The Ultimate Guide to Home Workout Routine - With Tips From Experts

Home workouts are all the rage these days. Here’s some data to prove that.

• A recent pan-India survey of 50000 people showed that 77% of participants upped their fitness game by blending their household duties with virtual classes and home workout routines.
• As per a 2022 study, fitness equipment such as resistance tubes, dumbbells, and skipping ropes saw tremendous sales in the first quarter of Jan 2022, thanks to more people setting up home gyms. 

Yep, you definitely don’t need a fancy gym membership to get your sweat on. Working out at home can be fun, effective, and affordable.

So if you’re someone who’s been wanting to start working out at home but is clueless about how to begin, then don’t worry!

We’re going to share everything you need to know about how to start a home workout routine, an effective 30-minute beginner workout routine at home, and a few expert home workout tips for first-time exercisers.

Let’s go!

How to start a home workout routine

Here’s how to design a home workout routine for the best possible results.

1. Figure out your goals

Before you start to design a home workout routine, you first need to understand what your fitness goals are. 

Want to climb up a flight of stairs without all the huffing and puffing? Concentrate on cardio exercises in your daily workout routine at home.

Want to get stronger so you can carry your kids around easily? Focus on strength training in your home workout routine. 

Want to shed those extra kilos? Incorporate a good mix of both cardio and strength training in your full-body workout routine at home.

Related: 7 Hacks To Make Your New Year Fitness Resolutions Actually Work

2. Start slow

When you’re starting out, you might be super pumped about working out 1 hour a day, 5 days a week. But you’re just setting yourself up for failure.

Go easy. 

For cardio workouts, you could aim for 2-3 sessions per week lasting 20-30 minutes. You could do a HIIT workout, use a jump rope or go for a jog.

For strength training, try doing 30-minute full-body strength sessions, twice or thrice a week.

Related: How Long Should I Work Out For?

3. Be consistent

Studies show that maintaining an exercise routine in the long term is easier when you make it a HABIT.

So block off a chunk of time in your calendar for your workouts and stick to it. Doesn’t matter if it’s night or day, just choose a time that works for YOU!

If you can’t work out for 30 minutes straight, try working out for three 10-minute sessions instead. Research shows that mini-workouts can be just as effective as one long session!

4. Choose workouts that you’ll enjoy

You definitely aren’t going to wake up at 6 am if you dread your workouts right?

So pick something fun. That could be anything from dance cardio, or Yoga, to boxing or HIIT. 

5. Master the fundamentals

The key to a successful home workout routine is mastering your basic bodyweight exercises. Think squats, lunges, push-ups, planks, deadlifts, etc. 

Get these right and it’ll help you establish the proper form and build a foundation for the more complex exercises.

6. Use proper form

When it comes to working out, quality trumps quantity. There’s absolutely no point in doing 20 push-ups if you’re doing it the wrong way. You’re only going to end up hurting yourself.

Plus bad form means you’re not hitting the targeted muscles or muscle groups. 

When you use the proper form, your workout becomes more efficient – meaning you’re not wasting your energy on unnecessary movements.

It’s a good idea to work out in front of a mirror at home, to ensure you’re practicing good form.

7. Target all muscle groups

While designing a home workout routine, ensure that it has at least one exercise for the main muscle groups:

• Chest, shoulders, and triceps (your ‘push’ muscles).
• Back, biceps, forearms (‘pull’ muscles)
• Quadriceps
• Butt and hamstrings
• Core

8. Befriend compound exercises

Want a super-effective way to target all your muscle groups in your home workout plan? Compound exercises are your best bet!

Since compound exercises recruit multiple muscle groups at once, they help burn more calories, improve your flexibility and strength, increase your muscle mass, and more. 

Here are a few examples of compound exercises for the main muscle groups that you can incorporate into your home workout plan.

• Chest, shoulders, and triceps- push-ups, dips.
• Back, biceps, forearms – pull-ups, bent-over rows.
• Quadriceps – squats, lunges.
• Butt and Hamstrings - deadlifts, hip raises.
• Core – planks, mountain climbers.

9. Increase the difficulty as you progress

While you might initially only use your body weight in your home workout plan, it’s important to keep your body guessing as you progress.

Say you’re doing regular squats for the first 2 weeks. You could make them more challenging by looping a resistance band around your thighs or doing weighted squats, in the 3rd week. 

Or if you can perfectly execute a push-up, challenge your body by trying decline push-ups. Anything to move one step closer to your fitness goals!

10. Listen to your body

Rule of thumb: If it hurts while doing a particular exercise, STOP!

Take a breather before you continue your home workout routine. Don’t try to push through the pain as that could cause injuries. (And that’s the last thing you want!)

11. Ensure you have rest days

Here’s an interesting fact. 

