TREK’s HOME WORKOUT GUIDE

Home workouts are a great option for those who may be too busy for the gym, or who are looking for a cost-effective workout. You don’t need any expensive equipment apart from a skipping rope and your own body weight! These exercises are also quick, but efficient, allowing you to squeeze in a high intensity workout into your daily lives. Read our TREK guide to home workouts to find out more about why working out at home is good for you, and how you can do these exercises properly.

Why are home workouts good?

Working out at home is great for many reasons. First, you don’t have to worry about fitting it into your schedule. You can do it in the morning before work, after work, or before bed—whatever works best with your schedule and routine. Second, you don’t have to spend a bunch of money on equipment. All you need is a safe spot, like a living room or basement, and some free weights. Third, you can focus on exercises that are going to help you reach your goals. Muscle building or weight loss might be the reason you’re working out at home in the first place, but there are other goals that can be achieved through home workouts as well. For example, if you want to build your cardiovascular strength, then you should focus on exercises like running sprints or doing jumping jacks. The possibilities are endless!

If you need a little burst of energy for motivation be sure to have one of our TREK bars as a pre-workout snack. From our TREK Power Bar to TREK Energy Bar, these delicious vegan protein bars can help power your home workout routine.

5 easy exercises to do at home:

1. BURPEES

Having a reputation for being hard work, burpees put your fitness levels to the test. They train virtually every muscle in your body – including abs, thighs, glutes and triceps! This makes for a brilliant, calorie burning and muscle building workout.

How to do a burpee:

1. Start with your feet shoulder-width apart firmly planted on the floor.
2. Move your body into a squat position by bending your knees and pushing your hips back and hold for a few seconds.
3. Next, place your hands on the floor in front of you and shift your weight onto your hands whilst you jump your feet backwards and move into a plank position. Make sure to keep your plank position as tight as possible, with your body forming a straight line from head to heel. Hold for a few seconds.
4. Finally jump back up into starting position and repeat.

The burpee is a straight forward and brilliant way to burn calories whilst also toning your body. Start with around 10 – 15 burpees a day as to not strain your body and gradually build up your strength to allow you to do more.

2. SKIPPING

Skipping is an easy workout to do at home – plus, it’s super fun! Needing only a skipping rope for equipment, this simple exercise is an incredible fat burner that is great for a home cardio workout. Whether in the garden, in the living room, or even the kitchen, you can do this easy workout anywhere!

To create the most effective skipping routine, start slowly by jumping once every time the rope comes down or jogging on the spot whilst skipping. Allow most of the movement to come from your wrist. Start building your strength by doing 20 minute workouts first and once this becomes easier to perform, feel free to go longer!

Top tip: To test if the skipping rope is the right length for your height, stand on the rope in the middle of the cord and measure the ends of the jump rope to come up to your armpits.

3. JUMPING JACKS

Get your heart pumping and your body moving by performing the jumping jack – also known as star jumps! Targeting not only your arms and legs, but your core and shoulders too, the jumping jack may seem like a simple exercise but it’s an effective one! Great as a cardiovascular exercise, this movement can be performed by itself or as part of a longer home workout routine.

How to do a jumping jack:

1. Stand with your arms by your side and your feet hip-width apart.
2. Jump off the ground, simultaneously spreading your legs and lifting your arms in the air.
3. Bring your body back into the middle starting position before touching the ground again.
4. Complete this action 25 times to begin with and continue for longer once you can!

Top tip: Stay light on your toes as this will help you to jump more easily!

4. PLANK

The mighty plank is a renowned exercise move that has caused attention for good reason. With its ability to strengthen your abdominal region, glutes, thighs, arms and shoulders, this superior muscle toning exercise can be done anywhere, at any time, in any type of clothing!

How to do a plank:

1. Find a solid surface and lie on your front with your hands settled into fists.
2. Position your elbows into your sides by your ribs and have your forearms on the floor and toes tucked under.
3. Push your body-weight up so that it is resting on your forearms and feet, making sure your body is perfectly straight from head to heel.
4. Squeeze the muscles in your bottom and tighten your core to get the most out of your plank and continuously check to make sure that your body is completely straight. It may help to have a mirror next to you!
5. Aim for three sets of 30 seconds with 1 minute rest in between. Once you have mastered this, feel free to add on more sets!

5. PILATES

Pilates is a great exercise for all ages and abilities. There are many different modifications and difficulty levels which means a Pilates workout can be adapted to fit any individual needs.

Pilates at its core, is a form of exercise that uses controlled movements that are designed to improve physical strength, posture and flexibility. The back and ab strengthening movements help sculpt your body and are also great for your posture – perfect after a long day working from home. With deep breathing an important part of the Pilates workout, it also provides your body with more oxygen and thus increases your energy levels. This can leave you feeling much more relaxed after a long, hard day.

Find your perfect Pilates workout online, via the many videos that are dedicated to the exercise on YouTube!

There we have it! Simple home workouts for anyone to try at any time of day! This means you can easily slot these simple exercises into your daily routine so that you can always find time to workout!

Protein is important for exercise, so be sure to buy a TREK bar to help power your home workouts!

FOR MORE FITNESS INSPIRATION HAVE A LOOK AT OUR TREK WORKOUT VIDEOS BELOW!