Workouts result in a lot of benefits. To live a healthy life, people are encouraged to exercise, eat well, get quality sleep, and avoid stress. Not being able to afford a gym membership or being unable to travel to your nearest gym shouldn’t stop you from working out. You can easily turn your house into a gym and make the most out of this situation. When your house is your gym, you don’t need to worry about things such as having to travel to workout or gyms being overcrowded and full of distractions. 

If you’re a man and you want to be ripped or even lose pounds, here are some workouts at home you can try. 

When you work out at home, you don’t need a lot of equipment, and most of your exercises will be body weight exercises, which come with their own advantages. 

Advantages of Body Weight Exercises

Here are some of the advantages associated with body weight workouts:

They are Cheap

Body weight exercises use your body as resistance. What this means is that they mostly require little to no equipment at all. You might buy a yoga mat, a pull-up bar, and other cheap equipment, but mostly they’re not expensive. This makes them accessible to everyone. (5)

Can be Done at any Place at any Time

Are you bored at work? Why not do some push-ups? Most of these exercises can be done in any place at any time as they don’t require a lot of space. You can do them in your house, at the office, in a parking lot, or just about anywhere you wish. Secondly, as most of them don’t require any equipment, this means you don’t need to go to where the equipment is as your body is the needed equipment. (5)

They Work

Most people think that in order for exercises to be effective, you need to go to the gym and lift as much weight as you can. This isn’t true. Body weight exercises can help you achieve your weight goals or body goals. Do you want to lose weight? Do you want to be more toned? Do body weight exercises, and you’ll achieve your goals. (5)

Help Improve your Range of Motion and Center of Gravity

Without the necessary balance and flexibility, working out becomes difficult. Anyone who works out must be flexible and have the required balance. Exercises that work the core are instrumental in providing these two things. Examples of exercises that work the core include sit-ups, planks, and crunches. All of these are body weight exercises, so they help with flexibility and balance. (5)

These are some of the benefits associated with doing body weight exercises. As you’ve seen the general benefits of some of the exercises you’ll be doing, I’m sure you’re already moving things around, trying to create some room where you can get your workouts done. Now all you need are examples of workouts you can do, and that’s what we’re going to highlight next. 

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Workouts at Home for Men to Build Strength

One of the reasons most people join gyms is to build muscles and strength. What if we were to tell you that you could get ripped in the comfort of your own house? Here are examples of exercises you can do at home to build muscles and strength:

Push-up

Push-ups are good exercises to help you get strong. However, if they’re not done with the right form, they can cause injuries and may not be effective. Here’s how to do them (2): 

1. First, start by kneeling on your yoga mat. Then, bring your feet together right behind you.
2. Bend forward and bring yourself to a high plank position. Make sure your palms are flat on the yoga mat. Your hands should be shoulder-width apart, and you can try to turn your fingers forward, or you can slightly turn your hand toward the inside. Your shoulders should be on top of your hands. Make sure your feet are together behind you. Your back should be as flat as possible.
3. The next step is to lower your body towards the ground. Make sure you have your head aligned to your spine while doing this. Make sure your back doesn’t sag down. Another thing you should pay close attention to is the position of your hips – make sure they’re not higher than they should be.
4. Lower your body until your chest almost touches the ground. Hold this position for a second or more.
5. Now, raise your body to the initial position by fully extending your arms.
6. Repeat every step all over again. You can start with 10 push-ups, increasing the number of reps as you get stronger.

Bridge

This is yet another exercise that will help you build strength. It works several muscles at once, which is a positive thing.

How to do it: (4)

1. Start by lying down on your back with your knees bent. Try to keep your back in a neutral position while doing all this – it shouldn’t be pressed to the ground, nor should it be arched. You should also avoid tilting your hips and then tightening your abdominal muscles.
2. Raise your hips off the floor. Make sure your hips are aligned to your knees and shoulders.
3. Hold this position for three deep breaths.
4. Return to the original position and repeat the exercise.

Read More: 14 Day Plank Challenge To Build A Killer Core And Lose Weight

Burpees

This exercise will also help build muscles and strength. 

How to do it(10):

1. Start by standing straight with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Bend your knees and place your hands on the floor. Let’s call this the “frog” position for clarity.
3. Jump and push both your legs back and get into a plank or push-up position.
4. Hop and return to the “frog” position.
5. Jump vertically and extend your arms above your head.
6. Land softly on the floor.
7. Get into the frog position again, then return to the plank position.
8. You should perform 3 sets of 8 reps, taking a 10-second break between sets.

Ab Workouts at Home for Men

Having a six-pack is almost every man’s dream. Everyone who has tried getting one knows it requires a lot of work to get rid of that pot belly. Here are some exercises that can help with that. 

Bicycle Crunches

Crunches in general are highly effective when it comes to working your abdominal muscles, and the same is true of bicycle crunches. 

How they’re done (9):

1. Lie down on a mat, flex your knees, and lift your feet off the ground.
2. Place your hands behind your head and lift your head off the floor.
3. Push your left leg down and extend it straight. At the same time, curl up and twist to your right. Try to touch your left elbow with your right knee.
4. Curl back down and bring your left leg back to the flexed position. Do the same with the other leg.
5. You should do 2 sets of 12 reps.

