Effective Home Exercise Programs

Over the years I have used a variety of combinations in developing my exercise plans. At times I did all my strength training and some of my aerobic training at a health club, while doing additional aerobic training outdoors. Currently, I do all of my strength training and most of my aerobic training in my home. Which is better? That depends on you. I really like the convenience and time savings of being able to do all of my exercising in my home if I want to. If that’s what you want to do, just make sure you plan ahead.

Planning What You Will Do

There are some things you should take into consideration before starting your program. Keep in mind that all good home exercise programs consists of a warm up, stretching, aerobic exercise, strength training, and a cool down. You need to plan out what you’re going to do for each part of your program.

Warm Up, Stretching, Cool Down

The warm up, stretching, and cool down phases usually don’t require any special equipment or space. As long as you have enough floor space to move around a little, you will be fine. For any floor exercises or stretching that you may do on the floor, you should have a mat or some kind of padding that will protect your body from hard surfaces.

Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic exercise is an important part of all home exercise programs. What kind of exercises are you going to use for aerobic conditioning? Are you planning on exercising indoors or outside? You need answers to these questions in order to determine your equipment requirements.

Aerobic Equipment Requirements

If you plan on walking or jogging outdoors, then all you need is a good pair of shoes and the appropriate protective clothing for each season. Cycling is a good, low impact form of aerobic exercise. Will you be cycling outdoors or in? Indoors will require a good exercycle – either an upright or a recumbent. If you want to bike outdoors, you obviously need a bike. You will also want to think through your bicycling routes, and make sure you have appropriate clothing for the seasons.

Other aerobic equipment you might want to consider includes – a treadmill, elliptical trainer, or stair machine. Each of these pieces of equipment has its own space requirements and financial considerations. You should also ask yourself if it is the kind of exercise equipment you will use consistently, or will it become an expensive clothes hanger?

Strength Training Considerations

Strength training has its own set of requirements and questions to be answered. Do you plan on doing exercises that only require your body weight to be performed (push ups, sit ups, etc.)? Would you like to use free weights? Do you want to use both a barbell and dumbbells? Do you have room for a weight bench? Are you considering a home gym set (they usually require a lot of room and more money than other strength equipment)?

Convenience and Consistency

As you can see, using home exercise programs can be convenient and can help with consistency. It also requires some planning. Don’t be discouraged by all the questions you need to answer. They just make the process smoother in the long run.