You want to keep fit in your living room? Then strength training at home is the solution for you. Get started today with these effective exercises!
Whether you want to hear it or not, the fact is that our bodies start to lose muscle mass and build up body fat after the age of 25. If you don't actively do something about it, you'll soon be annoyed by fat deposits.
But do not worry, you are not helpless in this process. Strength training at home is the solution to the problem! With it you build up your muscles and prevent body fat from spreading. At the same time you strengthen your entire movement and posture.
And, no: it's not too late. It's never too late to start strength training.
Targeted exercises challenge and promote the development of muscles. And it's easy to do in your living room. You don't have to sign up for a gym or buy heavy fitness equipment. Strength training without equipment is the motto, which is equally effective for beginners and advanced users.
Table of contents
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What strength training is in the first place
Strength training is about strengthening the body by building muscle. It involves athletic exercises that require the user to exert at least 50 percent of his or her maximum strength.
The stimulus is only big enough if you keep pushing yourself to the maximum limit. The body then enlarges its musculature and ensures better interaction between nerves and muscles.
In short, if you work out diligently and challenge your body, you will be rewarded with muscles.
A nice side effect is that it not only tightens the body, but also makes the kilos tumble.
The reason for this is quickly found: If you have muscles, you have a higher basal metabolic rate. So you burn more calories even while lying lazily on the sofa. Very simplified: The body does everything to maintain the muscles and feeds the muscles with calories.
The simplest and cheapest option is strength training without equipment. All you need is a non-slip training mat and your body weight.
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What you need to know about strength training at home
Whether you're a beginner or an advanced exerciser, strength training in your living room is always ideal for you. Since you only use your own weight for training, you can easily adjust the intensity.
If you only manage 5 squats as a beginner, you will soon manage 10 with regular training. If it's too easy for you, do them with one leg. You can also grab a dumbbell and take your strength training to a new level at home.
However, beginners should start with body weight only and increase very gently.
Advanced users who train only with their own body weight must remain inventive. Because our muscles always need new stimuli. If you do the same exercise every day, your body will get used to it and you will soon stop making progress.
But here you will find a whole range of different exercises that provide enough variety several times.
What you can do to train more intensively
- as a beginner: increase the number of repetitions
- as advanced: vary the tempo, increase the number of passes (sets)
Both as a beginner and later, always alternate between the exercises and do not only those that are particularly easy for you. You will notice the greatest progress with the exercises that are still difficult for you. Keep at it!
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With what exercises strength training at home works best
If you want to get started with strength training, you first need to master a few basics. These include the very classic: planks, lunges and squats. Many other variations are based on these exercises. You can also make them more difficult by adding weight cuffs or dumbbells to increase the effect.
By the way, strength training at home works best if you set a fixed time for your workout. It must become a routine if you want to build muscle.
Make from each exercise 12 repetitions and 3 passes.
Exercises that require you to hold the position you do 3x at 30-40 seconds each - depending on your fitness level.
Of course, you don't have to do all the exercises in one set. Divide them quietly and alternate again and again.
Planks
The absolute classic if you want to strengthen the whole body. Planks train your muscles from head to toe.
The perfect exercise for beginners and those who are not yet well versed in strength training.
- Lie on your stomach on the exercise mat.
- Place the elbows under the shoulders.
- Push the body away from the floor with force.
- Tighten your abdomen and buttocks so that your body forms a straight line.
- Hold the position.
- Attention: Beginners tend to form a hollow back.
Full Planks
A variant that makes the muscle building workout very varied are planks with stretched arms. You can derive a lot of exercise variations from them.
- Place your hands under your shoulders. This time the arms are stretched.
- Tighten the abdomen, buttocks and legs.
- Make sure your back is straight.
- The view is directed downwards.
- Hold the position.
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Lunges
An absolute classic, which of course should not be missing. The lunge strengthens the thigh muscles in particular. You can also improve your balance.
- Start in an upright position.
- Took a big step forward with his right legs.
