How to Workout (and Burn more Fat) at Home - No Gyms and No Equipment Needed!

Over the past few weeks, quite a few people have been asking me on how I actually pull off training my clients at home, often with minimum, or no equipment at all.

I’ve been working on a secret ‘online project’ lately (those subscribed to my free newsletter would know what I’m talking about), I find myself having less time to spend at the gym - so at times, I’ll whip out a quick cardio workout myself, just the way I work with my clients at their homes. (If it’s good enough for my clients… it’s good enough for me!)

So to give you an idea of what a home workout can be like (no equipment needed!), here’s what I did myself just this morning (please remember that intensity needs to be adjusted based on your fitness levels, so don’t freak out, and you may or may not be able to follow the below plan exactly):

The Home Workout

1. Steps (step on, step off, keep repeating) - I live in a split-level home, with 4 steps in my home

2. Combo: Some core exercise: Front plank, side-planks, bird-dog, etc

3. Combo: Stationary jog + Jumping jacks

4. Bodyweight Squats

5. Step-ups (I do these with one foot stepping up on the edge of my bed)

6. Elevated Push-ups (so that they’re easier, and I can crank out about 30 easily)

7. Sprints (wall to wall, from living room to back kitchen)

8. Bodyweight Squats - going for speed instead of a slow controlled squat

9. Combo: Sprint + Squat (2 sprints followed by 10 squats, repeating until a song is over)

10. Combo: Push Up + Squat + Stationary Jog (again, repeating for a full song)

11. *Combine anything I like for another 1 or 2 songs - I’ll do what I feel like

12. Finish off with some crunches
——-end of workout——–

The above workout isn’t written on stone - but just an example of what I did this morning. The exercises are based on what I like doing, and what I am capable of doing. I don’t do exercises I dislike (like lunges, as I have a previous knee injury and it makes me feel really uncomfortable).

There’s really not much structure in the workout, so there’s no need to follow this plan exactly - except that it starts off rather slow (which serves as a warm-up). You would eventually want to develop your own preferences, incorporating your favourite moves. No two workouts would be the same - how fun is that? Mixing things up keeps you motivated and your body challenged.

I would often accelerate the movements when I reach the chorus of the song, and return back to normal, or a slower speed on the verse.

The general idea here is to KEEP YOUR BODY MOVING - don’t stop unless for water, or you really need to - even if it means just wiggling your arms and legs around.

I also don’t pay much attention to the clock or a fixed number of reps (as you can notice, I don’t even mention a time frame), but for fun and variety, I focus on the song playing at the moment and my level of tiredness - and the next thing I know, I would have completed 40 minutes already… which is more cardio than I usually do at one go at the gym! Time really flies when I do these workouts.

Please note that the above routine is something that works great for my fitness level - you may want to ease it up if you’re a beginner, or bump things up if you’re a group exercise superstar! When I work with my clients, I am able to gauge their level of fitness and recommend what is appropriate for them.

Here are some recommendations that I believe you absolutely need in order to make this work for you:

1. Loud music - pump up the stereo at home, or use a personal mp3 player. I thank God for my iPod, really.
2. Your favourite music - the songs you listen to needs to be something you like, and it almost always has to be upbeat music. No Celine Dion or Frank Sinatra… unless that’s what gets you going… your Playlist is important!
3. Privacy - do it when you’re alone at home, or go lock yourself in your room. It really helps when you don’t have to be conscious of who’s watching… even if it’s your kids or your other half… or in my case… the Dog.
4. Turn off the phone - you don’t want distractions.
5. Put on your shoes - yes, even if you’re inside, or you may end up getting blisters on your feet.

I do these in addition to my current workout routine, and I find that it saves me a lot of time that I can do my cardio workouts at home - rather than to head out to the gym and spend at least an hour or more (time taken to travel + park, change, etc) for my cardio-only days. I’m definitely going to be doing this for the next few months as I’m busy with my ’secret online project’.

So if you’re someone who thought that the gym is the ONLY place to exercise… I’d like to challenge you to give this a shot, the next time you’re short on time and can’t make it to the gym. You’ve now got NO EXCUSE not to exercise. ;)

An 18-month study at the University of Pittsburgh found that three 10-minute bursts of exercise daily was as beneficial for weight loss and heart health as a single 30-minute workout.

Remember: It’s the little stuff you do, every day, that adds up to big results.

Have an awesome and productive week ahead!
DM

Read also:

1. Burn MORE Fat! (and other benefits) by Making Continuous Changes
2. Music to fuel your workouts
3. Workout Music