5 Simple Home Exercises

With today’s busy modern lifestyles’ it is not always possible to find time to get to the gym. Busy work schedules, social lives or family commitments and can all get in the way of you achieving the physique you desire. However, a good physique waits for no one! So, here at CSN we have compiled a few exercises that will help you build strength and burn fat at home without any additional equipment.

Squats
Benefits – Squats are the daddy of all exercises. Bodyweight squats can help build glutes, hammies and quads. Focus on maintaining form on lowering yourself to just below parallel and make sure that your abs, hammies and glutes remain active. You could do a high number of reps combined with another exercise to keep the blood flowing or even jump through at the top of the squat, fully extending your hips, then lowering back into a squat...you'll definitely feel the lactic acid build up with this one.

Burpees
Benefits – Get a good cardio workout blasting some burpees. There's a reason why people hate burpees, they're a real lung burner and will tire you out quickly...But that's exactly why they're so beneficial. Jump down into a press up position bringing your chest down to the floor then bring your legs back in whilst jumping up and bringing your hands together above your head. Either do as many as possible or combine with bodyweight squats for a quick and effective workout.

Press up
Benefits – Work your bi's, tri's and shoulders with a press up, an upper body exercise powerhouse. Lower your chest to the floor whilst maintaining a strong, straight back position...squeezing your abs will help you do this. If you are unable to complete at least 10 reps, scale down the press up to your knees. Mix these up with some of the other movements and you'll have yourself a full body workout.

Crunches
Benefits – Should crunches be included in your home workout? Abs-olutely! Similar to sit-ups but without bringing your chest all the way to your knees, crunches will isolate your abs! You're doing it right if you can feel the burn. Work the angle to get your obliques by bringing your elbow over to the opposite knee.

Stairs
Benefits – Who needs a treadmill when you've got stairs! Add some cardio to your workout by running up and down as many times as possible. And when you’re finished warming up, use each stair for calf raises, keep your toes on the stair with your heels hanging off then tip toe onto the pads of your feet before lowering yourself down again. Try 10 on each step.

Hannah Richards

MA Journalism