Great Exercises You Can Do At Home
Staying in shape is important but going to the gym can be a hassle. How many times have you said something like, “I really need to go to the gym but I just don’t have time.” Sometimes life can get pretty hectic and we are to busy to go to the gym for an hour or 2. The good news is there are plenty of workouts that you can do at home. Here are a few exercises you can do without leaving the house.
Push-ups
One of the most popular forms of exercise is push-ups. They are simple to do and requires no fancy gym equipment. You can do push-ups pretty much anywhere. Rather you are at home or on a cruise, push-ups are a great way to get a quick workout and sculpt your upper body.
Push-ups are great for your upper body muscles. they work your chest, triceps, shoulders, and even your core and back muscles as well. There are also many different types of push-ups, so you never get tired of doing the same thing over and over again. If you want to focus on strengthening your chest, then you can do wide hand push-ups. If you want to work more on your triceps, diamond push-ups are the way to go. There are literally dozens of different types of push-ups that target different areas of your body. You can never go wrong with this classic workout.
Squat Jumps
This is another simple workout that requires nothing but a pair of legs. Squat jumps work wonders on your lower body and is a great way to build up leg strength. All you need to do is get in the squat position, jump as high as you can, and land back in the squat position. It sounds easy but after doing a few squat jumps, you will feel the burn in your legs right away. As the old saying goes, no pain, no gain.
Squat jumps do much more than strengthen your lower body. They also help improve your cardio. The constant jumping the exercise requires build up your heart rate and burns away plenty of calories. Squat jumps also help your explosiveness. Studies have shown that squat jumps are one of the best exercises to develop explosive power. This can help you in many different areas such as running, kicking, and balance. You really can’t go wrong with squat jumps.
Sit-ups/Crunches
Anyone who has ever taken a PE class in school has done some form of a sit-up or crunch. Sit-ups and crunches are some of the greatest workouts you can do to strengthen your core muscles. What makes these exercises so awesome is how easy they are to do. No equipment is needed, just lay on the floor and sit up. It’s that simple. Doing sit-ups or crunches 3 times a week will do amazing things to your core strength. You might be really sore the first couple of times, but it is well worth it.
There are tons of different variations of sit-ups and crunches. V-ups, bicycle crunches, and Russian Twists are just a few examples of sit up and crunch variations. Many of these variations focus on certain parts of your core. Some strengthen your side while others target your abs. There are basic variations that are perfect for beginners and some more difficult ones for seasoned workout fanatics. If you stay motivated and do sit up or crunches a few times a week, you will have washboard abs before you know it.
Burpees
Burpees are a full-body exercise that combines push-ups, squats and jumping jacks all into one workout. They also have great benefits for your cardio. The only thing you need to do burpees is motivation and the will to get in shape. You start a burpee in a push-up position. Once you have done a push-up, you quickly get in a squat position and jump in the air. Once you land you go back into squat position and maneuver into a push-up position once again. Burpees can be difficult at first but do amazing things for your body.
This exercise works your chest, arms, back, legs, and core all at the same time. The intenseness of the workout makes burpees a great cardiovascular workout as well. You will be surprised by how heavy you will be breathing by doing just a few sets. Burpees burn tons of calories and will melt unwanted fat clean off you. If you want a workout that works the whole body that builds cardio while strengthening your muscles, then burpees are for you.
Dips
Dips are one of the best upper body workouts you can do. They target the tricep and chest muscles and builds them as well as an expensive workout machine. All you need is a box or chair. You hold yourself up using the palms of your hands and slowly dip down until your arms are at a 90-degree angle. Then you push yourself back up and repeat the process. Dips are more of an intermediate exercise and can be a bit hard for beginners. However, once you get used to them, your triceps will be stronger than ever.
Many people believe that push-ups are the best upper body exercise you can do without workout equipment. Now quite a few experts are saying dips are better than push-ups. Some are even saying dips might be better at building your chest and tricep muscles than bench pressing. They believe more muscle fibers are used while doing dips than when bench pressing. Not all experts agree with this but the fact that so many do is truly astonishing.
