Structured strength training with additional weights in a well-equipped gym makes sense at any age – provided it is targeted and individually tailored. But what if you travel a lot for work, can't find a babysitter, or only have 30 minutes? There is always a way to get a quick workout in at home, on the go, or in the office during your lunch break. In the long term, however, structured strength training guided by a competent coach is recommended. This is the only way to achieve sustainable and consistent progress.
Why the gym should always be your first choice:
In a good gym, you will receive advice from a competent coach. They should be able to identify which training method is right for you at the moment, how the weights should be selected, and, above all, instruct you on correct exercise execution. Various mobility and muscular balance assessments can help identify weaknesses that should be addressed first. Whether for health or aesthetic reasons.
A gym is also well equipped with plenty of equipment that you rarely have the financial and spatial resources for at home. At the very least, the gym should have an adjustable dumbbell bench, dumbbells from 1 to 20 kg, a squat rack, a barbell, matching weight plates, a cable machine, and a pull-up bar.
Without this basic equipment, it is relatively difficult to achieve long-term progress. This is because many bodyweight exercises cannot generate enough intensity. However, this is necessary to create sufficient mechanical tension. Women who simply want to look more defined also need to build muscle. Muscle tone makes them look firmer and slimmer and does not make them look masculine in the slightest. There are indeed numerous exercises that require sufficient strength without machines and free weights, thus offering high intensity.
The problem, however, is that these exercises can only be performed once you have a certain level of basic strength and technique – and this is most efficiently built up with specific exercises and gym equipment.
Many home workout programs are not sustainable and can cause problems
The ultimate 12-week program that gets you your dream body in three months, requiring only a quick 30-minute workout at home three times a week, is already offered by more than enough providers. The programs are usually sold as a complete package with meal plans.
The entire range of dietary approaches exists: from low-carb to calorie counting, paleo, veganism, juice cleanses, shake diets, and much more. Many of these systems do indeed deliver quick results for buyers, but these do not last long. This is due to the following reasons:
The full-body, high-intensity home workouts usually consist of high repetition counts and a fast pace, which results in short-term fat loss but sometimes also muscle loss. The kilos on the scale may drop, but in the long term, muscle mass must be specifically built up for a toned body – whether male or female. Since many people who buy such a home training program have never exercised before, it really doesn't matter what they do; it will have an effect.
However, after three months, your body will have adapted to the initially intense strain, and your progress will stagnate. This is, of course, not particularly motivating. The exercises that are now actually more challenging for you, such as pull-ups, dips, or pistol squats, are one step too far. Building the bridge from Level 1 to Level 2 is therefore much more difficult.
Especially after the initial successes, it is important to decide individually which exercise progressions and which dietary approach are right for the person at that moment. No anonymous online training system can figure this out for you. Furthermore, when exercising at home, there is a greater chance that you will lose motivation after the initial high and quickly do something else instead. If you have regular appointments with a coach at the gym, you are more likely to stick with it. Even one coaching appointment a month can make a big difference.
Exercise execution has a decisive impact on training success
Another point that is often overlooked when training independently in your own home is correct exercise execution. There are indeed almost every exercise in different variations: deep squats, 90-degree squats, wide-grip push-ups, narrow-grip push-ups, fast and slow execution, and the list could go on and on.
Each variation has its advantages and disadvantages and should be used deliberately. There is no single best version for everyone. The question is rather which one is right for you at the moment, and this requires more than basic knowledge:
The squat can serve as a good example here: In principle, the goal should always be to perform squats through the full range of motion. This means squatting down completely until your upper thigh and calf touch. During this, the entire sole of the foot should maintain stable contact with the ground, the upper body should be upright, and the back straight. Today, this actually natural movement, which by the way young children do constantly, is a major challenge for many people.
If the full execution is not possible, you should work towards it with exercise progressions and not bypass the problem with half squats. This is important for muscular balance, stability, and balanced, holistic basic strength. 90-degree squats are not completely wrong in themselves, but they should be seen as a more isolated exercise for the hip flexor muscles. For example, for women who want to visually enhance their glute muscles, it makes sense. However, not if no foundation has been laid with deep squats.
