Getting fit isn’t just about having a gym membership. It is determined by your motivation and picking the best exercises to accomplish your goals. Sometimes, it can feel like you have hit a wall in your training routine. 

If you feel this way, it is helpful to switch things up. It helps to target different muscles and continuously challenge yourself in new ways that push your fitness further. Finding new exercises and different ways to combine them helps accomplish this goal.

Even if you don’t feel like going to the gym, or just don’t have the time, working out at home can be equally beneficial. Find at-home workouts to supplement your gym plans, or make working out at home your new norm.

At the beginning of the article, we have five different workout formats to use at home. Don’t just stick to one of them, but give all five a try to find the one that pushes you the most. Some of them only involve body weight, while others are easier to do with certain materials.

After the combinations, we have specific exercises that target your core, including abdominals and back muscles, then those for the legs, and then highlights for your arms. Combine these individual advanced exercises into one of the workout plans to mix it up, or make a regimen including a back day, arm day, leg day, and so on.

Workout Combinations

Workout combinations don’t just mean piecing together, slow, progressive movements. Some of these can be put together to be a high-intensity cardio workout, while others might choose to highlight moves that build up muscles quickly.

15 – 1 Training

This training style makes up a ratio. If you aren’t sure about the number, opt to make it a 10 to 1 or a 12 to 1 instead. The idea is to choose two exercises for the entire workout. Start by doing 15 of the first exercise and ending with the second exercise. Alternate each movement, but each round decrease the number of reps in the first exercise by one and add one to the second exercise until it is essentially 1 – 15.

The key to this training model is to do it as quickly as possible. Doing them consecutively is a must and is why starting with a lower ratio might be a good idea if you want to build fitness. Increase the ratio every time you have taken a significant amount of time, such as one minute, off of the prior ratio set.

Tabata Training

Tabata training is a Japanese style of interval training. It is a type of high-intensity interval training and is meant to be a shorter workout that increases your heart rate to get prime results out of the session.

The format for a session of Tabata intervals includes 20 seconds of high-intensity exercise and 10 seconds of rest. It should be repeated eight times for a total of four minutes of exercise. It can then be repeated for other exercises until the end of the workout.

Put it to Music

Not everyone is under a big-time crunch when it comes to at-home workouts. If you want something less intense but still get the blood pounding and build up your muscles, try putting the session to music.

Find songs that are around the same length. Designate songs that are meant for arms, legs, abs, and so on. If you want, choose more than one song to continue the workout in the specific area of the body for the number of desired reps.

HIIT Training

HIIT workouts are some of the most common cardio and muscle training workouts. The acronym stands for High Intensity Interval Training. Tabata is among the methods that can be counted as HIIT Training. However, there are many other ratios and combinations to use to get an effective interval workout.

To qualify as a HIIT workout, you need to bring yourself to the maximum effort during each set whether they are 20 seconds or 90 seconds. The length of the rest period depends on the length of the set, but should be kept the same throughout the entire workout.

Pyramid Plan

Pyramid training is meant to work both on the strength of the muscles as well as their endurance. If you were to graph out the number of reps in each set in correlation with the weight in each, it would end up forming a pyramid.

To train with a pyramid plan, choose a series of workouts, and approach them one at a time. Start with lighter weights but a higher number of reps. Then, each set, increase the weight and decrease the number of reps. Do this until you reach the “top” of the pyramid, and then invert it, reducing the weight but increasing the number of reps.

Core Workouts

Core exercises target areas around the abdominal section of the body, as well as the back muscles. Strengthening your core is vital to having a well-balanced body and preventing harm during harder exercises.

Superman

Lay on the ground, stomach-side down. Lift your front section, arms, chest, and head off the ground along with your legs up to the upper thighs. Hold this bent position, tightening the muscles in your back and glutes. Hold for thirty seconds or do pulses up and down to strengthen back and glute muscles.

Roll-out

Use a roller or weights for this exercise. Get down on your knees, placing your hands on the weights or on either side of the roller in front of you. Slowly roll it in front of you, extending your arms and core until they are as close as parallel to the ground as possible. Then, draw yourself back into a flat-back position. This exercise may be difficult at first, but the stronger the core, the easier it will be to roll farther out.

Leg Raise

Lie on your back and raise both of your legs straight up into the air. Your legs and your core should form a 45-degree angle. Lift them off the ground until your butt is off the mat and in the air. Lower them back down and then lower your legs until they hover just above the floor. Raise your legs back up to repeat until the number of reps has been completed.

