It's pretty simple, really: working out = good, and happily, the location doesn’t matter too much. Science has proven that home workouts can boost your cardiometabolic health, benefitting your blood pressure and lowering your risk of heart disease and obesity. Another study found students were more focused and creative when they exercised at home, meaning a quick workout could do wonders for that empty slideshow presentation you've been staring at for the last three hours.
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Fitness

# The best home workouts for getting fit straight from the sofa

Gym closed? Weather atrocious? Here's how to keep fit without leaving the house

5 December 2023

Home workouts

Let's get straight into it: home workouts do the business. “In the comfort of your own home” is the sort of phrase you hear on TV adverts with an excitable voiceover and products that you never thought could exist, usually cost £19.99 and are available on the phone or from “select stores”. In this instance, however, it's no snake oil: you really can get fit from a home workout.

It's pretty simple, really: working out = good, and happily, the location doesn’t matter too much. Science has proven that home workouts can boost your cardiometabolic health, benefitting your blood pressure and lowering your risk of heart disease and obesity. Another study found students were more focused and creative when they exercised at home, meaning a quick workout could do wonders for that empty slideshow presentation you've been staring at for the last three hours.

Fitness

By David Levesley and David Taylor

Maybe you hate the gym. Maybe you hate people. Maybe you like to work out in front of the TV. Maybe you don’t like having to towel down every bit of equipment after work. Or you might be fed up of waiting for bodybuilders/local swimwear models to finish with your favourite bit of kit. We could go on, but it's clear to see that the reasons for working out at home are myriad.

The secret weapon of home workouts is the simplicity. So how do we get started, and what workout is going to give us the best bang for our buck? Let’s dive in.

Oscar Wong

What exercises can I do to get fit at home?

Little and often can be as good as getting proper ‘sessions’ in the tank. A recent study found that exercising for just 13 minutes can have beneficial results, showing “marked increases in strength and endurance can be attained by resistance-trained individuals with just three 13-minute weekly sessions over an 8-week period.” Be it five minutes of skipping (trust us, it's a killer) or a ten-minute HIIT workout, short and sweet exercise is a fitness secret weapon.

By Phil Hilton

Given consistency, you’re guaranteed to build muscles – no personal trainer or app-prescribed workout routines required. It’s not about working out for X minutes a day, or just focusing on your upper body a week before you go on holiday. For best results, full-body workouts that are designed to hit all muscle groups will provide the most well-rounded approach. As mentioned above, experts think it’s actually consistency – finding something you like and can realistically do a few times a week – that helps most.

In other words, it isn’t about shortcuts. Speaking of which…

What exercises burn stomach fat?

Unfortunately, a stomach fat-exclusive workout doesn’t exist. Removing fat from a specific area – known as spot reduction – is nearly impossible, besides going under the knife. Your best bet is to focus on workouts that will get your heart rate up as you work through a series of repetitions with minimal rest. HIIT and Tabatha workouts are ideal, as is something like skipping, sprints on your spin bike, or incorporating plyometric exercises like burpees or box jumps.

Nastasic

What is the best home workout?

There is no definitive ‘best’ home workout, as it depends on a range of factors such as your body type, age, activity levels, goals, available space and equipment to hand. A pretty safe bet, though, is the below workout from Dr Kianoush Missaghi, training specialist at Freeletics.

Two-by-two metres is all you need for this equipment-free, full-body workout adaptable to any fitness level. Aim for five rounds of the following, allowing little rest between sets:

10 x burpees

20 x high knees

10 x push-ups

20 x split lunges

20 x crunches

Your core will be challenged through burpee and push-up exercises, while the explosive high knees and split lunges will take care of developing your power and speed endurance. Your cardio system won’t have much time to rest, so your heart will have to work hard, too. Finally, by working at maximum output for nine to 15 minutes, you’ll keep your heart rate up for maximum calorie burn.

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