3 Ways to Do Resistance Training At Home

Sitting all day is terrible for your health. It leads to a sedentary lifestyle, which in turn can lead to all sorts of health problems like obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. That is why getting up and moving around as much as possible is important. One great way to do that is through resistance training at home or strength training. 

Resistance training not only helps you stay active but also has a host of other benefits like increased muscle mass, better bone density, and improved metabolism. And the best part is, you do not even need a gym membership to do it! Here are 5 ways you can do resistance training at home.

Why Do You Need Resistance Training At Home?

According to the CDC, 1 in 4 adults over 18 is inactive, meaning they do not get active outside their job. You might or might not be part of these statistics.

After all, exercise is the miracle drug that helps you prevent chronic and metabolic diseases, sleep much better, and have better mental health.

Even with people who exercise regularly, most do not have a resistance training component in their routine. The majority of them do exercises such as walking, running, or swimming. Lifting weights, resistance training at home or simple body weight exercises are not typically encouraged.

Resistance training works on your muscles strength and bone density. It compliments your other activities, such as the normal walk or run. Imagine how you usually walk, you do not use all of your muscles. Resistance/strength training works on the rest of the muscles that your walk does not touch.

How to Do Resistance Training in General?

Resistance training does not need to be complicated or you need to be at a gym. Going to the gym will help the process tremendously.

To understand the basics of all kinds of exercise types, including resistance/strength training. You can go to my blog: How to Start Exercising for the details. There is a helpful infographic for you to visualize.

Time duration is not important for resistance/strength training. You can do routines as short as 7 minutes like the 7-Minute Workout app or as long as 1 hour of barbell weight lifting.

The total volume of the workout session is what determines how hard you work. The volume is calculated by multiplying the weight lifted by how many you lift. Let us take the next example of having the same volume but different weights.

The total volume of the next 2 following workouts is 100 lbs. Person A will squat at 10 lbs for 10 repetitions. Person B decides to also squat but at 25 lbs for 4 repetitions. Both people have the exercise volume of 100 lbs but the efforts it takes might be different.

Related post: How to Start Exercising

Where to Do Resistance Training?

You have a number of locations to do your resistance training. They can range from free (being at home) to expensive (with a personal trainer or at a boutique gym). Each option has its strengths and weaknesses.

Big Box Gym

Group Fitness

Personal Trainer

At Home

Related post: Must-Have Home Gym Equipment

Doing Resistance Training At Home

It is your home! Do whatever it takes to get you moving.

You will not need extensive equipment to start resistance training at home. In fact, I have compiled a list of affordable pieces of equipment that might interest you.

The investment is up to you, but it is always beneficial to be able to exercise at home in case you do not feel like going anywhere outside of your home.

Calisthenics

No equipment is needed. All you will need is your body weight. Think of exercises like push-ups, pull-ups, or lunges.

The good side is that you do not need to spend any money. The downside is you might not be able to complete the full range of motion or find yourself giving up.

Calisthenics requires more “guts” than the other ways to resistance training at home. You need enough strength to lift your body weight. Building up strength is what you are trying to have. 

The results will not come quickly but by sticking to it. You will have an amazing time.

Free weight with small equipment

You will need to invest some money to buy the small equipment. They are relatively inexpensive anywhere in the world. 

Think of things such as dumbbells, kettlebells, resistance bands, etc. Read more on my recommended at-home gym equipment.

With access to more free weights, you can add more intensity to your calisthenics exercises. Hold a dumbbell while you are squatting. Have a resistance band around your knees when you lunge. 

Moreover, you can do exercises such as crab walks, overhead presses, Romanian deadlifts, squats (like the example), or even bench presses with small equipment.

With so many choices of how you exercise, let us find out which routine works best for you so you can stick to it!

Small home gym

Think of this approach as building a gym in your garage. There will be a huge money investment upfront, but it is once and done. 

Only do this when you are very serious about resistance training at home. After all, you can get similar equipment at a big box gym or with a personal trainer studio. 

You do not need to buy more than just a lifting bar, a lifting cage, and some weight plates. It is also recommended that you also have a pair of lifting shoes. Normal shoes would not work because the amount of weight can destroy their cushioning function.

You are committed seriously to resistance training. The strength you build will be faster than the other ways of resistance training at home.

You can basically do everything you do at the gym at home! Barbell squat, deadlift, press, and more! Just make sure that the weight plates you buy are round and not pentagonal.

Do Your Resistance Training Today!

Hopefully, after reading this article today, you are inspired to add resistance training as part of your routine. It does not matter where you decide to do it.

The article discusses resistance training at home because it is the easiest to start. If you already have other places in mind, give them a try.

No matter how you decide to do it, you might need a little push to get everything going. That is where I can help.

Join the Fun Fitness with Phung 1:1 program today for:

1. How to exercise properly
2. How to eat right while still indulging in sweet treats
3. How to NOT feel bad about self when being challenged by others on the Internet

When you start taking action on these things today, you’ll be so much closer to your goal of fitness freedom!