Home Workouts Series 1 – How Do I Get Started?

Simple, effective, and efficient. These three words we’d all love to describe our daily workouts in the gym. So, why should our home workouts be any different? The answer is they shouldn’t! Our goal is to help men over 50 develop a home fitness routine that can help them achieve their goals without wasting time, effort, and space.

The good news is that there are only a few instrumental exercises you need to master to take your home fitness to the next level. One mistake people make when developing a home fitness routine is they may incorporate too many complex movements. The best strategy for an effective routine is to combine basic full body components targeting the major muscle groups. In this article we’ll focus on exercises you can do in the comfort of your home with NO EQUIPMENT NEEDED!

The second part of this home workout series will include affordable equipment to help men over 50 increase the intensity and variety of their exercises. Below we’ve listed some of the basics and how they should be performed to maximize your training session.

Push-Ups

Push-ups are one of the most effective upper body workouts you can do. This exercise is a staple for building upper body strength and can be incorporated into almost any type of program. Push-ups are very important for someone looking to build chest, arm, and core strength while working out at home. When performing this exercise, remember to keep your back straight, core tight, and maintain a slow and controlled tempo. If you need more of a challenge, try these variations: Diamond push-ups, triceps/elbows-tucked push-ups, or medicine ball push-ups.

Here is a great video if you are unsure of proper push-up form.

Bench Dips

Another effective body weight workout for home use is the bench dip. You can use any flat surface that is able to support your body weight without tipping over when pressure is applied. To set up for this exercise, you’ll want to put your hands flat on the surface while you are facing away from it. Next, slowly lower your body while supporting your weight with your arms and pause with your arms at 90 degrees, then push back up to the start position. As with all our exercises, keep your core engaged throughout the movement and be careful not to lower yourself past 90 degrees in order to limit unnecessary stress on the shoulder joint. Bench dips are an effective way to build triceps strength and enhance core stability.

Here is a great video for proper bench dip form.

Squats

As the push-up is to the upper body, the squat has always been a major part of building lower body strength. It is an exercise that engages most of the muscles in the legs and activating your core when done correctly. For men over 50 who are looking to build leg strength, the squat is a must add to any fitness routine, especially for home workouts. When performing a squat, make sure to focus on maintaining your body weight over the middle of your feet. Injuries become more common as weight is shifted significantly forward or backward in a squat. Here, we’ve attached an article from Breakingmuscle.com goes into some of the common dysfunctions of the squat technique.

Again, squatting correctly is keeping your core engaged and a neutral spine. If you’re looking to add intensity to your squats at home, consider performing jump squats in timed intervals. This technique will not only push your legs, it will work your cardiovascular system significantly more than regular squats.

Here is a great video to show you how to squat.


Lunges

If you’re looking for another way to improve your lower body in a home workouts, lunges are the way to go. Lunges are great for building leg strength while improving coordination and stability in the lower body. Another benefit of the lunge exercise is its simplicity and versatility. You can perform lunges in multiple variations including walking, in place, and side lunges to target the muscles differently.

Here we’ve attached a walking lunge video.

Planks

One of the most effective body-weight core workouts out there is the Plank. Core strength, crucial for men 50 and over, is essential because we use this muscle group in our every day activities as well as athletic interests. Building your core strength is a great way to help avoid common conditions such as back pain, a very familiar injury in older, active men. Check out this article on back and abdominal exercise and the role a strong core plays in back pain relief.

We really like this explanation of proper plank form.

Burpees

The above exercises have focused mostly on building strength in the upper and lower body. Important yes, but you also need a simple and efficient way to maintain your cardiovascular fitness throughout your home workout agenda. Burpees are your answer. This exercise will challenge your cardiovascular system, upper body, lower body, and frankly, your commitment to your home exercise program.

Burpees are a great way to kick up the intensity of your workout and burn a ton of calories while doing so. Another great aspect is its functionality as you’ll be incorporating moves similar to what you do on a day-to-day basis in order to complete this exercise.

This is a great video for proper burpee form.

Final Thoughts

Home workouts are an ever-increasing way for guys 50 and over to get and stay in shape within the comfort of their house. It’s the perfect means to integrate schedule and effort into a shorter timeframe with the added benefit of no gym fees. Hopefully we’ve been able to provide you a group of exercises that will get you started with no equipment needed, but in the next part of this series we’ll offer suggestions on equipment (and exercises) to take your workouts to the next level.

Feel free to please check out our Amazon links for items you can use in your home workouts!