You don't have to go to the gym to stay fit, healthy, and fit. You can do it at home by just spending 40 minutes on it several times a week. The most effective form of home exercise is weight training. Thanks to them, you can quickly tone muscles and improve the quality of the body. The main thing is to choose the right equipment for home training and learn the exercise technique.
The benefits of weight training
Strength exercises at home are recommended for both men and women. They are used not only for muscle gain, but also for weight loss.
This is due to the fact that weight training helps activate the fat burning process. Because the more muscle mass, the less fat, because the body consumes a large number of calories for muscle maintenance.
As a result of strength training at home, you can get rid of excess weight and get nice muscle relief.
Home exercise equipment
It is convenient to use dumbbells as equipment for home exercises. Several pieces with different weights are available. However, it is important to remember that strength training involves progression of the load. Hence, you will have to buy new ones over time. In order not to have to do this, you can buy collapsible dumbbells, the weight of which can be easily changed by removing or hanging additional discs.
Some exercises are easier to do with a barbell. In this case, you will need a bar and a couple of pancakes. You don't have to buy a lot of heavy washers as it is difficult to carry a lot of weight at home. This requires special safety frames, stands, etc. And removing a loaded bar from the floor is harmful and dangerous to the back.
For girls, weights are useful for some exercises. They are usually used to strengthen the legs and buttocks.
In addition, it is worth paying attention to exercise equipment such as elastic bands. They take up practically no space, are easy to use and, thanks to their different levels of rigidity, are suitable for all levels of fitness. When you exercise, these ligaments stretch and create resistance that the muscles have to overcome.
For beginners, you can forego purchased inventory and use bottles of water or sand instead. A backpack with heavy books will work too. But soon such a load will no longer be enough, so you will have to go to a sporting goods store or sign up for a gym. Otherwise, your progress will stall and you will not get a better result.
Best exercises
The best exercises for weight loss and muscle building are basic exercises. Sources often advise girls to perform numerous kicks and other isolation exercises. This is believed to help lose weight in your hips and firm your butt. But you need to understand that fat is not burned locally. The type of fat layer is such that the excess remains evenly throughout the body. The exercises performed have no influence whatsoever on what will actually lose weight.
Isolation exercises usually don't use up too many calories. Therefore, they do not have to be done for weight loss, but to complete the muscles at the end of the workout.
Basic exercises are very energy-consuming. They bind several muscle groups, stimulate the production of growth hormones and trigger metabolic processes.
Squats
One of the most effective exercises for losing weight and strengthening the muscles of the lower body is the squat. Many girls do it, but not all get it right, as it is quite difficult to fully master the technique.
Therefore, beginners are not advised to take the weights right away. The first workout should be done with your own weight.
Execution technology:
- Put your feet wider than your shoulders and turn the socks slightly to the side so that they are pointed in the same direction as your knees. Straighten your chest and shoulders, keep your back straight.
- Take the pelvis back and sit at least parallel to the floor. It is advisable to go a little deeper. This will maximize the stress on the buttocks.
- The position of the body should be such that the body is perpendicular to the surface and the knees do not protrude beyond the toes. You have to be flexible enough to do this. You should therefore watch out for stretching in your free time.
- At the lowest point, you need to make sure that the lower back is not rounded and "does not bite". You can put your palm on it first. Then it becomes clear what it is about.
- Due to the exertion of the gluteal muscles, it is necessary to return to the starting position.
- To avoid unnecessary stress on the joints, the knees cannot be fully extended.
After you have learned and secured the correct squat technique, you can take dumbbells or a barbell. The weight should be increased gradually. This will help you avoid injury and keep moving forward.
Lunges
After doing squats, it is recommended to do lunges. Such a band allows you to stretch the buttocks even more and strengthen the muscles faster.
There are many ways to do lunges: one step forward, backward, sideways, diagonally, lunges while walking, etc.
You can try several and choose the most effective one for yourself. From time to time, variations can be alternated to diversify your exercise program.
The same basic rules of execution apply to all types of lunges:
- the step should be wide enough;
- The angle at the knee of the working leg (forward) must be straight.
- Your back should remain flat and perpendicular to the floor throughout the exercise.
- The knee of the support leg must not touch the ground.
- Body weight should fall mainly on the heel of the working leg.
This technique allows you to strengthen the gluteal muscles and the muscles of the front of the thigh in a short amount of time. You can pick up dumbbells for faster results. However, this should only be done after the exercise has been carefully worked out.
