Home Workout Plan for Weight Loss

When it comes to using exercise for weight loss, variety is the key. The best at-home workouts for weight loss are always those that include a combination of endurance, strength, high-intensity intervals, balance, and flexibility training. Resistance training helps build muscle and boost metabolic rate, while cardio will boost your well-being and contribute to total calories burned. Interval training will help with both, cardio and strength. Balance and flexibility will help reduce your risk of injury or falls.

Below, you’ll see what workouts are best and why. We’ll also give you 15 workouts to boost your body’s fat-burning potential from the comfort of your own home.

Going to the gym has many advantages. For example, having a gym membership can work as a motivational factor. Secondly, you get access to gym equipment, personal trainers, a yoga studio, pools, saunas, child-care services, and many other amenities. Then there’s the possibility of meeting new people and spending time away from home.

But the gym isn’t really for everyone. If you can’t or don’t want to join the gym to lose weight, then at-home workouts are perfect for you, especially if you combine them with outdoor workouts. At-home workouts can include all major types of training such as:

Also called endurance training or cardio, aerobic activities include running, cycling, walking, hiking, and swimming. These workouts increase your breathing and heart rate, keeping your lungs and circulatory system strong and healthy. And, of course, they boost your endurance. In addition, they help to burn or metabolize a significant amount of calories.

Workouts like weight-lifting, squats, planks, and rock climbing are called strength building or resistance training. They make your muscles stronger by exerting them through resistance either from a heavy object like dumbbells or the weight of your own body.

Essentially, you produce small micro tears in your muscles which then get healed and rebuilt with additional muscle fibers thereby improving strength and hypertrophy.

Standing on one foot, yoga and Tai Chi are examples of balance exercises. These workouts help maintain good balance to reduce your risk of falls and straining. They’re best practiced during warm-ups.

Yoga, Pilates, calisthenics and any type of workout that involves stretching your muscles enhances flexibility. Being flexible is important for your overall fitness since it increases your body’s freedom of movement. And with greater freedom of movement, you’ll see that other activities become much easier.

If you have weights, a treadmill, or a Pilates ball, then all the better. But many of the workouts you’ll see here can be done hands-free and will require nothing but your time and a good pair of good sneakers.

Working out, wherever you chose to do it, comes with a wide range of benefits. But where at-home workouts are concerned, here are the major benefits:

Gym memberships can cost anywhere between $10 and $100 a month. You’ll also save up on expensive workout equipment, transport, snacks, and more.

When feeling tired and unmotivated, a lot of people will come up with excuses not to hit the gym. Well, your range of excuses falls low when it comes to not setting aside a couple of minutes daily to workout in your living room.

Working out on your own terms, in your own home, to tunes that you love is something to be enjoyed. Not to mention that you can make a fool out of yourself without worrying about spectators.

Relying on gym equipment to get the results you want to can feel disempowering at times. But when working out in your own home with basic equipment, if any, you’ll definitely get a sense that you own your workout routine.

Getting ready for the gym, taking a ride to the gym, and taking the arduous track back home can prove draining on your time and energy levels. Since most of us nowadays don’t have much time to spare, at-home workouts can prove more practical.

No need to arrange for a babysitter when you’re working out from your own home. Just make good use of nap times or get the kids involved in your exercise routine – exercising can make for fun family times.

Other benefits to at-home workouts include flexible schedules, convenience, and travel-friendliness. And since sustainability and adherence are scientifically proven to be important factors for weight-loss success 1, at-home workouts, which are more sustainable than gyms, are more likely to lead to long-term success.

At-home workouts are as effective as you make them. If you’re inconsistent or lax with your workouts, they obviously won’t lead to weight loss. But a good workout routine, on the other hand, can definitely make a difference in how many pounds you’re shedding.

The National Health Service and American Heart Association recommend at least 150 minutes of aerobic activity weekly for good health 2, 3. However, studies found that you would need to spend more than the bare minimum of time working out to make a noticeable difference in your weight loss 4. You will also need to increase the intensity of your workouts with time and you will also need to follow a low calorie diet. To understand why you cannot lose weight with exercise alone, you need to be familiar with how weight loss and weight gain work.

First, the old adage that you need to burn more calories than you’re currently taking is at the core of all weight lost. So, the calories in, calories out rule applies whichever diet you’re on. Secondly, studies show that your body spends 60-70% of its daily calories maintaining basic functions, i.e. resting energy expenditure (REE), and less than 10% on digesting food 5. So, you can expect that your workouts will burn a maximum of 30% of calories you eat.

Furthermore, your body adapts to weight loss by lowering its REE, which makes weight loss difficult after a period of time and why people experience keto plateaus 6. However, the ketogenic diet has proved to be revolutionary in this regard since it does not cause a drop in REE. But your REE also depends on your muscle mass, which exercise, and the keto diet, help maintain. Having a higher REE while on a ketogenic diet will improve the rate and efficiency of fat metabolism.