Cross-Body Mountain Climbers

This is another exercise that will help you get that six-pack.

How they’re done (10):

1. Start in a plank position. Make sure your elbows are directly below your shoulders. Keep your neck, back, and hips in a straight line.
2. Lift your right foot off the floor, flex your knee, and bring it close to the right side of your chest.
3. Place your right foot back in its original position.
4. Lift your left foot off the floor, flex your knee, and bring it close to the left side of your chest. Add some speed and do this as if running.
5. You should perform 2 sets of 25 reps.

Plank

This is yet another common exercise that is effective for working your abdominal muscles and other muscles. 

How they’re done (1): 

1. Kneel on a mat.
2. Place your elbows on the mat.
3. Extend your right leg back, then your left leg.
4. Keep your neck, back, and hips in the same line. Keep your core engaged.
5. Hold this pose for at least 30 seconds.
6. You should do 3 sets of 30-60 seconds.

Sit-Up

Can you really say you’ve worked your abdominal muscles without doing sit-ups? Here’s how they’re done: (2) 

1. Start by lying down on your back. Make sure you’re on a flat surface. Then bend your legs at your knees and make sure your feet are firmly flat on the ground. You should bring your heels close to your bottom so you can create a 90-degree angle at the knee area.
2. Next, take your hands and place them behind your head. You can choose to put them there or cross them on your chest. This is the initial starting position.
3. Raise your body until it’s no longer on the floor and your chest is close to your thighs. Exhale as you raise your body upward.
4. Gently lower yourself back to the original starting position as you inhale.
5. If you’re new to the sit-up, you should try to do 10 reps at a time.

Crunch

It’s important to know how to do a crunch properly so you don’t injure yourself when attempting to do one. Here’s how you do them (4):

1. Lie down on the ground with your back. Bend your knees and make sure your feet are flat on the floor.
2. Hold your hands behind your head. Make sure you hold them loosely and that they don’t pull on your neck when you move – too tight, and it may cause an injury.
3. Gently raise your shoulders upward from the floor to approximately a 30-degree angle.
4. Hold this position for about one second. You should feel your abdominal muscles being engaged.
5. Lower yourself to the original position.
6. If you’re new to crunches, try 3 sets of 15 reps.

Home Workouts for Men to Build Lower-Body Strength

Squats

Squats mostly work the glutes, quads, and hamstrings. They also work on the back muscles and core. 

How to do squats (2):

1. Stand with your feet wide apart. Make sure your legs are as straight and parallel to each other as possible. To make it easier, you can turn your feet slightly outward no more than 15 degrees.
2. Then with your arms straight out, lower yourself. While lowering yourself, make sure your knees are well bent, your bottom is pointing outwards, and you’re leaning forward at your waist. The position is almost similar to the one you make when seated.
3. You should lower yourself until your hips are parallel to the floor, then return to the original starting position.
4. You should perform 20 reps of 3 sets. When doing squats, it’s important to always look ahead and try to align your knees to your ankles as much as possible.

Workouts for Men to Work Out Their Full Body at Home

At the end of the day, you need to make sure you work every part of your body, and here are two exercises that will engage most of your muscles.

Pistol squat

This is a variation of the normal squat, but it’s a bit more advanced.

How to do a pistol squat:

1. Stand with your feet together and extend your hands out in front of you.
2. Lift either your left or right leg from the floor and extend it in front of you.
3. Squat down using the other leg, lowering yourself until the leg lifted is parallel to the ground.
4. Stand up and repeat with the other leg.

Side plank

This exercise is effective for working out the glutes, lower back, chest area, arms, and pretty much most muscles (2). 

How it’s done: 

1. Start by kneeling and placing your palms on your yoga mat. Make sure you keep your elbows underneath your shoulders and extend your legs behind you until you attain a high plank position.
2. Roll both of your feet to the right, take your right hand from the ground, and extend it straight above.
3. Hold this position for 10 to 20 seconds before returning to the high plank position.
4. Do the same for the other side and try to repeat this exercise at least 3 times.

It’s important to know that all these exercises will help with weight loss, so if your goal is to lose weight, you can do any of the highlighted exercises. As most of the exercises are strength training exercises, they help you lose weight by building muscles. Muscles have a higher resting metabolism than fat mass, so this enables you to burn more calories, which leads to weight loss. If you want to make the workouts more effective, you can increase the intensity by either adding a resistance band or even dumbbells to your workout. This goes without saying, but if you’ve been unfit for a while, you should ease yourself into these exercises. Start by warming up before the workouts. You can warm up by stretching or jogging on the spot due to limited space. Don’t do more than you can handle and listen to your body at all times. It’s also recommended that you see an expert before you try any new workout program.

