Woman Doing Ab Exercises

At-Home Workout Guide: Doing More with Less

As you know, life does not always go according to plan.

We can be frustrated and upset ... or we can accept that life is not going to be perfect, do the best we can, and move forward!

Because while our schedules can quickly change, our nutrition plan might get thrown off, we might travel for holidays holidays or business, and we're going to face challenges...

It’s all a part of the journey and how you respond to those circumstances and experiences is up to you!

As always, you’re in control of your actions and we're here to help you take the right actions ... giving you the resources and information you need to make the best decision to stay on track, stay healthy, and help you reach your goals!

For example, even if you don't have a gym membership, access to a gym, or travel a lot for work and the hotel gym stinks ...  that doesn't mean you can't still get a great workout in!

Don’t believe me? Well, in this blog I will lay out how you can get a great workout in at home ... plus, when you give a few of these example workouts below your best effort...

I am confident you'll understand that you don’t need fancy equipment or a specific gym to have a great workout! 😅

And that realization, fact, or whatever you want to call it ... is really a great point to remember for later on this year or anytime you find yourself unable to get to a gym.

AT-HOME WORKOUT

Now, I want to get one thing clear. There is no perfect plan ... best way to train ... or magic way to get abs in 3 minutes.

Just like there is no perfect bodybuilding plan, CrossFit program, or fitness class.

Like always, the best workout is the one you will do with high-intensity relative to your fitness level, for a consistent period of time. 

So, before you waste hours and hours trying to find the perfect workout plan to follow ... or even wasting 30 minutes a day trying to find the exact workout for that day...

Just remember that the most important thing is that you exercise consistently and you do so with a purpose and intensity! That's how you earn results.

Ok, now that that's covered, let's talk about maximizing your at-home workouts!

WORKING OUT WITHOUT A GYM

So, for most of us, working out at home will have some limitations.

You simply won't have the same resistance equipment like barbells, dumbbells, machines and so forth as you would at a regular gym.

Also true, is that many people won't even have a piece of cardio equipment to use such as a stationary bike, treadmill, elliptical, etc.

Therefore, doing heavier resistance training movements, an intense weight lifting circuit, or longer duration cardio (unless you go for a walk or run) is out of the question.

This means to push our bodies and get a great workout in, we are going to have to DO MORE with LESS and create intensity in a different way.

One of the best ways, is through intervals!

INTERVAL TRAINING AT HOME

The first thing to consider, and one of the most important things to remember with intervals, is that they can be 100% flexible to your fitness level.

As a result, hundreds of different interval workouts can be developed.

For example, in the 1st Phorm App there are at-home and EMOM programs in the app ... EMOM stands for "Every Minute On the Minute", and is an interval-based program.

Intervals are also simple to execute for all fitness levels. Here’s how you do it ...

Each workout consists of a work phase and a rest phase. The work phase could be viewed as the more difficult or challenging phase and the rest phase is ... well, when you rest!

Remember, the workout can be completely flexible, so if you are 50 pounds overweight like I was and haven’t worked out in a long time, or maybe never at all ... no worries, your work phase could be walking at a fast phase, and the rest phase could be slow walking.

Or doing pushups off the wall or raised surface instead of the floor ... then resting as needed.

No matter your fitness level, when starting intervals, don't worry about where you're "starting"... or try to make it as hard as possible out of the gate.

Once again, the biggest thing is working out consistently and during the work phase giving it your best effort! 

How long should each phase be?

Again, it depends. Keep in mind that the longer the rest time, the more time you have to recover ... (you might be thinking "duh") ... but this also means you should be able and need to PUSH yourself harder during the "work" phase of the interval.

Personally, I like to start with a 1:2 ratio of work to rest. Meaning if you do jumping air squats for 20 seconds ... rest for 40 seconds.

What if you are more fit? Or want more of a challenge?

You can choose more challenging movements, add a weighted-vest to the movements, and/or shorten the rest time.

Either way, pick some parameters and get started.

If your chosen parameters feel too difficult, then dial things back a notch, but don’t feel like you need to change everything.

For example, you can add a little more rest, take away a round or two, or choose a more simple movement.

EFFECTIVE AT-HOME WORKOUTS

I put together six workouts for you, but you can make your own workout up as well, or use the at-home workouts inside the 1st Phorm App!

