In this new and exciting series, we’ll be going over some of the most effective home workouts. We’ll take a look at what they’re made of and why they’re truly the most effective.
This week, at-home strength workouts will be our focus.
Throughout our blog, I’ve discussed the benefits of strength training regardless of the goal. If you’d like to read more in depth on that, check out our “Best Piece of Equipment” series. In short, strength workouts are one of the most effective workouts because strength carries over to many aspects of health and fitness, and can help you reach any goal (unless your goal is to become weaker, of course). If you want to lose body fat, strength training will help you build a faster metabolism. If you want to build muscle, strength training will call upon your body to use calories to build muscle. If you want to live a longer, happier, healthier, injury-free life, strength training will help you do so.
In order to reap the benefits of strength training, we need to break down what com
Many people lift weights, but few get the benefits they are looking for because they fail to strength train. Training for strength looks much different than you may think. In order for our body to become stronger, it needs to be exposed to a stimulus (weights) that force it to become stronger in order to adapt. All this means is that you need to be lifting heavier weights to become stronger. As you may know, there is more to it than the weight that you lift. Reps, sets, and rest periods matter, too. If you were to take a look at all of the scientific studies out there, you’d most likely come to the conclusion that lifting for 2-6 reps will offer the most strength increases. This is mostly true. However, in my years of coaching and training I have learned that there are exceptions to the rule. One of those exceptions is that you will benefit most from whatever you have not been doing. So, if you’ve been lifting for 4-6 reps for the longest time, you may see strength increases from doing 6-8 reps, or 2-4 reps. Generally speaking, doing what you haven’t been doing will reap the most benefit. However, I know that most individuals don’t train in lower rep ranges. If that’s you, 2-6 reps is a great place to be.
Now, I can easily grab 2-pound weights and lift them for 2 reps. However, I will not see the same benefit when compared to lifting 40-pound weights. The reps matter when you have the correct weight selected. The “correct” weight is different for all of us, but I have a general guideline that should help you find the right weight. The weight you select should allow you to reach your target reps, just shy of 1-2 reps short of failure. So, if you are trying to complete five reps, the weight you use should allow you to get 5 reps done, knowing you could only do 6, maybe 7 repetitions if your life depended on it.
After you’ve finished your target reps, what do you do? You rest. This is an area where most people struggle. They feel that if their lungs aren’t burning and they’re not drenched in sweat, they didn’t have an effective home workout. Especially when it comes to strength. The biggest contributor to your strength is your central nervous system. Your CNS needs more time to recover between sets than other systems in your body. If you are wanting to get stronger, I recommend resting 90 seconds between sets at an absolute minimum. 2 minutes is more optimal.
So, what does this look like put together? Here is a sample at-home strength workout you can do to get stronger, speed up your metabolism, and improve your lean muscle.
Barbell Back Squat
4 sets, 4-6 reps, 2 minute rest
Barbell Row
4 sets, 4-6 reps, 2 minute rest
Dumbbell Walking Lunge
3 sets, 4-6 reps per leg, 2 minute rest
Barbell Bench Press
4 sets, 4-6 reps, 2 minute rest
Pullup
3 sets, 4-6 reps, 2 minute rest
Barbell Overhead Press
3 sets, 4-6 reps, 2 minute rest
Barbell Bicep Curl
4 sets, 6-8 reps, 2 minute rest
Dumbbell Tricep Skullcrusher
4 sets, 6-8 reps, 2 minute rest
Decline Bench Sit-Up
4 sets, 8-10 reps, 2 minute rest
Ready to get started with your at-home strength workouts? If you have questions or need assistance in selecting the right equipment, reach out to one of our fitness experts at your nearest Push Pedal Pull location!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adam is a fitness professional, baseball fan, and cookie fanatic based in Fort Collins, Colorado. After hanging up the cleats, he found a strong interest in the human body and how it performs. Since then, Adam has been transforming lives through fitness in a fun and encouraging atmosphere. As an ACE CPT and Fitness Nutrition Specialist, he is constantly moved to help people improve in all walks of life.