Strength Training at Home – How to Get Started

Strength Training at Home – How to Get Started

Jan 25, 2021 mindpump

When you are stuck at home, or with limited equipment, strength training doesn’t have to just fall apart. Whether all you have is some dumbbells, or no equipment at all, there is always a workout you can create to stimulate and get your body moving. Sure, you might not be able to do heavy squats and follow your usual programming, but you should be able to maintain what you currently have so that you are ready when you get back into the gym.

Not Your Typical Jane Fonda Workout

Particularly when you are low on equipment, it was always assumed the most you can do is some weird 80’s jazzercise and butt kicks. You don’t have the variety and options you would at a regular gym.

If you have your bodyweight and even some light bands, you can create a very effective program. In fact, take this as valuable time to focus on the more neglected muscles. We often spend too much time in the gym solely focusing on moving heavy weight. What we DON’T do is rehab those chronic injuries or focus on stability and getting our joints healthy. Your workouts shouldn’t always just be circuits and cardio at home.

This is a great skill set to have even for when you aren’t stuck at home. Maybe you are traveling and only have your hotel room, or visiting relatives for the week. For you bodybuilders who are worried about losing muscle – don’t worry. Doing a short 2-4 week focus on bodyweight training will not waste away any muscle. In fact I challenge you to give it a try and see if you actually lose strength. You’d be surprised that you end up liking it.

Sample Routine

Below I will list a sample routine that you can try out. It hits all muscle groups and has progressions for when it gets too easy. 

Prone Cobra -> handcuffs with rotation

Floor Bridges -> Plank Shoulder touch

Bodyweight squats -> Single Leg Squats

Push-ups -> One arm Push-up or decline pushups

Band Rows -> Inverted bodyweight rows on suspension trainer -> Pull-ups

Banded deadlift -> Single Leg Romanian Deadlift

Band Chops -> Chop Rotations on suspension trainer

Focus on Progress!

It’s easy for people to think just because it’s bodyweight, or bands, there is no way to progress. But as shown above there are harder versions of each movement you can do to make your workouts harder as the exercise and reps get easier.

Weeks 1 & 2: Use the workout to allow yourself to be super aware of how your body moves, and create strong proprioception of being able to handle and control your bodyweight. This is important because a lot of injuries happen in the gym from guys ego lifting. Guys putting WAY too much weight on the bar and taking it through a shortened range of motion where they are getting little effect. Being at home can allow you to check your ego at the door (I hope), and focus on quality movement patterns and recognize your limitations and get better at them. Increasing your strength by taking your muscles through a proper, full range of motion is key here. Shoot for 12-15 reps, 3 sets of each exercise, and focus on quality.

Weeks 3 & 4: As you get comfortable and figure out what rep ranges each exercise can handle, start trying to do more. This can be in the form of making the exercise harder for the same reps, or trying to do one more rep than last week. Make sure to stay 2-3 reps shy of failure as you are still getting used to the mind muscle connection.

Weeks 5 & 6: Keep making the exercise challenging using the same methods as before. This time try to make the reps 1-2 reps shy of failure as you continue to adapt and push the body.

Week 7: Deload. Take a break from the routine and just focus on some light cardio and maybe doing half the volume (reps and sets) you were in your final week.

This is just a small sample of what a routine could look like. It all comes down to what you have available. Feel free to switch out different exercises if you have more equipment (ie. swap band rows for bent over dumbbell rows), just make sure to keep the same movement pattern that’s being replaced.

If you have already given this workout a try, then I would recommend checking out our MAPS Anywhere Program for more progressions and complete guidelines towards a full and effective at home program.