It’s not always easy to get to the gym for a workout. When you're juggling work, family and social commitments, it can be easy to just skip out on a scheduled workout to catch up. But, save time and achieve a productive workout right at home. According to research published in the August 2013 Journal of Physical Therapy Science, even three weeks of calisthenics training was enough to cause a significant increase athletic fitness.
Many exercises require no extra equipment, and you can also incorporate other movements after acquiring inexpensive, portable gear.
Upper Body Home Exercise Routine for Men
Use these three exercises to train your entire upper body quickly and efficiently at home.
1. Push-up
Push-ups are one of the oldest body weight exercises still used — because they work! A research study in the January 2015 issue of Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research concluded that both bench presses and push-ups at comparable levels of muscle contraction cause similar strength gains.
HOW TO DO IT: Start push-ups lying face down on the floor with legs straight, feet together and hands on the floor shoulder-width apart. Push-up with both arms until the elbows are fully extended and then descend to the start position for one rep.
Five or six sets of up to 20 reps will powerfully stimulate the chest, shoulders and triceps.
2. Pull-up
This is a challenging exercise for the back and biceps, but worth learning to do well. By changing hand position and width on the bar, it’s easy to train the muscles from many different angles. The safest way to do pull-ups at home is by investing in a quality doorway chinning bar.
HOW TO DO IT: A proper pull-up starts by grasping the bar with both hands facing forward and about shoulder-width apart. Suspend the body by lifting both feet off the floor (bend your knees if necessary). Finally, pull up until the chin touches the bar and then go back down.
Do about five sets of 10 to 15 reps to develop both muscular strength and endurance.
3. Reverse Push-ups
This is a popular move for competitive wrestlers. It develops powerful triceps and stimulates almost every upper body muscle.
HOW TO DO IT: Begin by lying on your back with knees bent and feet facing away from the body. Place both hands on the floor above your head, elbows pointed up and palms near the ears. Push up with legs and arms until the back is arched and the body is making an upside down ‘U’ shape. Descend to the start position.
Three sets of five to six reps helps build upper body strength and spine flexibility.
Lower Body Home Exercise Routine for Men
Not being able to get to a squat rack doesn’t mean you have to miss out out on a heavy-duty leg workout. These two bodyweight leg exercises can be done anywhere there is enough space and time.
1. Vertical Jumps
This is a standard plyometric, or jumping, exercise.
HOW TO DO IT: Begin from a standing position with legs about twice shoulder-width apart and hands at hip level. Drop into a squatting position while swinging both arms behind the body. Forcefully swing the arms overhead while jumping as forcefully as possible. Drop down into the a squat and repeat.
Perform for five sets of 10 to 20 reps for improved strength and leg speed or do vertical jumps to failure for increased aerobic and muscular endurance.
2. Walking Lunges
This exercise mimics stair climbing – without the stairs.
HOW TO DO IT: From the standing position with legs hip-width apart take a step forward until kneeling on one knee. Push up with the leading leg and move forward until standing again. Finally, lunge with the other leg.
Do up to eight sets of 10 to 20 reps per leg for a leg strength and endurance workout.