Exercise - 10 Quick Exercises for Home

1. Push-Ups

One of the most simple yet effective bodyweight workouts, the push-up. Depending on your current physical capacity, you can either do this exercise on your knees, toes or variations such as incline, decline and the 'diamond push-up' if you feel confident enough. Push-ups work your triceps, pectoral muscles, deltoids and when done with proper form they can also strengthen your back and abdomen muscles. 

2. Squats

Here's another great exercise you can do at home. To perform a squat, stand with your feet positioned slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and squat, bending your knees until your thighs are horizontal to the ground. Put your arms out in front of your for balance (unless doing weighted squats), keep your knees behind your toes and focus on keeping your upper back straight. There's almost no muscle the squat doesn't utilize - which makes it one of the best overall exercises to do whether you're in the gym or at home.

3. Plank 

If you're wanting to improve your posture, here's a good exercise you can do at home. The plank is an excellent way to build stronger abs and protect your lower back at the same time. Similar to the push-up, there are several variations of the plank which can be done either on your hands in a push-up position, or on your elbows. Make sure your body is straight, preventing your stomach from dipping or your butt from raising and hold this position for 1-2 minutes - or however long you feel comfortable. 

4. Pull-Ups

If you own a pull-up bar or home gym equipment designed for pull-ups, this is another exercise that works your entire body. To perform a pull-up, hold the bar with your palms facing away from you, squeeze your shoulder blades back and lift yourself up until your chin is above the bar. A 'Pull-up' is slightly different to a 'Chin-up' where your palms are positioned facing you and targets different primary muscle groups. If you are struggling with pull-ups which is completely normal, perform the maximum amount of repetitions you can do (even if it's only one) and aim to beat it on your next workout. Alternatively you can also use a chair to stand on, lowering yourself down slowly, mainly focusing on form.

5. Lunges 

To improve balance, strengthen your legs and tone your butt we recommend the exercise lunges. Easy to do from the comfort of your home and can be amplified by performing weighed lunges (using a barbell or dumbbells). To perform a lunge, keep your head and torso upright and take a large step out in front. Drop your rear knee to the ground with both feet facing forward, then stand back up and repeat the process with your other leg. Perform as many as you feel comfortable remembering to focus on proper form.

6. Skipping (Jump Rope)

Skipping is a great exercise to get your heart rate up and blood pumping. Used in many different sport such as Boxing/MMA, skipping is known as one of the most effective cardio exercises for a range of benefits. Skipping is a great method for training your power, speed, balance and endurance while improving your ankle, pelvic and knee stability. A study in Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sports found that skipping for 10 minutes daily delivered the same benefits as jogging for 30 minutes daily - within a six week period.

7. Sit-ups

Similar to and commonly mistaken with crunches, sit-ups have a fuller range of motion and condition additional muscles as a result. To perform a sit up, lie flat on your back with legs together bent at the knees and feet flat on the floor. Place your hands behind your head and raise your upper body until you're positioned upright. Lower yourself back to the starting position and repeat. Although widely known to be the least effective abdomen exercise, this doesn't rule out the fact that it still works. We recommend mixing sit-ups with alternate ab exercises to properly target your entire abdomen/core section. 

8. Leg Raises

What is almost the opposite of a sit-up, the next exercise targeting your abdomen which can be done alongside planks and sit-ups are leg raises. To perform a leg raise, lie horizontal to the ground facing up with your legs straight. Raise your legs only to a comfortable position (the higher the better) and slowly lower them back down again focusing on form. Try to avoid having your feet touch the ground if possible and repeat.

9. Seated Dips

Dips - or seated dips in this situation is an excellent exercise for upper body development, increasing muscular endurance and primarily focuses on your Triceps. To perform a seated dip, use a chair or bench for this exercise. Turn your back away from the platform, position your legs straight or bent at the knees (whatever feels more comfortable). Position your hands on the platform beside your hips, bend your elbows and lower your body down until your elbows are in a 90-degree angle. Push back up until your arms are fully extended and repeat.

10. Burpee

Last but not least Burpees. We saved this one for last because we know how much everyone loves burpees. Regardless of the reputation it may have due to being challenging, burpees are another one of the most effective cardio exercises training basically every muscle in your body. What makes burpees great is that they can be performed as part of a high-intensity interval (HIIT) workout - which is the most effective regime to burn fat. To perform a burpee, stand with your feed shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees to perform a deep squat, place both hands of the floor and jump both feet back to come into a push-up position. Perform a push-up and as you push back up jump or stand back up into the starting position and repeat.