What are the best home exercises for a full-body workout?

Trying to get a full-body workout at home can seem challenging at first, without access to all of the equipment you’d have at the gym, you’ll likely be wondering how you can attain a full-body workout that pushes you to better your physique. The good news is that you don’t need lots of specialist equipment to work all of your muscle groups, as you’ll be able to use your body weight and extra accessories such as resistance bands to still feel the burn. In this blog, we’ll take you through some common exercises that you can try and incorporate into your home workout routine.

Circuit training for a full-body workout

Circuit training is an excellent way to work all the muscles in your body, and it can be done in just 30 minutes which saves time. There are plenty of tutorials that you can follow online if you want to be motivated by an instructor who can tell you when, how, and what to do. However, for an indication of a circuit workout, we’d recommend trying the following routine: 

• Wall sit for 1 minute
• Push-ups for 20 reps x 2
• Lunge squats for 20 reps x 2 
• Tricep dips for 15 reps x 2 
• Plank for 1 minute
• Burpees for 10 reps x 2 

This guide can be used as a baseline and should be modified to suit your fitness levels. You may need more or fewer reps each time, or you can adapt the movements if, for example, a pushup without using your knees is too hard. Remember to rest between each set to give yourself a break and reduce the risk of injury.

Leg workouts at home

There are plenty of leg workouts that you can try which do not require specialist equipment. It’s a matter of trying some out and deciding if they work for you and can be incorporated into a routine. It’s best to mix up your choices every now and then to keep your body working hard, so any of the following choices would be suitable at-home options: 

• Calf raises - stand up straight with your feet flat on the ground,elevate onto your toes and slowly back down again
• Squats - there are many different types of squats you can choose to do, but these are always a great addition to your workout
• Glute bridges - lie on your back with your feet on the ground and knees bent, lift your lower body up to create a straight line and gently back down again
• Donkey kicks - if you have a resistance band to use, donkey kicks are a great way to build leg muscle strength. You can also use the resistance band and kick your leg out to the side rather than behind you for an alternative option.

Chest workouts at home

Working out your chest muscles at home without access to gym machines may be a more difficult feat, but there are still things that you can do to exercise this muscle group. Though you will likely end up doing lots of push-ups and push-up variations. We’d suggest sticking to regular push-ups and if you want to mix it up you can change to incline or decline push-ups. 

If you dread the thought of doing push-ups and would prefer a different activity, you may need to invest in a bench and some weights as this will allow you to do a dumbbell press or chest flies.

Back workouts at home

Back exercises can be another challenge without any equipment, but not impossible. If you want to train this muscle group, any of the following exercises would be suitable: 

Supermans - lie on your stomach and lift your arms and legs into the air whilst keeping your core stable. Slowly release and go back up again, controlling the muscle groups.

Bird dog - this yoga pose can help to stretch and strengthen your muscles and you do it by going onto all fours, lifting one leg back and one arm straight forward (alternate sides) and bringing them back in again

Pushups - pushups don’t only target the chest, they also work your back muscles, so if you can incorporate these into your routine then you can get two muscle groups covered at the same time

Arm and bicep workouts at home

If you have dumbbells, kettlebells, or bars in your home then you’ll have no problem working out your arm muscles. There are plenty of exercises you can do from curls to inverted rows. For an easy way to get started, we’d recommend doing lateral raises with dumbbells (holding them and lifting your arms out to the sides) or bicep curls which start with your elbows down by your sides, raising the dumbbell up by bending your arm and back down again, alternating arms as you go.

If you don’t have any equipment like this, you can try and replace the weights with bags filled with heavy objects, filled bottles of water, or anything else that is easy to hold and has a heft to it. Alternatively, you can try doing bodyweight dips, arm circles, and push-ups as these exercises don’t require any equipment.

Core workouts at home

Core workouts are one of the easiest muscle groups to target without the use of gym equipment. You can build your core strength by doing sit-ups, crunches, v-crunches, ankle taps, planks, and many more common exercises. If you don’t have any equipment available to you, we’d recommend the following exercises, just remember to tailor your workout to your needs as the core can be quite challenging and we’d suggest doing no more than 30 minutes at a time, to begin with. 

• Leg raises - lie on your back, lift both legs up towards the ceiling and lower them back down without your feet touching the floor. You can also do this by lifting one leg at a time, which is known as scissor kicks. 
• Tuck crunch - for this one you need to sit and crunch your legs towards your chest and straighten them out again without your feet touching the floor. For an extra challenge, you can place an object at the end of your feet and crunch side to side.
• V crunches - sort of a reverse of the tuck crunch, lie on your back with your knees bent and place your arms behind your head, lifting your head and shoulders up towards your knees. If you go all the way, this becomes a sit-up, which is also a good core-strengthening exercise.

If you have equipment, there are a few other exercises that you can do which may help you to feel a greater burn. Remember that in many cases you can replace things like weighted plates with heavy water bottles if you are working out on a budget.

• Russian twists - for this exercise you need to sit resting on your bottom / lower back and with your feet off the ground. Holding a heavy object such as a dumbbell, twist from side to side, keeping your core engaged and straight.
• Alternating dumbbell press - hold a dumbbell of comfortable weight in each hand, stand straight with your core engaged and raise one hand at a time above your head and back down again.

How to lose weight from home workouts

If you’re looking to lose weight, how much you’ll be able to shed will depend on your diet and workout habits. If you’re consistent, eating well, and losing weight sustainably you’ll start to see positive results very soon. However, it’s very important to remember that sometimes it’s not always about losing weight rather than losing fat. You may see that you actually gain weight despite being more toned, this is because you are building muscle mass and losing fat, which is a positive outcome. If your sole aim is to lose weight, then it may just be a case of finding out what works for you. Try increasing HIIT training and cardio, but don’t skimp on weight and resistance training either.

Get ready to work out at home with Avec Sport

Even when you’re exercising from the comfort of your own home, it’s important to ensure that you’re wearing the right clothing for optimal performance. We have an extensive collection of fit-for-purpose sportswear to support you on your journey, from sweat tops to sports leggings.