At-home workouts offer a convenient, cost-efficient, and effective way to stay fit, improve lean muscle mass, and lose weight.
Research comparing the effects of gym-based and at-home exercise routines has shown that both types of exercise can contribute to weight loss, increased lean muscle mass, and improved general and mental health, with gym-based exercises showing slightly better results in the mental health benefit score (1, 2, 3).
However, despite these scientific findings, many people remain convinced that at-home workouts may not yield sufficient results. Some who may want to start at-home routines are stuck on where to start. If you fall in either (or both) of these groups, read on to learn more about a 1-hour workout routine at home.
Can a 1-hour full-body workout at home replace gym workouts? Can the same help with weight loss? Which workout options can one do for such a routine? Let’s find out!
A practical 1-hour workout routine at home is one that targets your full body, is geared to your goals, be they muscle strength or mass, flexibility, weight loss, or flexibility, and can be done with little to no equipment. The routine should also take into account how much space you have in your home and should include warm-up, main workout, and cool-down sessions.
Check out this article to learn how to make a practical and effective home gym workout plan.
Yes, it is. According to the CDC’s recommendations for physical activity, adults are advised to engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week, which often translates to 30-minute workout sessions 5 days a week.
Two of these 5 days should also incorporate muscle-strengthening activities. This is the basic requirement to help you lead a healthy lifestyle (4). The CDC doesn’t specifically mention that your physical activity should strictly be at the gym, which makes at-home workouts an option for improving your health.
By adding an extra 30 minutes to the above-recommended number and doing a 1-hour full-body workout at home for beginners, you technically go above and beyond, which, as the CDC states, helps you gain even more health benefits (4).
As mentioned above, a good 1-hour workout at home for beginners targets the full body, is aligned with your goals, and includes a warm-up session, the main workout, and a cool-down session.
Here‘s what a simple 1-hour workout at home with no equipment would look like:
Unfortunately, it’s a common practice for many exercisers, beginners, and advanced exercisers alike to skip the occasional warm-up session. While warm-ups may seem like a waste of time, they actually play a huge role in the success of your workout routine.
Research on the benefits and importance of warm-ups has shown that taking 5 to 10 minutes to warm up helps prepare your muscles and mind for the upcoming workouts, improves blood flow and oxygen to the muscles, increases your heart rate, reduces the risk of injuries, and can increase your performance by up to 79% (5, 6, 7).
Before you engage in the main part of your 1-hour workout routine at home for weight loss, you should do simple warm-up exercises such as:
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A good workout session, particularly a full-body session for weight loss, should always include cardio and strength training exercises. You can also choose to do all cardio workouts during this session for day one and do all strength training exercises on another day. The choice is yours.
For more information on a beginner workout at home without equipment, check out this article.
If an at-home workout plan without equipment isn’t challenging enough for you, you can add resistance to your exercises using small equipment that only requires minimal space for storage. Examples include dumbbells, kettlebells, weighted vests, ankle and wrist weights, weight plates, and resistance bands.
Like warm-ups, cool-down sessions are an often-ignored part of the workout routine. However, health experts state that cooling down has more benefits than many give it credit for.
Taking even as little as 5 minutes to do cool-down activities before you head to the shower or any other tasks for the day helps reduce the risk of injury. This includes a potential reduction in lactic acid build-up, which usually leads to muscle cramping and stiffness. In addition, a cool-down can prevent fainting, which can occur due to the faster heart rate and higher body temperature that are caused by exercise (8, 9).
Read more: 6 Major Pilates Body Changes To Expect, And Why They Happen
Metabolic exercises are workouts that are designed to boost your metabolism and increase calorie burn at the same time. These exercises can be done with or without equipment and usually combine high-intensity movements with resistance training.
A routine of metabolic exercises can include resistance training compound movements such as squats, lunges, push-ups, and planks, together with high-intensity movements such as box jumps, high knees, jumping jacks, box jumps, and mountain climbers.
You can take your metabolic exercise routine to the next level by doing all the workouts HIIT-style by alternating between short, intense bursts of exercise and brief, active recovery or rest periods.
Read more: Does Pilates Flatten Your Stomach? All You Need to Know
Calorie burn during a workout session depends on multiple factors, including the type of workout, exercise intensity, and weight of the individual. At-home workouts that can help a 185-pound person burn 500 calories in an hour include (10):
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No, it’s not. Exercising every day doesn’t give your body or muscles enough time to rest and recover. This leads to overtraining syndrome (11) and increases your risk of overuse injuries. Stick to exercising three to five days a week and allow yourself to rest on the other days.
You can participate in both active and passive rest days. Active rest days call for low-intensity exercises such as walking, swimming, yoga, Pilates, light cycling, and gentle stretching, which help stretch your muscles to reduce soreness and boost recovery. Passive rest days allow you to be a couch potato.
Yes, a one-hour home workout is enough to help keep you physically active for improved mental and physical health and when it’s structured well and combined with a healthy diet, it can also help you lose weight and improve lean muscle mass. This really comes down to the style of training that you’re doing. For example, HIIT training or circuit training will involve multiple different exercises in a short period of time, while traditional weight lifting is typically done for longer rest periods, but there are ultimately fewer exercises in a similar duration. However, depending on your level of fitness, you can do 6 to 10 traditional strength training exercises in an hour. Beginners should start at the lower end (6 exercises) and slowly work their way up to more workouts over a period of several months. It should be noted that, as a beginner, your goal should be to become an expert in a few effective workouts. Do them often so you can improve your strength and form before you move on to other exercises. Try practicing progressive overload with the few workouts you’re familiar with to prevent a muscle or weight plateau. It isn’t recommended to exercise immediately after eating but it comes down to the type of food, how quickly your body can digest it, and the upcoming training you’re about to complete. Endurance athletes may opt for something that’s very high in carbohydrates that can be digested quickly (such as a banana) so that they can use the energy for their upcoming race. However, a general rule of thumb is if you’ve eaten a small snack, try waiting half an hour to an hour before you start your workout. If you’ve eaten a much heavier meal, wait two to three hours before you engage in a workout. That depends on the intensity of the cardio workout. Light cardio, such as walking, can be done every day., but if you’re performing moderate to high-intensity cardio exercises, working out every day isn’t recommended. It’s best to have rest days for moderate to high-intensity cardio routines.Frequently Asked Questions
Is a 1-hour home workout enough?
How many exercises should you do in an hour?
Is it OK to work out after eating?
Can I do cardio every day?
A 1-hour workout routine at home is a much better alternative than leading a sedentary lifestyle. Research has shown that a sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of all-cause mortality, CVD mortality, cancer, obesity, and metabolic diseases (12). Rather than risk any of the above, use the tips mentioned here to make a simple 1-hour workout routine that you’ll enjoy and do it in the comfort of your home.
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