Take The Gym With You: 7 Types Of Exercises You Can Do Anywhere

Whether you’re getting fit for the first time or a seasoned gym-rat, there are times when you just don’t feel like going out to the gym.

For most people, every day can’t be a gym day. As long as you’re putting in your best effort, then you can settle for staying home some of the time. Luckily, there are lots of exercises that work out different muscle groups that you can do from the comfort of your home.

In this post, we’ll show you 7 different types of exercises that you can do in your living room, backyard, or neighborhood when you just can’t be bothered to head to the gym. There’s no shame in staying home once in a while, so let’s get started.

7 Types of Exercises That You Can Do Anywhere

Exercising at home is different than going to the gym. You don’t have all the high-tech equipment there, but you can still work out most of your muscle groups with simple exercises. You can buy a jump rope or a resistance band to help you, but you don’t necessarily need them.

You can also use your smartphone to try out home workout apps. There’s an ever-increasing number of them available on Google Play or the App Store, all with their own perks and personalities. If you need the motivation to stay on top of your workouts or instructions for how to do different exercises, apps are a great option.

Here, however, we’ll look at 7 exercises that are easy to do at home and will have you feeling great, even though you skipped the gym.

1. Planks

Yoga is a popular meditative and healthy exercise that you can do at a studio or at home. One of the basic yoga poses that prepares and strengthens your core are planks. There are a couple of ways to do planks.

First, you need to get down on to all fours, straighten out your legs as if you’re doing pushups with your forearms and hands positioned shoulder-width apart. You can also extend your arms as if you’re at the top of a pushup.

When you’re ready, raise up your torso and form a straight line, keeping your back straight and your butt down. Different trainers would recommend different rep lengths. A good start is to do 10 reps at 10 seconds then go forward from there.

Seasoned yogis can plank for several minutes at a time, working out their abs, back, thighs, and butt before a workout.

2. Squats

If it’s leg day that you’re skipping, then you can do some squats to make up for it. They’re one of the best exercises for working out your glutes, hamstrings, calves, and quads.

It’s probably a standard part of your normal workout, but if you’ve never done a squat before, here’s how you do it safely. Keep your feet hip-width apart and face straight ahead. Keep your torso straight with your abs flexed, then slowly bend your knees and lower your torso toward the ground. Then rise again.

If you’ve got this ingrained in your workout plan, then do however many you normally do. But, if you’re just starting, try 6-10 reps in one or two sets at first.

3. Jumping Jacks

Jumping jacks are a great activity to build up cardiovascular health. They’re also one of the easiest things to do in the comfort of your home. Doing a lot of jumping jacks over a long period of time can be pretty taxing on your knees, so make sure that you’re wearing a good pair of shoes when doing them.

It’s a great thing to do as part of a larger workout plan. If you’re not familiar with them (that’s weird), all you do is jump up and down repeatedly moving the feet out wide then back together while doing the same with your arms.

Jumping jacks can burn about 100 calories per 10 minutes and you can incorporate other exercises like squats and pushups into your jumping jacks routine.

4. Running

Do you know what you don’t necessarily have to do at a gym? Do your cardio workout. You can run anywhere; parks, city blocks, around your backyard. If there’s a hard surface or sidewalk, then you can run on it.

We get it, running in the elements can be hard on your joints if you don’t have the proper footwear or if you’ve got sensitive joints. But, if you get supportive shoes then you should be able to get a decent run in.

Running circuits build up over time, so if you’re a beginner, don’t expect to be doing marathons anytime soon. Stay with it and you’ll progress faster than you think. Running is one of the best things you can do for your health, in general.

5. Burpees

For a more advanced type of cardio exercise, you can try some burpees. They’re not for the faint of heart, so you’ll need to be comfortable squatting and planking over and over.

Start in a standing position with your arms stretched straight up, then squatting towards the floor while keeping the back straight, then jump your feet into a straight arm plank position, then back up.

They’re pretty intense and burn 100 calories in 10 minutes. Try them as part of your cardio routine with some lighter exercises surrounding them.

6. Mountain Climbers

Mountain climbers are a great start to a workout since they raise your heart rate and build your core. They’ll also strengthen your arms, shoulders, and wrists.

To do a mountain climber, you get in a pushup position, hold the arms in place, and alternate running the knees in and out. You can do these in the same position as burpees, planks, and pushups.

7. Pushups & Crunches

Now for some classics. These are probably the most practiced home workout exercises because everyone knows about them. You don’t have to be a workout warrior to do a pushup or situp.

The problem with both of these exercises is that, although they’re commonly practiced by everyone, they are almost always done incorrectly. This can result in minor injuries or long-term joint and back pain.

To do a proper situp, lie down on your back with your knees bent and your feet planted on the ground. Then, raise up your torso all the way to your knees and go back down. Situps will strengthen your core and ab muscles.

A proper pushup will strengthen your arms, shoulders, and chest. Get in the high plank position then lower your torso all the way until your chest touches the ground, then push back up.

Do You Even Need the Gym?

Be careful, when you start to do these different types of exercises at home, you might decide that you don’t need the gym anymore. Of course, that’s not true. The gym offers a lot in the way of machinery that you just can’t get at home. But, try out some of these exercises and you’ll be fine to skip a day once in a while.

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