Strength Training Routine For Home

If you want to work at home, you can do a routine with dumbbells or stretchy bands or buy yourself more elaborate equipment.  This simple beginner's strength routine can be done with a set of dumbbells and a firm bench or two wooden straight chairs.  Do this ten exercise routine twice a week with at least 2 days between each workout.  Before beginning, make sure you learn about good exercise form from someone you can trust.

Review the concepts in Getting Started With Strength Training.  Let me remind you of common mistakes made by beginners.

1. Poor form, such as a rounded back or unequal movement on the two sides of the body.

2. Moving too quickly and bouncing or jerking with the movement.

3. Shortening the full range of motion in order to make the movement easier.

4. Focusing on isolation exercises rather than compound, multi-muscle exercises.

5. Doing many, many reps and sets with very low weight.  This is not an effective way to build muscle.

Strength train 2 days a week with 2-3 days between each session

All you need for this workout is a set of removable plate dumbbells.  You can get a good 40 lb. set at New York Barbell for a good price.  If you add 4 1 1/4 lb plates to the basic set, you have all you need.

Warm up—dancing or walking or using aerobic equipment you have at home

1. Wall or Sit-Back Squat—quadriceps, buttocks, and hamstrings

3. Bridge—gluts, hamstrings, abs

3. Toe Raise—calves

4. Seated Overhead Press—shoulders, upper back, triceps

5. One-Arm Dumbbell Row—upper back, shoulders, biceps

6. Wall Press or Push up—pectorals, triceps, anterior deltoids

7. Upward Row—deltoid, trapezius, bicep, and forearm

8. Back Extension or Modified Stiff-leg Deadlift—back erectors, hamstrings, gluts

9. Side Bend—oblique abdominals and back erectors

10. Sit back for abs—rectus abdominals

 Cool down with 5 minutes of walking, dancing, or stretching

© 2005 Elaine Mansfield