in every set. That means feeling the burn after 8-10 reps.
And if you want to lose some fat and look a bit leaner without big muscles, then aim for about 15 reps in each set.
I’ll get to the sample sets shortly.
Weight Training vs. Bodyweight Exercises
Many people shy away from working out at home because they think they need a multi-gym machine that can cost thousands of dollars.
And while I would recommend such an investment if you really want to get fit and strong at home, you can achieve a lot of the same goals with body weight and just a few cheap pieces of essential equipment for your home gym.
I’ve developed an exercise routine below that you can easily adapt to minimal equipment and still get great compound and isolation exercise movements [1].
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5-Day Home Workout Plan
Here are some sample workouts that you can easily adapt to fat loss with higher reps and muscle building with lower reps.
You can also do these with basic equipment like resistance bands or to an advanced level with a multi-gym machine.
Day 1: Bodyweight HIIT Routine
This day is all about hitting all body parts hard with resistance training in a high-intensity way where you have very short rest intervals between sets [2].
- Pull-Ups: Head to the pull-up bar and do a standard-grip pull-up set; use a chair if you don’t yet have the strength for a full set.
- Burpees: Start in a plank position and jump your feet up between your hands. Then stand up and jump as high as you can before getting back into the plank.
- Box Jumps: You ideally need a CrossFit box for this or a bench that is secured to a wall. Jump up as many times as you can
- Squats: Either use weights or resistance bands to add some tension and get your buttocks down below your knee level before pushing back up.
- Push-Ups: Finally, pick either wide, narrow, or diamond push-ups to mix things up on a regular basis.
“Interval training refers to training that alternates bouts of high-intensity exercise with periods of rest or recovery.”
- Kamal Patel, MPH, MBA at Examine.com
Day 2: Upper Body Strength Training
- Triceps Extensions: The triceps extension is always on top of my arm days, and you can do triceps kickbacks either with bands or dumbbells.
- Wide-Grip Pull-Ups: This is an excellent exercise to build up strength in your upper back and shoulders.
- Chest Press: You can do this with bands attached to a door frame and pushing your arms away from your body. Or, if you have dumbbells, then do this as a bench press.
- Biceps Curls: Bicep curls are another vital part of a weekly routine as they perfectly isolate the glory muscles.
- Lateral Raises: This is one exercise I always recommend because you don’t want huge biceps and triceps with a skinny shoulder area.
Day 3: Cardio Day
I prefer my cardio days on a rowing machine to a treadmill as I find a good rower will activate your legs, core, arms, and shoulders.
But you can choose whatever suits you, and it could even involve heading out for a cycle or run.
Day 4: Lower Body Strength Training
Here are my favorite lower body exercises, and most of them are practical for people without multi gyms or other expensive machines.
- Leg Extensions: If you have a multi-gym machine, then this will be a lot easier. Alternatively, you can attach a resistance band to the door and do a standing single-leg extension.
- Squats: If you don’t have weights, then go as deep and slow as you can, and once you’ve built up the strength, you can do single-leg squats.
- Calf Raises: Ideally, grab a pair of dumbbells and do a minimum of 12 reps. You can go for a higher rep range to get the burn.
- Lunges: These aren’t practical with bands, but if you have some free weights, you can easily do walking lunges.
Day 5: Full Body HIIT And Core
For this day, you’re not focusing on one body part. You want to make sure that you target all areas.
My recommendation is to pick eight of your favorite exercises from above and cycle through them at least twice, with just a short break after each set.
You should also add these core workouts:
- Leg Raises: Lay down on your yoga mat, and while keeping your back on the ground, lift your legs to 45 degrees and then slowly lower them down.
- Sit-Ups: Do as many as it takes to feel the pain.
- Plank: Aim for at least 90-120 seconds and extend as long as possible.
FAQs
Can a Home Workout Be as Effective as a Gym?
Yes, a home workout can be as effective as a gym. It all comes down to choosing the right exercises for limited equipment and then targeting different muscles each day.
Can You Build Muscle With a Home Gym?
Yes, you can build muscle with a home gym. What you need to do is make sure you pick exercises that will challenge muscles to the extreme and then keep repeating the process.
Start Your Home Exercise Plan Today
Once you decide how much weight you want to lose or that you want to build lean muscle to bulk up, it’s very easy to do a gym workout at home.
As a personal trainer, I would recommend starting with the basic equipment.
But once you get into a routine of regularly working out at home, I would recommend that you look into investing in the best Smith machine.
I’ve tested dozens of these to come up with a list of products that won’t break the bank, but they still offer a great range of setups for more workout flexibility.
References:
- https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2017.01105/full
- https://examine.com/other/interval-training/
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