in-home exercise

January 28, 2020 9:05 AM

I would like to spend 20-30 minutes a day in my home with some kind of exercise routine that builds flexibility and strength, and I'm overwhelmed by the options. What would you recommend?

I'm interested in increasing my body's strength and flexibility and am not prioritizing losing weight. I'm looking for recommendations for specific routines you like and have done.

I'm happy to purchase stuff but to start I'd like to spend under $50. There is SO MUCH out there that I'm feeling overwhelmed; thank you for any suggestions!

posted by 2019 to Health & Fitness (19 answers total)

I like Cassie Ho's workout videos. It's basically fun pilates and you can use whatever combo of videos to work on specific body parts/goals as well as to fit the time you have. She has many videos on youtube so you could easily try a few without having to invest any money to see if you like it first
posted by raccoon409 at 9:12 AM on January 28, 2020 [1 favorite]

Check out Warrior X-Fit

Website is free all you need is a set of resistant bands
posted by tman99 at 9:15 AM on January 28, 2020

Yoga with Adriene! She has a TON of free videos on YouTube. And I like how she’s encouraging without being pushy and is all about doing what’s right for your own body.
posted by Weeping_angel at 9:39 AM on January 28, 2020 [15 favorites]

I love the Down Dog yoga app. The subscription fee I paid was $35 for the year. It seems to work at a lot of skill levels and you can set the time and difficulty for the workout. Yoga with Adriene is great too.
posted by entropyiswinning at 9:45 AM on January 28, 2020

The Sweat app, specifically the Kayla Itsines workouts which are designed to be done at home with simple cheap (or no) equipment. They are 28 minutes long and intended to be done at most 3x a week. If I remember correctly, the Sweat trainers recommend your other 4 days be 2 days of low intensity cardio (walking, jogging, biking), a day of rest, and a day for cross-training (any other activity you like).
posted by amaire at 9:50 AM on January 28, 2020

You're most likely going to get just as overwhelmed by the range of options listed here. I've been doing simple bodyweight exercises at home for the past weeks, and it has worked very well with my schedule and results that I wanted. However, I can't be bothered by creating my routines, so I decided to use a smartphone app to guide me through the exercises and develop routines for me.

Currently using Madbarz (silly name but it has worked very well) and reasonably priced for what it provides.
posted by wile e at 9:50 AM on January 28, 2020

Recommend starting with the 7-minute workout, perhaps doing 2-3 sets if you want to. There are many apps, some free, including the Johnson & Johnson one (which we used, was free, and has many variations and levels of intensity). It's all bodyweight and furniture, but will work you as hard as you are willing. If you advance beyond what this kind of workout can do for you, look for more advanced stuff with equipment and/or fees.

Until then, keep it simple and work on building the habit (which is the first thing to build, rather than endurance/flexibility/strength).
posted by seanmpuckett at 10:03 AM on January 28, 2020 [1 favorite]

Darebee. It has 30 day programs of all kinds, plus over 1000 workouts you can filter, depending on what you're looking for--bodyweight, dumbbells, stretching yoga, degrees of difficulty, etc. It's even got office workouts.
posted by ceejaytee at 10:17 AM on January 28, 2020 [3 favorites]

Barre classes, all you need is a bar stool and carpet or grip socks and it's a fantastic workout that will improve your posture and work the hell out of your core, glutes, hams, calves and back. Bonus: almost all Barre classes come in 10, 15, 30 and 45 minute versions so you can always get a work out in your schedule. I like Purre Barre which is $30/mo but they also have physical locations so you can do a class once in a while to get tips and pointers. There are tons of options though, DVDs, videos, you tube etc. I do it every day or every other day and throw in some yoga with Adrienne and body strength workouts and walks/ hikes. I don't find yoga to be much of a workout but I like the flexibility aspect.

One warning, Barre is hard as fuck, don't get discouraged if you have to take a lot of breaks the first few weeks, your legs will get stronger!
posted by fshgrl at 10:56 AM on January 28, 2020 [2 favorites]

If you're looking to increase strength you might at least glance at your diet. If you're looking to gain strength, make sure you're getting 1.4-1.8 g/kg of bodyweight (or 0.63-0.81 g/lb of bodyweight). I have serious doubts that many people are even getting the 0.8 g/kg recommended for sedentary people.

Cite: recommended protein consumption. Cite: protein and kidney health..
posted by nobeagle at 11:29 AM on January 28, 2020

Madfit - made specifically for exercising at home with minimal or no equipment. Sometimes I combine a few of the 10 or 15 minute workouts but there are plenty that can be done on their own.
posted by rokabiri at 11:43 AM on January 28, 2020

Nthing Sweat with Kayla. My wife has been using it 5x weekly for over a year. She is SUPER STRONG now! Like carried 50x 80lb bags of cement into our back yard and then 30x of them back when we didn't need them strong. Like can do nearly 30 full pushups without stopping strong. And she couldn't do any of that before.
posted by MonsieurBon at 12:44 PM on January 28, 2020 [3 favorites]

Another big thumbs up for Adriene, been doing the 30-day challenge with my partner and it's a lovely intro to yoga practice. Already seeing an impact on flexibility and mental state.
posted by Freyja at 12:53 PM on January 28, 2020

For the last 2.5 years I've used Fitbit coach, I like that it switches up the routines but has a common vocabulary across all the sessions so I don't have to learn a new move every time.
posted by Carillon at 1:00 PM on January 28, 2020

I like Hasfit videos. They have a ton of videos and programs. They also have an app.

Hasfit.com

Youtube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/KozakSportsPerform
posted by brandnewday989 at 1:59 PM on January 28, 2020

Not the most direct answer to your question, but if you, or anyone else reading this, would like an accountability buddy to help w this exercise-at-home project, feel free to memail me. I used to workout with a friend "virtually" and it was so helpful, but her schedule changed and I miss it! (And it really helped us both to actually do it)
posted by elgee at 2:58 PM on January 28, 2020 [1 favorite]

Body weight fitness routines might be worth a look. Instead of buying weights or equipment, they are based around routines of things like push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, etc.

I personally have had success staying on the quick "ladder" routine that's part of the Hacker's Diet, but there are a couple to pick from on the BodyWeightFitness subreddit wiki that may be more useful to you.
posted by hankscorpio83 at 3:10 PM on January 28, 2020

I really like Rachel Aust. She has a Youtube channel and caters specifically to home workouts and stretching routines. (She labels a lot of her stuff "fat-burning" for optics, but obviously they're gonna make you strong, too). She's also a nutritionist and has videos on that, too. Her stuff is simple, no-fluff, no bullshit, approachable.

On her website, EatRunLift, she has downloadable e-books for workouts and a nutrition guide. Cost ranging $9-$35.
posted by E3 at 5:54 PM on January 28, 2020

I second Darebee. It's free itself, and most of the workouts require no equipment.
posted by NotLost at 8:20 PM on January 28, 2020