5 Fast At-Home Workouts

As a mom, it isn’t always possible or practical to get to the gym everyday. I’m also not a fan of long hours on the treadmill, especially since high intensity short workouts and weight training have more health benefits. I prefer at-home workouts when possible and often my kids workout with me.
My personal workout routine is to do the following each week:

• weight training with really heavy weights 2 times per week – pullups, deadlifts, squats, lunges, etc
• High intensity 1-2 times per week – sprints, burst training, etc
• other form of movement 2-3 times a week – martial arts, walking, swimming, etc

I train at my brother-in-law’s house on days that I do weight training since they have lots of free-weights, but the other days I do at-home workouts.
These are five easy ways that I try to work movement in to my day (and that my kids can do too):

1. Kettlebells

I love kettlebells! From a previous post:
“Some of the specific benefits to kettlebells are:

• The kettlebell develops all purpose strength
• Blends strength with flexibility
• Hacks the fat off
• Improves physique
• Makes strong anywhere, anytime–an extreme hand held gym

In the name of full disclosure… kettlebell workouts are HARD, but that is why they are so effective. Because of the combination of strength and high intensity cardio, even the most seasoned athletes have trouble lasting five minutes when switching to kettlebells.”
You can find kettlebells almost anywhere now, and even order them online. I started with a 20 pound kettlebell and now use 35-55 pound kettlebells. The best part, they are basically just a canon ball with a handle, so they are compact and easy to store, even if you don’t have much extra space.
This post has a video tutorial on how to do kettlebell swings.

2. Rebounding

I must admit, when I first heard or rebounding, I thought it sounded a little crazy. Now that I’ve tried it, I see why it has such a loyal fan base. Rebounding is basically jumping on a mini trampoline and it  has a myriad of health benefits including:

• Helps promote lymphatic drainage
• Supports liver health
• Good for bones (weight bearing movement helps strengthen them)
• Helps cellular cleansing
• Improves endurance
• Helps with digestion
• Helps the body detoxify on a cellular level

The idea of rebounding is that by bouncing on a mini trampoline in different ways, a person can make use of the rapid acceleration and deceleration to increase blood flow, oxygenate the body and improve muscle tone. Rebounding is also more fun (in my opinion) than running for the same amount of time and it is a better workout. There are sample rebounding workouts online, but all it takes is jumping (fast, slow or alternating) for 20 minutes once a day.
I try to work this in each morning and it definitely helps boost energy levels! My kids also love bouncing on the mini trampoline and often bounce on it while learning or on rainy days when they can’t go outside.
Often, mini trampolines can be found on Craigslist or at yard sales. If not, there are several good rebounders available online, (like this one that is 50% off right now or this one that has really high reviews and is silent).

3. Pull-ups

Often, like when I’m pregnant or early postpartum, I can’t do actual pull-ups and stick to dead hangs or negatives, but the act of doing pull-ups or working up to them is very beneficial to the body. Pull-ups are also one of the most functional exercises you can do and it helps stretch out muscles/spine and strengthen the core.
Even if you can’t do pull-ups right away, you can start where you are and work up. Mark Sisson has a great video tutorial for how to work up to pull-ups here.
I have this pull-up bar hanging in my bathroom doorway and just make a point to do pull-ups, dead hangs or negatives every time I go through that doorway. This is an easy way to get the benefits of pull-ups throughout the day.

4. T-Tapp

I’ve reviewed T-Tapp workouts before… from that post:
“I’d heard T-Tapp mentioned in several places online before and was skeptical. When I saw “bio-hackers” like Bulletproof Exec mentioning the T-Tapp system and claiming that it:

• “Is the fastest weight loss workout we’ve ever seen
• Detoxifies the body
• Increases insulin sensitivity, which promotes loss of excess weight
• Reduces stress
• Skyrockets energy levels and mental clarity
• Boosts metabolism
• Improves cardiovascular function
• Helps the brain gain better control over the body (builds neurokinetic function)
• Takes just 15 minutes””

I still use T-Tapp at times and it is an easy and simple workout that can be done at home in a short amount of time. My kids actually think it is hilarious and some of them will workout with me.

5. Pilates

Pilates are another easy and low-impact workout to do at home. There are many options available (from prenatal Pilates to Pilates for advanced athletes and everything in between.
A couple of my favorites are this beginner workout and this rapid result workout. Pilates DVDs cost much less than gym workouts and the kids have fun doing them with me.
Do you workout at home? What is your favorite at-home workout? Share below!

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