- Lower the pelvis until it is level with the right knee.
- The left leg is bent. The knee just barely does not touch the mat.
- Return to the starting position and now step forward with the left leg.
- Alternatively, you can perform this strength training exercise dynamically. To do this, gently bob your upper body up and down before returning to the starting position.
If you want, you can take dumbbells in your hands to make the exercise harder.
Squats
Strength training without squats is simply not possible. Because squats are true all-rounders - they strengthen the buttocks and legs in particular.
- Start in a hip-width stance.
- The arms are stretched.
- Kneel down and bring your arms together in front of your body.
- Do the squat so low that your butt is level with your knees.
- The knees point outward. The tips of the feet do not protrude above the knees.
- The gaze is always directed straight ahead.
- Return to the starting position, pressing the hips firmly forward.
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Squat Walk
It's more intense for the thighs if you don't get into the upright position, but stay in the squat position.
- Start with a normal squat. The arms are bent in front of the chest.
- Now take 3-4 side steps while remaining in a squat position throughout.
- Make sure that the knees do not tilt inward.
- Once you reach the end of the mat, go in the other direction and thus back to the starting position.
Side lunge
Lateral lunges are a wonderful exercise for strength training at home without equipment. They mainly target the inner thighs.
- Stand upright on the exercise mat.
- You can fold your hands in front of your body or place them on your hips.
- Shift your weight to your right leg, release your foot from the mat and take a wide step to the side.
- The upper body moves slightly forward, the hips push back.
- The back is straight. Lower the buttocks until the right leg forms a right angle, the knee should not rise above the toes.
- The left leg is straight through.
- Straighten up again and shift the weight to the left side.
Pelvic bridge
You'll get a toned butt, back and sexy thighs with this exercise.
- Lie on the floor. Place your arms parallel to your body.
- Open the legs slightly and bend them.
- Now press the pelvis upward as far as you can. The back also comes off the mat. Press your heels firmly into the floor.
- Lower the pelvis again without putting it down and start the exercise again from the beginning.
- If you want, you can simply hold the position of the pelvis in the air until the force decreases. Important: Tighten the buttocks and legs very firmly.
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Triceps Dips
For this strength training exercise, you'll need a weight bench, coffee table or chair.
- Place your palms on the weight bench. Fingers point toward you.
- The legs are bent and the upper body is upright.
- Now lower your buttocks until you almost touch the floor, bending your arms to do so.
- Push yourself back to the starting position with the strength of your arms.
- Attention: Beginners tend to help with the legs. Of course, this is not the point!
Crunches
Now it's time to really work on your abs. Crunches are a classic exercise that you should do regularly.
- Lie on your back. Place the palms of your hands on the back of your head.
- The elbows point outward. Angle the legs.
- Lift your shoulders and head off the mat. To do this, work with the strength of your abdominal muscles.
- The back remains on the training mat.
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Bicycle Crunches
If strength training at home is your goal and you don't have equipment available, then you should add Bicycle Crunches to your workout list.
- You start lying on the training mat.
- Place your hands loosely on the back of your head. Your elbows point outward.
- Now tense your abdominal muscles.
- Lift legs, head and shoulders off the exercise mat.
- Pull your left elbow toward your right knee. They touch at the level of the center of your body.
- Return the upper body and legs to the starting position. Do not lay down.
- Now bring the right elbow and the left knee together.
Lateral plank
If you want to train your strength at home, then you can't forget about the side abs. This is one of the biggest mistakes beginners always make. Because with a strong core - the abdominal and core muscles - you do a lot for your health and stability.
- Lie sideways on the exercise mat.
- Place the elbow of your right arm under your shoulder. The forearm and fingertips point forward.
- Now press away from the mat. Tighten your abdomen, buttocks and legs.
- Push your hips up until your body forms a straight line.
- You can now hold this position or rock your hips slightly up and down.
Beetle
This exercise is a little different than you might remember. We have transformed it to target the straight abdominal muscles.