When you weight train, you’re creating tiny tears in your muscle fibers (don’t worry, you’re not damaging them!) These muscles then grow back stronger when you REST!

Lack of rest can cause an increase in your stress hormone called cortisol which in turn leads to poor sleep, fatigue, a weak immune system, and other terrible things.

So don’t ever skimp on your rest days in your home workout routine.

As a beginner, we recommend taking 2 to 3 rest days per week. And no, we don’t mean bingeing on Netflix and snacks all day. 

Go for a brisk walk. Do some yoga or foam rolling, maybe. Or if your muscles are really sore, pamper yourself with a massage.

12. Track your progress

This one’s important because it shows you how you are moving towards your fitness goals.

Say you’re strength training. When you’re starting to work out, you might only be able to do 10 reps of shoulder presses with 2 kg dumbbells. Now if you’re going to keep doing the same number of reps with the same weights even after a couple of weeks, your body is going to get used to it and your muscles aren’t going to get stronger. 

That’s why it makes sense to maintain, say, a fitness journal and record how much you’re lifting each week and to progressively increase that every week until you’ve hit your limit.

You can also track your progress using fitness apps, taking pictures and measurements of your body every 4 to 6 weeks, and checking your body fat composition.

30-minute full-body home workout routine for beginners

Whether you’re looking for a workout routine for men at home or a daily workout routine at home, we’ve got you covered!

Here’s our 30-minute full-body workout routine at home that is great for beginners.

1. Our beginner workout routine at home consists of 5 upper-body exercises, 4 lower body exercises, and 3 core exercises.
2. Do each exercise for 30 seconds each back-to-back without a break.
3. Take a 1-minute break after doing all the exercises.
4. Do the entire circuit for a total of 4 times.

Upper body exercises

1. Incline push-up

Muscles worked: chest, triceps, shoulders, and back muscles

How to perform

• Find a stable platform (chair, bench) to place your arms on. 
• Begin in a regular plank position with your hands on the edge of the chair and your feet on the floor.
• Your feet should be shoulder-width apart and your arms below your shoulders.
• Keep your body in a straight line with your glutes tightly squeezed. This is the starting position.
• Rotate your elbows in and lower your chest towards the chair as far as you can.
• Pause for a second before slowly returning to the starting position.

2. Walk-out Push-ups 

Muscles worked: Chest, shoulders, triceps, core.

How to perform

• Start in a standing position with your feet hip-width apart.
• Bend at your hips and place your hands a few inches in front of your feet.
• Walk your hands forward until you reach a pushup position.
• Do one regular pushup.
• Now walk your hands back to your feet and return to the initial standing position.

3. Lateral plank walk

Muscles worked: Biceps, triceps, chest, shoulders, back, abs, glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings

How to perform

• Begin in the push-up position with your arms directly under your shoulders.
• From this position, move your right arm and right leg about a foot to the right.
• Now move your left arm and left foot towards your right limbs.
• Keep moving in one direction and after a few steps change direction.

4. Bent-over dumbbell rows

Muscles worked: Back and shoulder muscles

How to perform

• Grab a pair of dumbbells one in each hand with your palms facing each other.
• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Keeping your core engaged and with a slight bend in your knees, bend over at your waist keeping your back straight.
• Your hands will be extended downwards holding the dumbbells. This is the starting position.
• Now pull the dumbbells up towards your chest as you pull your shoulder blades in towards each other.
• Pause for 2-3 seconds before slowly lowering the dumbbells to the starting position.

5. Resistance band front raise

Muscles worked: Shoulders, biceps

How to perform

• Step into a resistance band such that it is under the arches of your feet.
• Hold the other end of the band with both your hands with your thumbs facing upward.
• Raise both your arms in front of you till they’re parallel to the floor and at 90 degrees to your body.
• Pause for a second and then lower your back slowly till it reaches your hip level.

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Lower body exercises

6. Romanian deadlift

Muscles worked: Hamstrings, glutes, lower back.

How to perform

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent. 
• Hold one dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing your thighs.
• With a neutral spine and your shoulder blades squeezed together, hinge at your waist sending your hips back.
• As you do so, lower your dumbbells so that they are right in front of your shins.
• Maintain a neutral spine as you return to the initial position, squeezing your glutes at the top.

7. Standing banded glute kickback 

Muscles worked: Glutes, Hips, lower back, core, thighs, calves

How to perform

• Loop a resistance band around your ankles.
• Stand with your feet at hip-width apart and place your left foot a few inches behind your right. This is the starting position.
• Press your right foot firmly to the ground and kick back with your left leg.
• Squeeze for a second before bringing your left leg back to the starting position.
• Perform 6-7 reps on this side and then switch sides.

Check out more resistance band exercises right here.

