The sweat, the germs, the insane amount of equipment you have no idea how to use. Then there’s the time it takes to get to and from the gym. It’s no wonder so many people try to avoid the gym. But exercise is good and much-needed for our bodies to stay healthy. If you hate going to the gym…look no further. I’ve got five at home workouts for women that you’ll love.
Both men and women need to keep their body strong and moving. But there are a few muscles, in particular, that women need to pay close attention to to maintain a good base of fitness.
Each of these at home workouts for women will focus on those specific muscles, explain why they’re important, and provide an explanation of what you can expect if you stick with these workouts on a regular basis.
At Home Workouts for Women
Think of the muscles that you use when you get up and simply move around. Whether you realize it or not, you’re engaging the big muscles of your legs, like your glutes and hamstrings. Every time you get out of bed, you use your abs, your back and your arms.
The problem is that even though these muscles are getting used, they’re not getting used enough. Being too sedentary for too long means that the muscles that we use get weaker and weaker. For women especially, exercising key muscles of the abdominal region and important muscles through your hips can mean the difference between a very weak, immobile body and a strong, agile body.
These at home workouts for women are exactly what you need to stay in great shape, whether you’re working out from home or a hotel room. You can do these workouts anywhere and anytime…and get great results.
Ditch the Gym With These At-Home Workouts for Women
You’ll have no excuse not to workout with this collection of workouts that require nothing more than your body. Get a big bottle of water and bring your positive attitude, because these at-home workouts will challenge, shape and tone all the muscles you need to be strong and healthy.
Not sure how to do an exercise? A brief description of the less-than obvious exercises can be found below the workouts.
The Ab Blaster Workout
The Ab-Blaster at home workout for women is ideal for toning and tightening all the important muscles through your abdominal region, including your lower back.
Cycle through this workout a total of three times for maximum benefits. Repeat this workout once every other day for a few weeks to start seeing results.
1 – 20 Russian Twists
2 – 20 Hip Dips
3 – 30 Butterfly Crunches
4 – 30 Scissor Kicks
5 – 30 Second Forearm Plank
The Shoulder Sizzler
A lot of women underestimate the importance of having strong shoulders. The truth is, if you don’t move it, you’ll lose it. And this couldn’t be more important for one of the biggest muscle groups in your upper body.
This workout will lead you through a series of high repetition exercises that will tone your muscles without adding bulk.
Work through this shoulder sizzler workout a total of three times to accomplish your workout quota for the day.
1 – 20 Shoulder Press Squats
2 – 26 Shoulder Taps
3 – 30 Second Forearm Plank
4 – 20 Lunge W/ Straight Arm Twist
5 – 10 Squat Thrusters
The Full Body Tabata Workout
If you know you need to workout, but get bored with exercise, this tabata workout is for you.
This workout is a series of five separate exercises that follow the same flow of 20 seconds of maximum effort, followed by 10 seconds of rest. You repeat this cycle of 20 seconds on and 10 seconds off for a total of eight times, or four minutes for each exercise.
1 – Alternating Lunges
2 – Push Ups
3 – Squats
4 – Shoulder Taps
5 – Hip Dips
Explosive Energy
The strongest muscle in your body is your heart. And to keep it strong, you need to work it! Give your heart an amazing workout with this Explosive Energy plyometric workout.
Each of these exercises lasts between 45 and 90 seconds long, so pace yourself. After you wrap up one exercise, jump right into the next exercise. After you complete the series of five exercises, repeat two more times for maximum heart happiness.
1 – 90 Seconds Jumping Jacks
2 – 60 Seconds Box Drills
3 – 45 Seconds Mini Squat Jumps
4 – 60 Seconds Long Jump
5 – 45 Seconds Burpees
Legs & Back
Every at home workout for women should have a group of exercises that revolve around legs and back. The big muscles of our legs and back aren’t just important to our metabolism, but our posture and overall health as well.
This workout is all about quality. Take your time as you make your way through this workout. After you complete the workout once, cycle through it two more times.
1 – 20 Bodyweight Squats
2 – 30 Second Straight Arm Plank
3 – 30 Alternating Lunges
4 – 30 Second Side Plank (right side then left side)
5 – 60 Second Superman
Exercise Definitions
Box Drills
Do this on one foot (advanced) or feet together (beginner). Imagine a big box is under your feet. Jump from corner to corner continuously through the duration of the exercise. If doing single leg, switch legs halfway through.
Butterfly Crunches
Begin by lying flat on your back with the bottoms of your feet together and knees opened out toward the sides. Cross your hands over your chest and crunch up, keeping your eyes to the ceiling. Relax down and repeat for the duration of the workout.
Hip Dips
Hold yourself in a forearm plank position. Without moving your upper body at all, drop one hip down to the ground, come back to center, then drop the opposite hip.
Long Jump
Standing with your feet hip width apart, bend your knees and jump forward as far as possible. Turn around and repeat.
Lunge with Straight Arm Twist
Lunge forward on one leg. As you lunge, keep your hands straight out in front of you and twist your body over your lead leg. Stand up straight and repeat on the opposite side.
Mini Squat Jumps
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your hands crossed over your shoulders. Pulling your shoulder blades back and down will help keep you from falling forward or injuring your knees. From this position, squat down about 45 degrees then jump up about six inches off the ground. In contrast to the plyo jump, the mini jump squat keeps your body closer to the ground, but increases the frequency of jumps. As soon as you jump up, you’ll land, then jump again. Avoid jumping too high for this particular exercise.
Russian Twists
Sit with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Lean Back and rotate your torso from side to side. Each rotation is one Russian Twist.
Scissor Kicks
Begin by lying flat on your back with your hands tucked under your hips to support your lower back. Keep your legs straight and lift them up off the ground. Criss-cross them over in a scissor-like motion.
Shoulder Press Squats
Holding any household object in your hands that adds weight (i.e. a can of soup), press your hands overhead. As you bring your hands down to the 90 degree angle, with your elbows bent, drop your body into a strong squat position with your thighs as close to parallel with the ground as possible. As you stand back up, squeeze your glutes and press the weights up overhead. Repeat this movement through the duration of the exercise.
Shoulder Taps
Start in a straight arm plank position. Without moving your hips, lift your right hand up to tap your left shoulder, then your left hand to touch your right shoulder.
Side Plank
Start lying on the ground on your side. Push yourself up onto one arm with your hand just under your shoulder. Weight in your hand should be equally distributed throughout the fingers and palm. With legs extended, slowly stack your feet on top of each other and raise your opposite arm up into the air – reaching for the sky! Now hold. Note: If you’re not able to balance on your hand, bend your arm and rest on your forearm, with your elbow resting under your shoulder.
Squat Thrusters
Even though this exercise is a modification of a traditional burpee, it doesn’t mean it’s any easier. Begin this exercise by starting in a straight arm plank position with your hands lining up just underneath your shoulders. Keeping your hands where they are, bend your knees and jump your feet under your hips. You’ll land in a low squat position. Keeping your hands on the ground, kick your feet back out into a straight-arm plank position. Repeat for the duration of the exercise.
Superman
Lying facedown on the ground with your arms out in front of you, lift your entire body (legs and arms) off the ground and hold. Be sure to keep your nose pointing down toward the ground.