Gluteal bridge
Isolation exercise for the buttocks - lying on the back of the pelvis. Many consider it exclusively female. But men too, especially those who lead a sedentary lifestyle, need to strengthen their glutes. Hence, this exercise can be safely incorporated into the home exercise program for the stronger sex.
Execution technology:
- Lie on your back and press your lower back firmly to the floor. Extend your arms along your body.
- Squeeze your buttocks and raise your pelvis as high as possible.
- It is important to make sure that the cervical spine is not uncomfortable. When the weight of the body falls on the cervical vertebrae, you can rest your shoulder blades on a bench or other object.
- At the end point, pause for a few seconds and strain the glutes as much as possible.
- Then you have to slowly lower yourself. The basin should not be placed on the floor. In order for the load to be continuous, you must immediately start the next repetition.
By placing a barbell pancake on the pelvis, you can increase the effectiveness of the exercise.
Row of dumbbells to the belt
The back muscles at home can be strengthened by pulling dumbbells down to the waist.
Execution technology:
- Assume the starting position, tilt your body forward about 45 degrees and bend your knees slightly. In this case, the back should be flat with a slight curve in the lower back.
- Pick up dumbbells and lower them.
- As you exhale, bring your shoulder blades together and lift the dumbbells on your belt. Make sure that your elbows are parallel to each other.
- When you stop at the top point, you need to slowly lower the dumbbells.
This exercise should work with your back muscles, not your arms.
Biceps curls
To strengthen the muscles of the arms, you need to do exercises for biceps and triceps. This is necessary not only for men who want to increase their volume, but also for women. Indeed, in this area, due to lack of physical activity, the skin begins to sag and become flabby.
The most popular exercise for biceps is the dumbbell curl. It is very easy to do. The main thing is to lift the dumbbells due to muscle tension, and not to throw them up by inertial force.
To do this, you don't have to jerk at the starting point and make sure your elbows stay motionless throughout the movement.
Extension of the arms on the slope
To strengthen the triceps, you can do the arm extension with inclined dumbbells.
Execution technology:
- Bend your knees slightly and tilt your body forward 45-60 degrees. Keep your back straight.
- Take dumbbells and bend your elbows at right angles so that your shoulders are parallel to the floor.
- As you exhale, straighten your arms fully back.
- Linger at the end point and feel the tension in the triceps.
- Then slowly bend your arms again and return to the starting position.
At the end of the approach you should feel a characteristic muscle burning sensation in the triceps.
Dumbbell bench press
In order to relieve and contour the upper body, exercises must be performed on the shoulders. One of the most effective is the standing dumbbell press.
Execution technology:
- Stand up straight and raise the dumbbells to shoulder height. Your elbows should be perpendicular to the floor.
- As you exhale, you need to squeeze them so that they are practically touching. The dumbbells should go the same way. Do not fully extend your elbows.
- Then the dumbbells should be lowered onto the shoulders in a controlled manner.
Girls should do this exercise too. Women are often afraid of swinging their shoulders, but they won't be able to increase their size significantly. As a result of the class, they will receive only a slight relief, which will free them from vagueness and make the outlines of the body clearer.
Exercise program
Circular workouts are most effective for weight loss, in which the exercises are performed one after the other in the complex without a break. In such a lesson, the muscles of the whole body are trained. It is necessary to make 3-4 circles with breaks between them for 2-3 minutes.
The table shows a circuit training program that includes the exercises discussed above. Two abdominal exercises are performed at the end of each round.
| exercise | Repetitions |
| Dumbbell squats | twenty |
| Dumbbell lunges | 15th |
| Gluteal bridge | twenty |
| Row of dumbbells to the stomach | 15th |
| Lifting dumbbells for biceps | 15th |
| Extension of the arms in an incline towards the triceps | 15th |
| Dumbbell shoulder press | 15th |
| Crunch in the press | 20-30 |
| Raise your legs, which are on your back on the press | 15-20 |
It is worth doing such training 2-3 times a week. You don't need to exercise more often as the muscles need time to recover. On days off, you can do cardio workouts that will help you lose weight faster.
It is worth remembering that losing weight is impossible without proper nutrition and a calorie deficit. The result depends 70% on it. In addition, you do not need a rigid diet, but a balanced diet. Then the muscles are strengthened and the body becomes lean and fit.