How To Exercise At Home: 5 Types of Exercise to Keep you Happy & Healthy

The pandemic changed how many of us approach fitness, with home workouts becoming a regular part of our lives. This shift not only helped people stay active during uncertain times but also highlighted the importance of taking care of our bodies in convenient and accessible ways.

For those undergoing physical therapy, at-home exercises are an excellent way to reinforce treatment and continue building strength and mobility between sessions.
From stretches and mobility exercises to strength-building and posture-focused routines, there are a variety of ways to keep your body healthy and strong without stepping foot in a gym – if done the right way.
Discover different types of exercises to create a balanced workout, and how to make sure you are taking care of your body as you ramp up training.

Benefits of Exercising at Home

Whether you’re managing a busy schedule, avoiding crowded gyms, or looking to complement physical therapy treatments, at-home workouts allow you to tailor fitness to your needs. Beyond saving time and money, exercising at home provides a comfortable environment to focus on your health while building strength, improving mobility, and preventing injuries.

Exercise has many physical and mental benefits. It can:

Exercise can:

• Improve strength, power, and endurance or at least minimize the reduction of them¹
• Promote tissue repair and injury recovery²
• Improved cardiovascular capacity³
• Reduce anxiety sensitivity by reliably producing similar physiological responses as experienced with high anxious states (increased heart rate) but without the negative, anxious feelings^4,5
• Create a sense of accomplishment and pleasure⁵
• Release hormones that can reduce pain and have an antidepressant effect ⁶
• Enhance cognitive functioning for greater focus, attention, and learning⁷

How To Exercise At Home​

One of the keys here is to ensure that the exercise frequency and duration is sufficient. Typical research recommendations fall in the range of 3-5 sessions per week for 45-60 minutes. If performing high intensity interval training (HIIT), the duration can certainly be shorter.

The intensity can be measured with various methods (rate of perceived exertion, heart rate, % of 1 rep max, reps in reserve) and prescribed by a professional who understands your fitness level, medical history, and goals (such as a physical therapist).

You want the exercise to be challenging to you. This is where many of you may be wondering how to achieve that challenge and all the lovely benefits that follow when you lack a home gym. The following options can help you come up with a plan to make exercise at home exciting and rewarding.

Types of Exercise You can do At Home

There are plenty of exercises that use minimal equipment or just your body weight to build strength, improve mobility, and complement physical therapy treatment.The goal of this list is to provide a foundation for you to develop an exercise plan and to provide ideas for different exercises. There are five basic types of exercises you can incorporate into your routine: calisthenics, plyometrics, isometrics, unilateral exercises, and stretching.

• Calisthenics: Think PE class or bootcamps in the local park. These exercises use large muscle groups and involve body weight for resistance. You will have more options to choose from if you have equipment (pull up bar, suspension trainer such as TRX, or dip/parallel bars) but there’s still plenty you can do without equipment.
  • Examples: pushups (standard/shoulder width, wide, narrow, staggered, walking/spiderman, plyo/clapping, wall, feet elevated, etc.), squats, leg raises, sit ups.
• Plyometrics: These exercises are great for developing power. While jumping rope is technically considered plyometrics, it predominantly works on endurance since it is low effort jumping over a long duration. To improve your power, plyometrics should be at or near maximum effort with short duration activity and long rest breaks (e.g. 6 maximum effort jumps with a 2 minute rest break).
  • Examples: Jump squats, split squat jumps, lateral jumps, box/couch/super sturdy chair that is up against the wall jumps.
• Isometrics: This essentially means holding a resisted movement in place. These are a great way to manipulate your exercises to improve endurance, work on motor control, and reduce pain.
  • Examples: Planks (on hands, on elbows, feet elevated), squat holds or wall sits, literally any exercise but pause at some point during the repetition and hold the position until fatigue.
• Unilateral exercises: Unilateral exercises work one of your extremities at a time and are a great way to uncover areas you may have deficits that are masked when you work bilaterally.
  • Examples: Single leg sit to stand, single leg bridge, single leg hip thruster, single leg calf raise, single arm overhead press with a household object (such as a small lamp or gallon jug), single leg step ups (stairs).
• Stretching: Stretching is a key component of any fitness routine. Incorporating regular stretching into your routine can improve your overall mobility, decrease the risk of injury, and alleviate tension after working out or prolonged sitting. Stretching can be categorized into:
  • Static Stretching: Holding a stretch in a fixed position for a period of time (e.g., 15-30 seconds). Best performed after workouts.
  • Dynamic Stretching: Controlled, repetitive movements that gently take muscles through their full range of motion (e.g., leg swings, arm circles, walking lunges). Ideal as part of a warm-up to prepare muscles for activity.

At the end of the day, the idea is to move and find creative ways to make exercise at home both engaging and challenging. If you own exercise equipment you have even more variety. You can also use many household items or purchase/borrow some basic equipment that can be used for a variety of exercises (e.g. resistance bands).

How to Start Exercising at Home​

Working out at home can be great! If you are starting for the first time, remember to tailor your workouts to your fitness level. Avoid pushing yourself too hard too soon. Pay attention to how your body feels during exercise. Stop immediately if you experience sharp pain or dizziness. Consult a professional if symptoms persist.

To make the most of your at-home workouts, it’s always best to consult a physical therapist. They can guide you in selecting exercises that align with your goals, ensure proper technique, and reduce the risk of strain or injury. With the right approach, exercising at home can be a powerful tool for maintaining your health and supporting long-term wellness.

Schedule an appointment with a physical therapist!

References

1. Reiman, M.P. and D.S. Lorenz, Integration of strength and conditioning principles into a rehabilitation program.Int J Sports Phys Ther, 2011. 6(3): p. 241-53.
2. Khan, K.M. and A. Scott, Mechanotherapy: how physical therapists’ prescription of exercise promotes tissue repair. Br J Sports Med, 2009. 43(4): p. 247-52.
3. Golbidi, S. and I. Laher, Exercise and the cardiovascular system. Cardiol Res Pract, 2012. 2012: p. 210852.
4. Kandola, A., et al., Moving to Beat Anxiety: Epidemiology and Therapeutic Issues with Physical Activity for Anxiety. Curr Psychiatry Rep, 2018. 20(8): p. 63.
5. Martinsen, E.W., Physical activity in the prevention and treatment of anxiety and depression. Nord J Psychiatry, 2008. 62 Suppl 47: p. 25-9.
6. Naugle, K.M., R.B. Fillingim, and J.L. Riley, 3rd, A meta-analytic review of the hypoalgesic effects of exercise.J Pain, 2012. 13(12): p. 1139-50.
7. Gomez-Pinilla, F. and C. Hillman, The influence of exercise on cognitive abilities. Compr Physiol, 2013. 3(1): p. 403-28.

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