Push-ups (one leg or clapping)

Push-ups can be a move applicable for people that are beginners or intermediate. They can be made more advanced by adding additional maneuvers into the basic movements. Instead of forming a plank with your arms extended and legs out propped on your toes, lift one leg up and off the ground.

Another option is to keep the general form, but push yourself up quickly and clap your hands together before lowering yourself back down again.

V-ups

Lay on your back and extend your legs and arms into the air. Lift both further off the floor simultaneously and then drop them back down to a more relaxed position. Repeat for the desired amount of sets.

Mountain Climbers

Come into a similar position as a push-up. Lift one leg at a time, taking the knee under your core, and around to touch your elbow. Bring the foot back, so the leg is straight and then pick the other leg up and bring the knee to touch the elbow.

Side Plank Star

Come into a side plank position by setting your palm and the ground and propping your legs up on the side of the foot, extending your core into the air. To make this move even harder, lift the top leg, and extend the top arm to form a star position. Hold for as long as the set requires.

Leg Workouts

There are multiple major muscle groups in the legs. Only doing one or two different types of workouts doesn’t target all of these muscle groups. Keep a variety of exercises in your workouts to tone and work each one of the muscles.

Jump Squat

Start in a standing position with your legs hip width apart. Lower yourself into a squat, allowing the top of your legs and your lower legs perpendicular to each other. Straighten up quickly and launch off the floor to jump into the air. Repeat to meet the desired number of reps.

Power Snatch

Hold a dumbbell in one hand. Keep it between your legs with your knees slightly bent. Rapidly extend your hips away from your ankles. Once it is straight, drop back into a half squat and catch the weight overhead. Let the weight drop down and move into a squat again.

Squat Press

Hold dumbbells in both of your hands. Lower your body into a squat and keep your dumbbells at shoulder level. When you raise up to straighten your body and press the weights up over your head. When you lower into a squat, lower the dumbbells back down to the shoulder level.

One-leg Deadlift

Challenge each leg at a time by lifting up one leg at a time. Hold a weight in the hand on the same side as the planted leg. Keep your back straight and lower the weight and upper body into a deadlift while keeping the other leg extended the entire time.

Side Lunge

Stand in an upright position. Instead of moving forward into a lunger, bring your leg sideways and drop down into a side lunge. Come back up and bring the leg to the center. Do the same thing on the other side to even yourself out.

Front Squat

This move is the most equipment heavy among this collection. Use weights, one held in each hand. Put one foot up on a flat, high surface. Dip into a front squat. Your front leg should form a 90-degree angle when you dip down. Straighten your front leg to come back up into a standing position, with the back leg still extended back on the back surface.

Arm Workouts

In order to work all the parts of your arms mix up tricep, bicep, and forearm exercises. Make sure to mix the exercises to get a thorough workout.

Tricep Dips

Use a bench, the edge of a chair, or anything that is flat and extended. Put your hands on the front end of the chosen object. Prop your legs and upper body up on your heels. For one rep, lower your body down until you were just above the ground, bending your elbows. Come back up by straightening your arms.

Handstand Push-up

If you can do a handstand, you are halfway there to be able to do this move. If not, move into a handstand by propping yourself up against a wall or other supportive object. Once in a handstand, bend your elbows slowly to lower your head just above the ground. Push back up until your arms are straight.

Burpee

Jump up, extending your arms straight up. When you come down, fold your knees and jump into a plank. Lower yourself into a push up, straighten up and bring your body into a squat. Propel yourself upward so that you jump up into the air.

Dumbbell Row

Hold weights in both hands. Bend your knees slightly and lean over. Extend one, or both, arms until they are straight down. Pick them back up until the elbow comes to a 45-degree angle. The whole movement should resemble a rowing motion.

Kettlebell Thrusts

Use a kettlebell or a weight and hold it in one hand at shoulder height. Stand straight up and extend the weight straight up into the air, overhead. Lower it back down to shoulder height. Repeat until the desired number of sets has been reached.

Pull-ups

Pull-ups are easiest to do with a pull-up bar or a similarly stable bar across a door or on a machine. Stretch the arms upward and grip the bar with the hands facing away from the body. Pull your body up until your chin above the bar. Fold your legs at your knees to keep them from hitting the floor when you lower your body back down towards the ground.