- Lie on your back.
- Lift your head and bent legs - this is the starting position.
- Now stretch your right arm and leg. But always keep them in the air and do not put them down.
- Bring the arm and leg back together in front of your body until you are in the starting position.
- Now repeat the exercise with the left arm and the left leg.
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Strength training at home with Military Planks
Mega effective and very strenuous is this variant of the Planks. You start in a normal plank and straighten up to a full plank.
- You start in a conventional plank.
- Tighten the abdomen firmly.
- Now straighten up into a full plank by extending your arms. The hands are under the shoulders.
- Once you're in the full plank, it's back to the starting position.
- You can do this exercise clockwise or counterclockwise. It is important that you tighten the abdomen and do not fall into a hollow back.
Push-ups
Strength training at home without push-ups? That's not possible. Of course, the classic may not be missing. Not suitable for beginners.
- Strengthen the entire body with push-ups. To do this, place your hands under your shoulders.
- Stretch your arms through. Tighten your abdomen, legs and buttocks.
- The view is directed downwards.
- Slowly bend your arms. The elbows point slightly outward and backward at an angle.
- Lower your body until you can touch the floor with your nose.
- Keep body tension and avoid sticking out the buttocks or forming a hollow back.
- Push yourself back to the starting position.
If this variant is too difficult for you, you can also take a look at our guide. Here you will learn how to do your first push-ups and what you need to keep in mind.
How to learn your first push-ups!
Mountaineer
Your butt, stomach, arms and legs will thank you for these strength exercises without equipment.
- The starting position for this strength exercise is the full plank.
- The arms are stretched through and the body forms a line.
- Now pull the right knee towards the right elbow.
- Put the leg back down and repeat the process on the left side.
- Make sure you keep good tension in your abdomen during the exercise.
Reverse Fly lying down
And at the end, we'll be working on the back again. It gets such a short shrift in many strength training sessions because it doesn't seem to have that many muscles at first glance. People often prefer to train biceps and the like because they see results quickly.
- Lie down on the exercise mat.
- Stretch your legs through and place your feet so that your toes are on the mat.
- Angle the arms to the sides of the body.
- Now slowly lift your head and shoulders off the floor in a controlled manner.
- Lower the upper body, just before touching the floor, raise the head and shoulders again.
Which small devices are worthwhile for strength training at home
If you're no longer a total beginner, you'll quickly realize that there's more to your workout. You don't have to buy an expensive weight station that takes up a lot of space. Rather, there is small and inexpensive equipment that makes your workout even more effective.
With dumbbells, you can make some exercises like lunges or squats heavier in no time.
Recommendations for those who want to get a little more out of training
- Fitness tracker to measure calories burned and heart rate
- Kettlebells for more muscles in the torso, legs and arms
- Minibands* for flexible muscle training
- Gym ball for more variety in wokrout
- Dumbbells for maximum arm strength
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What positive effects strength training brings
Let me write a few lines about the benefits of strength training at home. The more regularly you train and strengthen your body, the better it is for your body. On the one hand you build muscle, lose body fat and on the other hand you will quickly notice that your body feeling changes.
You will become more self-confident, get a better posture and charisma. To achieve this, you just need to make a routine out of it and keep creating new incentives for yourself. If you make sure that you don't get bored with strength training at home, then you're on the right track.
Strength training in the living room has these advantages
- There are no excuses like bad weather.
- You can always do the exercises, even if you have a small living room.
- Your body image will change positively.
- You'll become more disciplined with regular training.
- Look forward to new confidence.
- You save the money for the studio.
No bad weather in the world will spoil your desire to work out. Because for the exercises at home you don't even need to go outside or buy expensive equipment.
Our conclusion
Whether with or without equipment - strength training in the living room is always worthwhile. Start slowly and train regularly if you want to achieve success. Don't overdo it and listen to your body. If you manage to make the workout a routine, then you are already a huge step closer to your dream of building muscle.
Have fun with the training!
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