So, at-home workouts are effective as long as you’re also following a weight-loss diet and if you’re exercising intensely and for long enough (over 210 min/week or 30 minutes of exercise per day).

Below are examples of 15 at-home workouts in beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels that you can do to boost fat burning. Do a combo of 5 workouts daily to meet the 150-minutes a week mark (i think most recommendations are now for 30 minutes a day 7 days per week, or, preferably more), and you’ll be burning enough calories to see a difference in your weight loss.

1. Bodyweight lunges

Lunges are probably the best entry-level workouts because they’re simple and work multiple muscles at once. Lunges work your thighs, calves, and glutes but also engage your core. If you’re a beginner, start without any weights and introduce them when you feel ready.

2. Jog in place

Jogging in place is a great cardio workout that can increase your heart rate in-between strength training. You can perform it at a slower pace when you start and increase the intensity with time. While it will definitely get your heart pumping and increase your lung capacity, it doesn’t replace the calorie-burning and muscle-enhancing benefits of running. So, do look at jogging in place as a great warm-up activity for beginners.

3. Squats

Squats are extremely popular weight-bearing workouts because they effectively work all major muscles in your lower body. Squatting helps shape and tone the thighs and buttocks. Squats also strengthen the core, improve balance, and improve bone density.

4. Jumping Jacks

A whole-body cardio workout that brings back childhood memories, jumping jacks are known to improve stamina, relieve stress, enhance flexibility, and stretch the muscles in your limbs, core, and hips.

5. Planks

Another weight-bearing, static workout, planks strengthen the abdominal and back muscles. They’re one of the easiest weight-bearing workouts out there, which is great for beginners.

1. Push-ups

Push-ups help build strength in almost every upper-body muscle. They work the pectorals, shoulders, triceps, wing muscles, and your abdomen. Push-ups are hard for beginners, but perfect for those looking to intensify their workout routine.

2. Mountain climber twist

This is a great aerobic exercise that also works the abs, obliques, hips, legs, and glutes simultaneously. It also engages the chest and shoulders. It boosts your aerobic fitness, agility, and flexibility.

3. Chest presses

The dumbbell chest press strengthens your chest muscles but also your shoulders and triceps. It also works to improve your posture because it engages the core and upper back. Begin with 2-5 pound weighs and increase to 5-8 pound weights after two to three weeks of regular chest presses.

4. Burpees

Also known as squat thrusts, burpees are an intense and dynamic full-body exercise that is used both as strength training and as an aerobic workout. It increases heart and breathing rate, boosts strength and agility, and improved flexibility. It engages all major muscle groups and burns a lot of calories in a short period of time.

5. Cross crunches

If you want to work on your abs and obliques, then this workout will do both. This workout can be done by beginners, but if you increase its intensity, it can make for a great intermediate workout. Besides toning your abdominal region, cross crunches help support a healthy posture.

1. Stability ball press

Make good use of your stability ball by performing this chest press workout at least once a week. It’s mostly chest muscle exercise but that also helps enhance stability and engages the triceps, shoulders, and core muscles.

2. Boat twist

Another exercise that works the abs and obliques, the boat twist is also great for strengthening your lower back for a healthier posture. This one will also push you beyond your limits if you’re just starting out with advanced workouts.

3. Superman’s exercise

This workout complements the boat twist perfectly. It engages your middle and lower back and also works your abdominal muscles. If you need to work on your core, definitely add this fat-burning exercise to your plan.

4. Mountain climber with band

This quick leg motion workout targets obliques, hamstrings, and glutes. Use a resistance band to make for an advanced workout that will help you burn more calories.

5. Triceps Dips

If you want to have toned arms, then triceps dips are a must at-home workout. Besides working the triceps muscles, this exercise also engages the core and chest.

These 15 workouts can help you on your weight-loss journey by boosting your aerobic fitness and muscle strength. With greater muscle strength, you may also increase your REE, which is an important determining factor when it comes to weight loss.

Of course, these workouts will only work when combined with a ketogenic, or other weight-loss diet plan. Make sure that you’re eating fewer calories than you are burning and allow yourself to recover in-between workouts. Often at times, an increase in exercise can increase calorie needs. A ketogenic diet will help to reduce hunger pains, so that you can stay in a calorie deficit.

• A variety of exercises will help you lose weight faster. Try a combination of cardio, resistance training, and interval training.
• At-home workouts are the perfect solution for those who can’t or prefer not to go to the gym.
• Completing at least 150 minutes of aerobic activity each week promotes good health.
• If you want to achieve weight loss, aim for more than 150 minutes per week.
• The ketogenic diet won’t cause a drop in REE (resting energy expenditure) and will boost fat metabolism.