Workout Plan

Using the exercises highlighted above, we’ve created a workout plan you can follow just to make things easier for you:

Day One

• Warm-up: Stretching or jogging/walking
• Push-ups
• Side planks
• Bicycle crunches
• Warm-down: Stretching or jogging/walking

Read More: Bodyweight vs Weights: Which One Caters To Your Fitness Goals?

Day Two

• Warm-up: Stretching or jogging/walking
• Pistol squats
• Crunches
• Bridges
• Warm-down: Stretching or jogging/walking

Day Three

• Rest

Day Four

• Warm-up: Stretching or jogging/walking
• Sit-ups
• Cross-body mountain climbers
• Push-ups
• Warm-down: Stretching or jogging/walking

Day Five

• Warm-up: Stretching or jogging/walking
• Bridges
• Bicycle crunches
• Side planks
• Warm-down: Stretching or jogging/walking

Day Six

• Warm-up: Stretching or jogging/walking
• Planks
• Squats
• Burpees
• Warm-down: Stretching or jogging/walking

Day Seven

• Rest

This is a seven-day workout plan you can follow in the comfort of your own home.

Benefits vs Pitfalls of Home Workouts

People who have just joined the fitness circle may often ask, should I exercise at home or the gym? They explore the pros and cons and find themselves confused. Below, we’ve listed some arguments for and against each to give you some insight (and maybe lead you to make the right decision!)

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Home Workouts – Pros and Cons

Pros

• If you’re like me, the hardest part is to get the motivation to go out, lace up, and hit the gym. Home workouts lift this dreaded barrier and allow you to get fit at home. There’s no need to get into fancy gym wear and shoes. Simply pull out a mat and get going!
• You don’t need to subscribe to a gym or a sassy trainer. Just watch a couple of videos online and get started making those poses. The workouts are endless, and you can make them as challenging as you want.

Cons

• The lack of a designated exercise space or constant distractions around the house may cause disturbance to your exercise. Even a phone call or a ringing doorbell needs to be answered at home, which makes it all the more tough for you.
• Some exercises may be difficult to perform due to a lack of equipment. Gyms provide you access to all the tools and machines you can’t afford to have at home.

Gym Workouts – Pros and Cons

Pros

• There’s a wide range of equipment you can use to follow a diverse workout routine. With so many options to choose from – cardio, weights, yoga, boxing, and more – you have no excuse not to use your gym membership. There’s something for everyone!
• Gym rats end up befriending other gym rats. This friendship gives you the push you need to keep working as you end up meeting like-minded people. The community you develop here may end up being your ultimate savior on days when you feel like giving up.

Cons

• There’s no option to work out at your own convenience. You have to check the opening hours, the weather, and peak traffic hours to ensure you end up safely at the gym and on time.
• The cost of joining a gym isn’t affordable for some people. Monthly payments, training fees, and registration charges scare some people, and they end up not working out at all.

FAQs

• Can you get fit without a gym?

Absolutely! You don’t need a gym to get fit. You can perform outdoor activities or create a comprehensive workout plan for yourself at home. There are countless videos and apps that can guide you in this regard and help you lead a healthy lifestyle without relying on expensive training or gym memberships.

• Can you build muscle with at-home workouts?

Yes, you can build muscle at home with exercise routines that include body weight exercises. Some of these exercises include squats, lunges, dips, planks, and pull-ups. To continue building muscle, it’s essential to progressively challenge your muscles by adding resistance and increasing reps. Muscles grow during rest, so make sure you get enough sleep and allow time for your muscles to recover between workouts.

• Is 1 hour of home workout enough?

The question of whether an hour of at-home workout is enough depends on your fitness goals. Generally, 1 hour is a good time to achieve general fitness, improve cardiovascular fitness, and lose weight. Prioritize consistency, proper form, and progressive overload. If you stay on the right track, even 30 minutes of moderate activity will be considered good enough.

• Will working out for 10 minutes a day make a difference?

It may not seem enough, but working out for just 10 minutes can absolutely make a difference. Short bursts of activity that pump your heart and increase blood flow give you more energy to keep going through the day.

The Bottom Line

These are some workouts at home for men to try. As with all exercises, these exercises are associated with all the benefits you would get from going to the gym and working out. One of the benefits is that they help with weight control (8). If you want to lose weight, a calorie deficit diet and exercise is the way to go. Being overweight or obese is associated with many diseases that are likely to lower your quality of life. To reduce the risk of getting such diseases, you need to control your weight, and you can do this by working out. Exercising also helps improve your mood. This is due to the release of the so-called ‘happy’ hormone when you work out. This puts you in a better mood in general (6). Exercising also helps improve your quality of sleep, so if you’ve been experiencing insomnia, you should start exercising, and you’ll soon be sleeping like a baby (7). 

Do you want better posture? Another benefit of exercising is it helps with your posture. Exercises that work the core such as crunches and sit-ups help with your posture and make you stronger. This is particularly true when it comes to strength-training exercises. They help you build strength, which makes daily activities easier(3).

These body weight exercises should be performed with caution, as with any regular exercise. Most people usually think that just because these exercises use your body as resistance, they can’t cause injury, but they actually can. Before you perform an exercise, make sure you know the correct way to do it properly.