How To Set Up Your Home Workout

How To Set Up Your Home Workout

posted onJanuary 15, 2021

Creating an at home workout practice is one of the most important things I work towards with the clients I see, to help them set up a routine at home they can stick to. If you can put together an effective 45 minute burn from your sitting room, there truly is no excuse not to get moving regardless of how busy you may be. However, just like formulating a plan on the gym floor, a workout at home means a little bit of preparation beforehand, and that’s what I’m going to help you with today.

Creating a Home Workout Plan

Pull out your notebook or notes app and let’s get the bare bones of your workout written down. If you’re deciding to workout 5 days a week, choose the days and book in the time. Now choose between creating a workout plan yourself or following an already set monthly or weekly workout plan. In the Online Studio I devise a workout plan for subscribers every month, so they just have to login, press play and stream. If however, you want to create your own workout plan, pick a theme for each day, such as the below:

Monday – Legs

Tuesday – Core

Wednesday – Bum

Thursday – Upper Body (Back & Arms)

Friday – Cardio

These are just examples, and for a full body approach, yours may be far more goal specific. 

If you are creating the workout plan, time to pad it out:

Now you have a focus, it’s time to deliver the deets. The way I find works best is to plan exercises in trisets (groups of 3). You would group 3 exercises together and plan the rep range according to your goal.

As a general rule of thumb for Hypertrophy (muscle growth) we are looking at 6-12 reps, 3-6 sets and 30-90 seconds rest between sets. For muscular endurance, we are looking at 12+ reps, 3 reps and a 30 second rest. I would encourage you to do 12 reps and 3-4 sets (4 sets if you need to alternate sides) as a good middle ground to both.

When it comes to grouping these exercises together to make an hours workout, including a 10 minute warmup and stretch at the end, you should plan for 4-5 groups of exercises.

Here’s an example:

Monday – Legs

Group 1 

Plie Squat

Plie Squat Pulse

Plie Squat Jump

12 reps x 3 sets

Group 2 

Lunges with rotation

Weighted reverse lunge

Jump lunges

12 reps x 4 sets

Group 3

Bulgarian Split Squat

Bulgarian Split Squat PULSES

Pistol Squat

12 reps x 4 sets

Get The Inspiration

It’s all very well me telling you to slot in area specific exercises to your day, but that isn’t always an easy task. Most of us have a repertoire we stick to from memory, which doesn’t help our progression as it’s all we ever do. This is where social media and the world-wide-web plays its part in your practice. Take the time to find qualified fitness professionals and glimmer inspiration from the exercises they show you, noting them down or saving them. I produce so many workout videos in the Online Studio for you to follow along. Try the 14 day trial now. 

Pick Your Outfit 

Why is your outfit important? Because not only is it supportive and practical, but early in the morning if it’s ready and waiting for you it can act as a great reminder to get onto the mat and straight into your workout.

One of my top tips to clients who want to do their exercise practice first thing in the morning is to get their outfit ready before they go to bed, so they can easily slip into it first thing in the morning. Particularly now as the majority of us are working from home, wearing athleisure will remind you throughout the day that there is a workout to get done.

When it comes to activewear style isn’t everything – first comes support and feel. For me a supportive sports bra, and lightweight leggings are the two most important things I need in a workout set. At the moment I’m wearing My Protein Women’s Power Ultra leggings and their Velocity Sculpt Sports Bra. When it comes to foot support I’ve been using APL’s trainers for years, they have fantastic support and bounce perfect for working out on wooden floors at home.

Create The Right Environment

A home isn’t always the most peaceful place to focus in and push yourself, so creating the right environment is essential. It doesn’t have to be a snazzy space, but has room to move and all the necessary pieces of equipment – which can be as little as a Yoga Mat and speakers. In my home workout nook I have dumbbells, a kettle bell, resistance bands, two yoga mats, a speaker and foam roller, and that’s me sorted. I actively enter this space, which doubles up as my sitting room, with a calm focussed mind and try to disassociate it from my home where I chill, watch TV and devour my post workout protein smoothies. Other than a Spotify stream, my phone won’t be touched – when the yoga mat is out, it’s time to tune in.

 


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