Learning how to workout at home has never been easier.
And now you can save money by doing it.
If you’re one of those people who loves going to the gym (or you hate the gym altogether) but dread the price tag that often comes with it then its time to start looking into the alternatives.
Like it or not, staying in shape can be expensive. There are tons of hidden costs:
- commuting/gas
- membership fees
- workout clothing
- supplements
- fad challenges
- healthy food
- your precious time
What does it all add up to? Often, a lot of wasted money.
Related: How to Build Muscle on the Cheap | 5 Bodybuilding Tips to Save You Money
Now don’t get me wrong, there are many benefits to joining a gym and going regularly:
- it can be a source of stress relief
- it feels like a mini getaway
- being social is healthy (just don’t over socialize…you are there to workout after all)
- more variety of movements
- better/more equipment
A Dose of Reality
Now, as with most things in life, there is probably a happy medium. For some of us however, working out at a gym isn’t an option – and working out at home is the only option.
Sometimes its money. Sometimes its childcare. Other times its transportation. But no matter what the reason is, you can’t use it as an excuse not to work out.
Your body wants you to work it out.
Your sleep depends on it. Your emotional well-being craves it. Your medical bills scream at you for it.
And in a day and age where we have more options and information than ever before, we’re doing it less and less.
And we’re getting fatter and fatter.
Maybe you’re doing a good job of making it to the gym 2-3 days a week but you still aren’t reaching your goals. What’s holding you back? Inconsistency? Poor diet habits?
No Excuses
No matter what the reason is, not having enough time to workout at home simply cannot be one of them. Don’t lie and tell me you don’t have 20 minutes a day to get your heart rate up and get your muscles moving.
And don’t lie to yourself either.
You do have time. You just have to make it. It doesn’t have to be extraordinarily strenuous. You don’t need insanely expensive gym equipment to get the physique you’re looking for.
You just need one part time…and one part effort.
To help you with your workout at home goals I’ve compiled a list of my favorite exercises that YOU can do at home…and all much cheaper than a gym membership.
No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Get off your lazy butts and start working out 15 minutes a day, minimum. Even if its 15 minutes set aside to stretch, meditate or do yoga. Girls, guys, doesn’t matter. There are workout at home exercises here for everyone.
Do something. Everyday.
11 Simple Exercise Plans on How to Workout at Home
1) Stability Ball Ab Workout
What you’ll need: Stability Ball – get one for $11.74 on Amazon
2) Upper Body Challenge
laurengleisberg
Warning: This set is not for the faint of heart. It is a super set meant for the end of a workout session to push those muscles to absolute failure. It is the only extremity focused workout on this page because its the only one you’re going to need. Focusing on low-weight, high-rep, this superset is focused on hitting all the major muscle groups in your arms and shoulders without sending them into insane muscular hypertrophy ranges.
To do it you have to survive:
- 3 sets, 20 reps of Alternating Curls
- 3 sets, 20 reps of Lying Triceps Extensions
- 3 sets, 15 reps of Hammer Curls
- 3 sets, 15 reps of Triceps Kickbacks
- 3 sets, 15 reps of V-Sit Curls
- 3 sets, 15 reps of Overhead Triceps Extensions
- 3 sets, 20 reps of Lateral Shoulder Raises
- 3 sets, 15 reps of Shoulder Presses
See? Not for the faint of heart. Good luck with this one.
What you’ll need: Set of Free Weights – only $24.99 on Amazon
3) 21-Day Run/Walk Challenge
skinnyms.
Day 1: ¼ Mile Cardio Walk, ½ mile jog. Repeat to total 1.5 mile.
Day 2: ¼ mile cardio walk, ½ mile jog. Repeat to total 1.5 mile.
Day 3: ¼ mile cardio walk, ¾ mile jog. Repeat to total 2 miles.
Day 4: ¼ mile cardio walk, ¾ mile jog. Repeat to total 2 miles.
Day 5: Rest.
Day 6: ¼ mile cardio walk, ¼ mile run. Repeat for 12 minutes.
Day 7: ¼ mile cardio walk, ½ mile jog, ¼ mile cardio walk, ¼ mile run. Repeat for 15 minutes.
Day 8: ¾ mile jog, ¼ mile cardio walk, ¼ mile run, ¼ mile cardio walk. Repeat for 15 minutes.
Day 9: ¾ mile jog, ¼ mile cardio walk, ½ mile jog. Repeat for 12 minutes.
Check out SkinnyMs. for days 10-21 if this is something you’re interested in!
What you’ll need: A pair of quality running shoes.
4) Lower Ab Workout at Home
What you’ll need: Yoga Mat – $19.99 on Amazon
5) 30-Day Butt and Gut Challenge
What you’ll need: Yoga Mat – get one for $19.99 on Amazon
6) The Core Crusher
prevention
A simple, two-week plan that alternates daily between core exercises with a stability ball and light cardio (usually steady state walking or jogging). You can check out the full workout here.
