Best Resistance Training Exercises You Can do at Home

Best Resistance Training Exercises You Can do at Home

May 11, 2022 mindpump

Traditionally, resistance training has always been seen as something you have to be in a gym doing with super heavy weight. The truth is that has kind of missed the point to some extent.

The intent of resistance training is to get stronger right? In order to get stronger, you need to be progressively doing more than you did the week before (ideally with added resistance). It doesn’t have to be a dumbbell or a barbell though. As long as you can appropriately add a more challenging version of an exercise you have been doing, you can see progress.

Resistance Bands

One very easy tool you can purchase that doesn’t cost a lot, and adds a ton of variation to your at home workout, and takes up zero space, are resistance bands. Many these days come in packs with different max resistance. I highly recommend investing in these as it can not only be incorporated with your bodyweight exercises, but using a door as an anchor, it can create so many new angles and variations almost as if you have your own cable machine at your house.

Examples of Resistance Band Exercises:

Legs – Stiff leg deadlifts, squats, hip bridges, monster walks, thrusters

Back – (attached to a door anchor) – rows, one arm rows, pulldowns

(not attached) – bent over rows

Chest – resisted push-ups

(attached to a door anchor) – different angle variation flies and presses

Arms – Curls, overhead extensions, hammer curls

Shoulders – rear flies, side raises, front raises, shoulder presses

Bodyweight

Bodyweight is the go-to for anyone without a budget. Don’t be mistaken by having no equipment. You’d be surprised how easily you can make a push-up more difficult by raising your legs on a chair. Bodyweight exercises are convenient and ideal because they allow you to master a full range of motion with your bodyweight. Most of us get injured because we jump right into weights without even knowing how to own our own body weight. Have you ever seen gymnasts and other explosive athletes move effortlessly and be able to hold their body in any position? That’s all done by a lot of time spent working with just their body weight. The most important focus here should be going for a full range of motion and feeling the targeted muscle working.

Examples of bodyweight exercises:

Legs – squats, lunges, step ups

Back – pull-ups, underhand row

Chest – push-ups at different angles

Suspension Trainers

Suspension trainers are another excellent tool to round out your at-home space without taking up space or money. Whatever exercises you weren’t able to figure out with cables, a good suspension trainer should be able to top off. What makes it even better is not only can you change the angle and make it easier, that allows you to have an easier transition from when you master your bodyweight to wanting to do more. If you can’t execute a move with your bodyweight, you can even use the trainer as a tool to help give you stabilization while you work on building up to bodyweight. A good example of this is one legged squats.

Examples of suspension exercises:

Legs – Hip thrusts, squats, pistol squats, lunges

Back – Rows, pull-overs, one arm rows, wide rows

Chest – push-ups, flies

Arms – curls, skullcrushers

Shoulders – rear flies, Y raises