The example mentioned clearly shows that while many of the workouts shown on social media channels or available in home workout programs are creative and make sense at first glance, they are not tailored to the individual customer. Especially the many fancy glute exercises for women often do not lead to success, as they are frequently performed incorrectly and other factors in the systems are not taken into account.
Exercising at home with less intense exercises is better than no exercise at all
Some people still find it too difficult to leave the house to exercise. For others, it is indeed almost impossible to step away from their activities for two hours during regular gym hours. For example, mothers with young children and full-time working husbands find it harder to take this time for themselves. To at least move effectively and maintain fitness, there are exercises that can actually be suitable for home workouts temporarily.
It should be emphasized again that you often cannot achieve long-term, major results with this – especially visually. This is particularly true if you do not make any special effort with your diet. However, home workouts can be useful for a more conscious body awareness, greater mobility, and fewer tensions. As an additional alternative to exercising at the gym, training in your own home can also be a good balance.
Especially when you are traveling and have no gym equipment available, it is naturally a great advantage to still exercise to maintain your routine and at least preserve your current level.
Which workouts are suitable for home? Which for travel?
In most cases, full-body training plans make sense here. Since no highly targeted hypertrophy or maximum strength training can take place at home without a lot of equipment anyway, you are usually doing strength training with a focus on conditioning, which actually has a greater fat-loss effect and a smaller muscle-building effect.
Furthermore, at this lower intensity (due to lighter weights and smaller weight increases), the intensity for individual muscle groups can be kept slightly higher. Maximum strength training and isolated exercises for aesthetic muscle building require the individual muscles to recover more.
If you train more than three times a week, you should still complete two different training programs. One could focus more on the chest, upper back, abdominal muscles, and front of the thighs, while the other would focus on the hamstrings, glutes, lower back, and arms.
At home, it would be ideal if you could still use lighter additional weights, as these are also relatively affordable. This is, of course, not possible when traveling. Especially if you are only traveling with carry-on luggage, you generally want to take little sports equipment with you. However, there are solutions for this as well:
Basic equipment for home workouts and travel
The following purchases could be useful for home:
- Yoga or training mat
- Loop bands (the small, wide mini resistance bands that you can place around your knees, for example)
- Resistance bands (the longer, thinner bands, also closed loops)
- Dumbbells
- A stepper
- 5 kg weight plate
For travel, two different resistance bands are enough; if you also use pure bodyweight exercises, you will have completed an efficient full-body workout.
Which exercises can be easily performed at home with this equipment?
With the sports equipment mentioned in the previous section, or even just part of it, there is a relatively large variety of options; push-ups, planks, deep squats, and various abdominal exercises while lying on your back, such as crunches or sit-ups, can be performed on the mat.
As described earlier in the article, if you have a certain level of strength and mobility, you can perform more isolated glute exercises with the mini band. Depending on whether it is placed around the knee or ankle, side walks, pulse squats, glute bridges, hip thrusts, Romanian deadlifts, kickbacks, side kicks, or seated abductions are suitable.
The resistance bands can be used for rowing, Romanian deadlifts, shoulder external rotations, or triceps extensions. Dumbbells are suitable for arm exercises such as variations of curls, triceps extensions, shoulder presses, squats, lunges, Romanian deadlifts, and much more. The stepper is ideal for various step-up forms that you can easily progress, as well as for split squats with an elevated foot. A stepper is also helpful for easier push-up variations, as your hands are placed on the elevation instead of the floor.
Exercise execution is of considerable importance
As mentioned earlier in the text, correct exercise execution is crucial. Home workout exercises should ideally be learned with a competent coach first and only then performed independently at home. If you have training experience and already have a good sense of your body for proper muscle activation, you can work with video and image material for exercises that are not too complex.
In the next blog post, a suitable workout will be presented, and the exercises mentioned above will be explained in more detail.
Coming soon…