We know that, for many women, beginning your fitness journey in the gym can be a little daunting. Instead, building the foundations of power by strength training at home is a great way to grow confidence, perfect your form and start you off in the right direction.
Whether you’re on a budget, are time poor or simply want to avoid a busy weights room, strength training at home has plenty of benefits for the busy modern woman.
However, building strength without access to all the weights and machines you have at a gym can be a tricky business. To help you make the muscle gains you’re looking for, without stepping foot outside, we’ve created a complete guide to strength training at home right here.
What are the options for strength training at home?
You’ve got more options than you think when it comes to strength training at home. The first stop on this training program is using what mother nature gave you and hitting bodyweight movements. From there, you can up the intensity on your workouts in a number of ways.
Bodyweight training at home
This is the best way to start your training at home. If you’re a complete beginner, bodyweight training is an effective way of challenging your body and perfecting your form before you hit the weights.
What’s more, you don’t require any equipment and you can train from pretty much anywhere. All you need to do is have a hardcore workout plan in your pocket and you’re good to go.
One thing to remember with bodyweight training is that progress can plateau very quickly if you don’t keep challenging your body in new ways. Where adding load increases strength, you need to vary your workouts and movements regularly to get the full benefit of bodyweight training at home.
Dumbbell or kettlebell training
These two handy pieces of equipment are enough to really turn up the heat on your workouts. That extra resistance can revive the bodyweight sessions that were once challenging but seem to have lost their effect.
If you feel like you’re not making progress with bodyweight training anymore, don’t worry, this is a good thing. It means your body is getting stronger and bodyweight just isn’t challenging enough to push your now more powerful muscles.
Pick out some kettlebells and dumbbells at challenging weights and add them to movements like squats, lunges and arm exercises. You’ll find very quickly that your workout becomes more difficult and you’ll start to feel the burn all over again.
What’s more, kettlebells are well known for delivering a powerful cardio workout, that can take your fitness to the next level.
Check out our beginner kettlebell workouts right here.
Create a home gym
The next step up for strength training at home is creating your own gym. To do this you’re going to need a dedicated space and the cash to buy some kit.
By creating your own space to work out and getting the right pieces of equipment, you can take your strength to the next level and add a huge amount of variety to your sessions.
If you’re strength training at home, there are a few essential bits of kit you should consider purchasing.
Equipment for strength training at home
While bodyweight training is a good place to start, soon enough you’ll start to find it difficult to continuously challenge your body. Bringing weight into the equation is a tried and tested way of pushing your muscles harder and building power.
As we mentioned above, just a few small, easy-to-store bits of kit will make a huge difference to your workouts. However, if you want to truly progress your strength training at home, you’ll have to splash out on some more gym gear.
Here are a few things you may want to buy to fast track your progress and elevate the results from the workouts at home:
Barbell and plates set
Right at the heart of any truly successful strength training program is a barbell and plates. It’s versatile and is the cornerstone of so many workouts. Whether you’re working legs, back, shoulders, chest or arms, the barbell is one of the most effective ways to hit these muscle groups.
Rack
Next up on your list should be a rack. It may be one of the most expensive, but it’s essential when you start to lift heavy on the squat or press.
Not only will it help you get the big weights up on your shoulders, it’s also a good idea to get one of these for safety purposes. Often, if you’re training at home, you’ll likely be alone. An adjustable rack can help you with the squat, bench press and shoulder press so you can go for those bigger lifts with the added security of being able to rack the bar with ease.
Bench
This is another fundamental of any good home gym, and it offers far more than just a killer chest workout. The bench can also be used for dips, split squats and so much more. It’s a great way to get the most out of your barbell and your dumbbells too.
We recommend opting for a product with incline and decline capabilities. That way you can pull in a more versatile workout.
Protective flooring
This might not be your first thought when buying for your home gym but it’s definitely an important addition. If you’re going to be strength training at home, you need to think about how heavy weights could impact your interior. Not only will it protect your home from the weights you’re lifting, but it will help keep your equipment from damage too.
Foam flooring will cushion the impact your lifts to keep your home gym in excellent shape. They’re also available in interlocking tiles so you don’t have to spend hours laying a completely new floor.
Kettlebells
This is one of the most versatile pieces of kit you can have in a home gym. It’s not only great for strength training at home, but can also offer a hardcore weighted cardio session that will support the muscle you’ve grown.
There are so many variation movements you can use with a kettlebell that the workout potential is pretty much endless. Opt for some relatively challenging weights, anything from 20-35lb, to begin your sessions.
Dumbbells
Although kettlebells can offer more versatility and have to the power to provide an intense HIRT workout, there is still a place for the humble dumbbell when strength training at home. They can help work muscles where you need lower weights to start building strength, or shore up weaker areas of your physique.
For example, lateral raises often require much smaller weights than you’d need for a shoulder press, highlighting their usefulness at creating a rounded physique.
The final rep
If you’re not ready to head to the gym, just don’t have time to make the trip or simply prefer working out alone, then strength training at home can reap some serious reward.
Whether you decide to kit your home out with a gym straight away, or plan to start with bodyweight training, it’s certainly possible to make strength gains without even opening your front door.
Begin strength training at home today and start transforming your physique.
