You may run, you may dance, and you may even do yoga. While these are all great things to do for your body, you can also reap a lot of benefits by adding more exercises to the mix.
To be more specific, strength training exercises can actually help you to reach the fitness goals you’ve been working on with other exercises.
While you may think that you have to join a gym to be able to do strength training, the good news is that with some minimal equipment, you can actually work out and build-up at home.
The following guide will help you to understand the benefits of strength training and give you some ideas of exercises that you can do without ever stepping foot in a real gym.
Why You Should Do Strength Training
It’s true that deciding to start working out means commitment on your part, and strength training will require you to make it a part of your routine. The good news is that it’s worth it. The following are some of the main benefits that you’ll get from adding these new exercises to your routine:
- It will help you to lose weight quickly. A lot of people think that you only lose weight with cardio. This is a common misconception that you should ignore. While cardio is good for you, adding strength training to the mix will go far in helping you to lose weight [1], as it helps you to burn more calories and fat turning to muscle is always a great idea.
- You’ll tone your muscles. Many people either go on fad diets or do a lot of cardio to lose weight. That’s all well and good, but if you want to look great, even after losing all the weight that you want to, toning your muscles will help you to have the fit body you’re looking forwards to. Just make sure you keep up with your protein intake.
- You’ll look better. The whole point of working out is to be healthy, but we all like that it helps us to look better too. There is no way that you won’t look amazing if you’re strength training the right way.
- It’s good for your metabolism. Because you burn calories when building muscles and also use energy to sustain them, you’re actually doing a lot to boost your metabolism when you do strength training.
- Even if you’re resting, your body will still be working after a good training workout.
- You’ll strengthen your bones. Did you know that using weights can help you to strengthen not only your muscles but also your bones? It’s a great addition to making sure that you have a healthy diet rich in calcium and vitamin D.
- It helps to keep injuries at bay. A strong body is more resistant to injury, which is a great thing, especially if you’re an athlete. Many athletes, whether they do triathlons or participate in a high-intensity sport, will do weight training or strength training to protect their bodies from torn ligaments and tendons [2], and more.
What Are Some Easy Exercises to Do At Home
If you’re ready to give strength training a shot, here are some options for you to work out at home, so you don’t have to stress about joining a gym. Our favorites are:
- Bench press with dumbbells: Lie on your bench holding dumbbells above your chest. Make sure that your palms are forward. Your body should be laying flat on the bench while your feet should be pressed firmly into the floor. Lower the weights to the sides, making sure that your elbows are close to your chest and not flared outward.
- Squat with dumbbells: Want to work your glutes? Squats are great for this, especially with dumbbells. Stand with your feet apart, not too much and not too little. Around the width of your hips to shoulder width and keep your dumbbells by your sides. Keep your back straight and tightly holding your core, bend your knees with your hips back and squat until you have your thighs parallel to the ground. Repeat the process.
- Triceps extension lying down: Lie on your bench with your feet flat. Your position should be facing upward. Then, hold your dumbbells above your chest and make sure that your arms are straight and hands are turned toward each other. Don’t move your upper arms but bend your elbows so that you are working your triceps as you bring the dumbbells down towards the sides of your head.
- Calf-raises: Holding a dumbbell in one hand, make sure that the foot on the same side is elevated with your heel off of the surface. Cross your other ankle and holding onto a sturdy object, lower your first heel toward the floor. Rise up on the same foot’s toes as high as possible, feeling the burn in your calves. Squeeze it at the top and then repeat on the other side.
The following are some that don’t require equipment, which is great for people who aren’t ready to invest in home gym gear but want to tone their muscles:
- Plank: A plank is always a good idea. It’s very helpful for your core, and the stronger your core is, the easier it will be to do other exercises. Position your body as if you were going to do a push-up, laying on the floor, but rest your forearms and elbows on the floor instead of your hands, underneath your shoulders and while squeezing your glutes and core, hold the position for as long as possible. Legs should be straight and not touching the floor. Repeat the process. Try to increase the time you can plank every day.
- Push-ups: Push-ups are really good for your arms, core, and shoulders, so you can also use them as an alternative to weight lifting. As with a plank, you’ll want to lay yourself on the floor and position your body to where you will lift your body up with your hands, making sure that your arms are positioned underneath your shoulders. Keep your body straight, and don’t let anything but your hands and toes touch the floor during your push-ups. Try to increase the number of push-ups that you can do on a daily basis.
- Squats without dumbbells: You can do squats without dumbbells. If you’re new to strength training, you’ll actually see results very soon. Stand with your feet apart, hip to shoulder width, and squat down slowly until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Repeat the process.
Final Thoughts
You can easily start doing strength training without equipment, but if you want to see even better results, why not invest in some equipment? Either way, starting a new routine with strength training included is going to help you to see improvement in your workout, and your body will thank you for it.
Research: 1 – https://www.self.com/story/the-workout-you-need-to-do-if-youre-trying-to-lose-weight 2 – https://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-training-your-tendons-is-important-and-11-ways-to-do-it/
