While there are a number of reasons to be part of a gym (such as classes and equipment options), a membership is definitely not crucial to getting fit. At-home exercises are a perfect way to shape your body without walking in the actual weight room or exercise studio, along with some fun ways to sweat outside. If you start working out at home, you can get better meal planning done, control the time of day you work out and go at your own pace!
Here are five 30 minute workouts you can do without ever stepping foot in the gym!#
#1: Biking
If you live in a quiet area, you can easily start a biking routine around the neighbourhood. If you don’t have a bike, you can easily find city bikes on an online bike store. You can also find hybrid bikes for sale if you want to go faster but don’t want to invest in a motorcycle. Biking is a great way to lose some weight, get your heart pumping and stay fit!
#2: Lower body with cardio outro
This isn’t your usual boring leg exercise: there are a few exercises in here that we bet you haven’t done yet, including the runner’s lunge-to-balance (great for pace and agility) and the corkscrew (a complex plank move that will seriously test your core strength). Here are the moves you need to finesse:
- Runner’s lunge and balance
- Toe touch crunch
Do ten reps for three sets and then some cardio to end it all!
#3: HIIT workout
Plenty of at-home HIIT exercises are full of plyometric movements (read “a lot of jumping”), which is perfect for some people, but not the best option for others who may have issues with their joints. This one includes skater hops, sidekicks, butt-kicks, planks and more. You can alternate between some weight lifting and then go back to cardio once you get tired!
#4: The reliable push-up
If it’s one thing you can do for thirty minutes, it’s push-ups. This seemingly simple exercise is actually hard to perfect and there are a lot of varieties that you can practice. You can start by doing pushups on your knees and eventually work your way up to full push-ups. As you keep doing them, your core will start getting stronger and tighter, you will develop more upper body strength, and you will be able to do more and more of these nifty exercises!
#5: Perfect the plank
Planks are proven to work your abs, but if you do them right, you’re going to seriously test your shoulders, thighs, and butt. Before you jump in, let’s talk about the plank form quickly. To go to a plank pose, put your hands under your shoulders and stretch out your legs behind you. Leave a little space for both your legs, for planks that involve movement, try to separate your legs a little farther apart to help you build some stability so you can avoid rolling your hips. You can easily go up to a five-minute plank and then repeat that for six sets in 30 minutes!