8. Reverse lunge

Muscles worked: Quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings

How to perform

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Place your hands on your hips. This is the starting position.
• Step back with your right leg and lower your body until your thigh is parallel to the floor.
• Squeeze for a second and then return to the starting position.
• Repeat this movement with the other leg.

9. Glute bridge march

Muscles worked: Glutes, hamstrings, abs.

How to perform

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet hip-width apart. Ensure that your lower back is pressed against the floor.
• Keeping your core engaged, lift your hips and squeeze your glutes at the top as shown in the video. This is the starting position.
• Lift your left foot and bring your knee towards your chest.
• Bring the left foot back to the ground.
• Repeat this movement with your right foot. This is one rep.
• Keep marching with both your feet for the desired duration while maintaining lifted hips.

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Core exercises

10. Russian Twist

Muscles worked: Abs, obliques.

How to perform

• Sit on your mat with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Use both your hands to hold one dumbbell in front of your chest.
• Lean slightly back and lift your feet a few inches off the floor, while squeezing your abs and maintaining a neutral spine.
• Gently twist your body to the right, bringing your dumbbell beside your right hip.
• Return to the center, and then twist to the left. This is one rep.

11. Flutter Kicks

Muscles worked: Abs, hip flexors

How to perform

• Lie down with your back pressed flat against the floor.
• Place your hands by your sides, palms facing down.
• Keeping your abs tight, lift your legs a few inches off the ground, pointing your toes away from your body.
• Now raise one leg slightly higher than the other, while lowering the other leg. 
• Switch the positions of your legs, making a flutter kick motion.

12. Sit-ups

Muscles worked: Abs, obliques, hip flexors

How to perform

• Lie down on your back.
• Pull your legs in and bend your knees to 90 degrees.
• Keep your hands by your ears and your elbows out wide.
• Tighten your core by drawing your belly button down towards the floor and rise to a seated position.
• Return to the original position and repeat.

Want a “hard-core” challenge for your core? Try Burnlab’s ab wheel today!

Learn more about Ab rollers in our detailed blog post here.

Home workout tips for first-time exercisers

Here are a few expert home workout tips to keep in mind.

1. Eat right

One of the most important home workout tips is to maintain a balanced diet to support your fitness program. This means the right amount of carbs, proteins, and healthy fats before and after your exercise sessions.

• Carbs are the fuel your muscles require before exercise
• Proteins help with muscle recovery and repair and build muscle mass
• Healthy fats preserve your muscle fuel and give you energy for longer.

Options for pre-workout foods include bananas, granola bars, Greek yogurt, and protein smoothies.

Post-workout meal choices include oatmeal, muesli, scrambled eggs, fruit smoothies, dried fruits and nuts, and peanut butter.

2. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate

Another crucial home workout tip is to stay hydrated during your workouts as this helps your body perform its best. Not doing so can lead to cramps, dizziness, fatigue, etc.

So keep that water bottle handy and take small sips of water every 10 or 15 minutes during your sweat session.

3. Don’t skip your warm-ups and cool-downs

Warm-ups can prepare your body for exercise by getting your blood flowing to your muscles, amping up your body temperature, improving your flexibility, and reducing your chances of injury. 

Leg bends, arm/ shoulder circles, ankle circles, lunges, etc. are all great warm-up exercises.

Cool-downs let your body come back to its normal state, restore your breathing patterns, and help reduce soreness.

Try exercises such as quad stretches, hamstring stretches, child’s pose, etc. to cool down. And no, passing out on your floor doesn’t count as a cool-down!

4. Create a workout space

Another great home workout tip is to have a designated workout space that is airy and well-lit.

Find a space where you can roll out a yoga mat and where you won’t be knocking into things as you move around.

Stack all your exercise essentials, be it resistance bands or dumbbells right here, so you’re working out more and searching for things less.

Related: How To Build A Home Gym Setup In Less Than Rs. 25000

5. Dress like you’re going to the gym

Push-ups in pajamas?? We think not!

You want to feel pumped and ready to smash your fitness goals, and wearing good athletic wear can be highly motivating.

Getting a good pair of shoes wouldn’t hurt either (just saying).

6. Invest in some basic equipment

No, you don’t need the whole shebang that you find in your gym. 

You could start with

• A set of resistance bands and/or adjustable dumbbells for strength training
• A jump rope for cardio
• A yoga mat for stretching

7. Eliminate distractions

Just because you’re working out at home doesn’t mean you take breaks to check your Instagram feed or answer phone calls.

Mute all notifications or better yet, go Airplane mode!

Final thoughts

As you can see, working out at home doesn’t have to be complicated. All you need is some space, a few versatile fitness essentials, and the passion and motivation to work out.

We hope that our home workout tips will inspire you to start your home workout routine today! Let’s get FIT!

Check out Burnlab’s premium collection of fitness gear right here.