What you’ll need: Stability Ball – get one for $11.74 on Amazon
7) 27-Day Squat Challenge
BuzzFeed
Nothing will get you in shape faster than whole body/compound movements. Beginners make the mistake of choosing too many isolation exercises (choosing just to workout a single muscle group). If you want to make real progress…squat. Squat again and again. You’re working larger muscles and that will pay dividends for hours after you’re done working out (your body will continue to burn calories). Read about the challenge here.
What you’ll need: Absolutely nothing.
8) Total Body Fat Burning Workout
webhealthjournal
Everyone has 15 minutes in their day. Everyone. If you’re short on time, like we mentioned earlier, focus on workouts that hit multiple large muscle groups. They raise your heart rate quicker and help you continue to burn fat long after your workout at home finishes. We can emphasize it enough. Even if you have 0 equipment to work with, there is no reason you can’t learn to master:
- push ups
- squats
- planks
- lunges
- reverse crunches
What you’ll need: Yoga Mat – get one for $19.99 on Amazon
9) 30 Minute Indoor Cardio Workout
fitfoundme
Staple to a wall. Get through the misery. Love yourself later. Its simple, but effective. Fully body movements that will get your entire body moving and crushes calories. It’s like Insanity or P90x without having to pay for it.
What you’ll need: A pair of quality running shoes.
10) Lower Body Sculpting
thehappyhurricane
The pace is quick:
- 30 lunges
- 20 single leg deadlifts
- 20 squats
- 30 donkey kicks
- 15 glute bridges
All in 5 minutes. Repeat 2 more times. It may not seem bad but I promise you it is (I struggled through it before I included it in this article and I am fairly athletic). I’d recommend turning it into more of an HIIT workout with a couple minutes of walking in between each set to push out some of the lactic acid buildup and give yourself a small breather. If you can do it all the way through without stopping…more power to you.
What you’ll need: Yoga Mat – get one for $19.99 on Amazon
11) Building the Perfect Butt
Not everyone is looking for a full body workout. So if you’re one of those people who is looking to tone or tighten certain indelible assets then I have a feeling this workout is for you. Learn to sculpt and shape certain muscle groups without adding tons of lean mass with Christina as she walks you through each and every step.
What you’ll need: Yoga Mat – get one for $19.99 on Amazon
Still Need Motivation After All That?
Learning how to workout at home has never been easier. But if you’re still struggling to the find the motivation to do it or you simply want to up the stakes a little (literally) then you should check out HealthyWage.
You can enter a team competition and win up to $10,000 or you can place an individual weight loss bet, and go at it on your own.
For example, if you check out their bet calculator, a $30/monthly bet to lose 20 lbs in 6 months could net you anywhere between $200-$529.41…(come on guys, 20 lbs in 6 months…a lot of you can do this).
Now I’ve tinkered with the calculator a little but it looks like there are some personal bets that could net you at much as $10,000 as well.
Given this was with the max bet of $995 but still, 30 lbs over 6 months to win $7,000?
Crazy right?
So far this year we’ve had 4 VTX’ers sign-up with one betting as little as $180 and another as much as $600!
(challenges often have a 3-6 month minimum so we’re still waiting to see how they did!)
Now matter how you slice it, if you want to lose weight (and you’re dead serious about doing it), then you may as well get paid for it.
We don’t condone being stupid with your money, after all that goes against what we are all about, but if you want to put a few dollars on the line or simply bet against a few friends, a little healthy pressure can’t hurt.
Need Accountability?
If you don’t want to bet on your weight loss, but you still want some level of accountability, then consider taking the most extreme measure of all.
Chronicle your weight loss journey by starting your own blog.
For as little as $2.99 a month you can document, share and tell others about your weight loss journey.
With HostGator you can start your very own WordPress blog, upload photos, seek encouragement and be an inspiration to others – all while building your own brand.
For just a few bucks (and nothing to lose) you can build a website that will:
- encourage others
- keep you accountable to your weight loss goals
- make you money
Wait, make you money?
Yes. Really.
People love weight-loss stories. They want to know that there are real people out there that actually get results – not just the models on magazine covers. You can make money on your website by:
- using display ads
- selling affiliate products
- by allowing sponsored posts by brands in the fitness industry (that want their products in front of readers’ eyes)
And those are but a few of the most easiest (and most popular) ways to get started.
Hint: These are the exact 3 things that Jeff and I do and now we’re closing in on $10,000 a month blogging from home.
You can do this too.
From saving money, to working out, all the way to blogging…You. Can. Do. This.
One part time. One part effort.
Make time for things that matter. Put effort into those things. It’s really that simple.
The post 11 Genius Workout at Home Exercise Plans to Save You Time and Money appeared first on VTX Capital.
