Fitness lovers are mostly pretty excited about the prospect of gyms opening up again later this week.

But not everyone is keen. For those who have been shielding, or still feeling anxious about the uncertainty of the pandemic, rushing back to the gym might not be high on the list of priorities.

The good news is that so many people have got really good at working out at home. In the living room, bedroom or garden. And there’s no reason why you can’t keep doing that.

Discount code platform Savoo has chatted with personal trainers and fitness coaches across the country to find out their top tips for keeping fit at home that doesn’t require you to break the bank buying any equipment.

Going back to the gym this weekend is a personal decision, and for those that are not quite comfortable with returning, there are plenty of home workouts to keep you fit and saving money as well.

From water bottle boxing to wall walks, here’s how you can keep fit at home on a budget:

Tricep dips

Anthony Mayatt at Breathe Fitness reveals that tricep dips are one of the easiest exercises you can do from the comfort of your own sofa to help improve upper body strength.

This particular move can be done perfectly using the arm of a sofa or the edge of your bed as they support the body and are generally the perfect height.

While a chair can be used for this movement, Mayatt advises to avoid one with wheels.

Squats

Squats are one of the most popular moves at the gym and are also an extremely easy exercise to do from home.

Using a chair is a great way to adjust your technique by lowering yourself until you reach the seat, ensuring you are working all the right muscles. 

Use your wall for versatile exercises

Functional Fitness coach, Joey Harrison at Harrison Fitness says you can get the heart pumping with no equipment at all.

All you need is some wall space. During a workout, Harrison Fitness recommends 30-second wall-sit holds to get the glutes burning.

Other exercises you can do include wall-walks, and handstand holds to improve both your upper body strength and balance. 

Stairs

Breathe Fitness explains there are machines at the gym that quite literally recreate the motion of climbing up stairs.

As something you can do from the comfort of your own home, this will elevate your heart rate and really work the muscles in your lower body.

Plus, OriGym says the stairs are another great location to practice your tricep dips.

Resistance workouts

At the gym, we are used to using machinery to apply resistance to our workouts.

According to OriGym you can do this just as easily at home, as long as you find the right anchor point.

Door handles and table legs can be used as a great spot for resistance bands to help you level up your workout and increase your strength.

Another great anchor point is between your sofa and the floor, placing your feet in between whilst doing ab crunches. 

Perfect your form with a broomstick

Form is crucial for ensuring your body is working the right muscles and preventing injury.

Personal trainers have found that a simple broomstick can be a great way to perfect your form when planking.

Simply place the stick onto your back to ensure you are in the correct position. 

Get creative with your weights

Weights aren’t always cheap, and there are many affordable alternatives you can use at home.

Some of the most recommended home weight ideas from personal trainers include milk bottles filled with rice or sand to large bottles of water.

Filling up bottles with different substances allows you to adjust the weight easily.

Make up two weights for the equivalent of a dumbbell or kettlebell for each arm ready to work out with.  

These weights can also be used to add additional resistance, for example through placing them in a backpack or gym bag. 

Water bottle boxing 

Creative weights can also be used for practicing your boxing.

Women’s health specialist Julie Bartlett reveals that all you need to do is grab two water bottles, get the music going and set your time for 30-second workout intervals to work on jab crosses, and fast punches forward as you squat down and up.

It’s a fantastic and easy way to increase your heart rate and have fun while you’re at it.  

The ultimate cushion workout

Normally used to lie down and get comfy, who thought a cushion could be used to get fit?

Julie Bartlett describes workouts where all you need is a cushion and a timer. Doing 3-5 sets of these five cushion exercises will get the blood pumping at home. 

Exercise one:

This movement involves squatting, throwing, and catching the cushion.

You will need to hold the cushion close to your chest, squatting down, and as you rise up to stand, throw the cushion up, catch and repeat until your timer beeps after 1 minute. 

Exercise two:

The next exercise includes holding the cushion high, followed by throwing it overhead behind you.

Then run backwards to retrieve it and run back to your original starting point to start the exercise again.

Exercises three and four:

The third movement is lunges, holding the cushion out in front of you, followed by the fourth exercise which is side-stepping to a set distance with the cushion held close to your chest.  

Exercise five:

The fifth and final movement you can try out from home with a cushion is a wide plie squat, keeping the cushion in between your legs on the ground you will work on lifting the cushion from the floor to above your head, before placing back down and repeating the exercise. 

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