You will see that for these workouts, I stuck to the basics. Using simple movements and allowing you to put in maximum effort to earn the results you want.

What does “Max Effort” mean?

As you read through the plans, "Max Effort" means you want to do as many reps as possible without taking a break, or using bad form. If the exercise is a static hold like planks, "Max Effort" means holding the position for as long as possible.

For example, if you are doing push-ups and you pause at the top or bottom longer than 3 seconds, that set is over.

Or if you are doing planks and you start to bow your back, a knee touches the floor, or you lose your proper form, that set is over.

STARTING AT-HOME WORKOUTS

Just like any workout, you will want to warm-up to ensure your body is ready to give maximum effort.

... and if you don't typically warm-up, well now you have more time to do so since you won't be wasting time driving to the gym ... so there's no excuse 😀

For an at-home warm-up, I would spend 5 to 10 minutes foam rolling and doing some dynamic warm-up movements.

This can include jumping rope, jumping jacks, butt kicks, high knees, air squats, or burpees!

Doing so should help with increasing your heart rate and initiate a little sweat!

By executing a full range of motion through compound movements like air squats, burpees, etc you are making sure your shoulders, hips, knees, and joints are ready to workout!

Once that is done, it's time to workout and earn that #duespaid on your IG story!

SIMPLE AT-HOME WORKOUTS

The following workouts are 5 great workouts that can be executed ANYWHERE!

You don't need equipment, you don't need a gym, all you need is your body and an attitude that you are going to give it your all!

When you do that, you will be making positive progress towards your goals!

Workout 1:

Push Ups - 3 x Max Effort Set ... Rest as needed between sets
Chair Dips - 3 x Max Effort Set ... Rest as needed between sets
Wall Sit - 3 x Max Effort Set ... Rest as needed between sets
Plank - 3 x Max Effort Set ... Rest as needed between sets
Flutter Kicks - 3 x Max Effort Set ... Rest as needed between sets
Diamond Push Ups - 3 x Max Effort Set ... Rest as needed between sets
Air Squats - 3 x Max Effort Set ... Rest as needed between sets
V- Ups- 3 x Max Effort Set ... Rest as needed between sets
Bodyweight Lunges - 3 x Max Effort Set ... Rest as needed between sets

Workout 2:

Complete 2 to 5 rounds:

Squat Jumps - 20 reps
Crunches - 25 reps
Side lunges (each leg) - 10 reps each leg
Glute Bridges - 25 reps
Mountain Climbers - 20 reps
Lunges - 10 reps each leg
Calf Raises - 25 reps
Rest 1 minute

Workout 3:

30 Minute run/walk
- Every 3 minutes, 10 burpees

Workout 4:

Ten Rounds of the following:
10 Push Ups
20 Sit Ups
30 Air Squats

Workout 5:

HIIT Cardio - 5 Rounds of:
20 Seconds High-Intensity Effort
40 Seconds of Low-Intensity Effort
- It can be done with Running, Burpees, Jumping Rope, Biking, or any cardio equipment you have at home.

After the HIIT Cardio Portion, complete the Core Work below.
Flutter Kick 3 x 20
Russian Twist 3 x 20
Air Bike 3x 20
Bent Knee Abdominal Lift 3 x 20

AFTER YOUR AT-HOME WORKOUT

Time to cool down!

Once again, you won't have to worry about driving home from the gym which is usually 10 to 20 minutes ... so I would reinvest that time in stretching, foam rolling, and taking care of your body!

Also, even if you aren't at the gym, but you are doing resistance training like bodyweight movements (or maybe you have some bands, kettlebells, or weights at home) you can still greatly benefit from a post-workout shake.

1st Phorm Post Workout Stack

WHAT WORKOUT TO DO AT HOME

So ... what's left to cover?

Nothing other than time to get to work!

If you need help or want help with your at-home workouts, nutrition plan, or anything else ... Give us a call at 1-800-409-9732, and talk with one of our NASM Certified Personal Trainers for free!

You can also always email us at CustomerService@1stPhorm.com as well!

We won’t charge you a dime, and you don’t even have to use our products.

Our mission is to help as many people as possible, get real and long term results!

So if you have questions, we've got your back 👊 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR