It’s no secret that getting in shape can be a real challenge. And for a lot of people, trudging off to the gym can seem like the only option.

But what if there were other ways? What if you could get fit without having to go to the gym?

It’s definitely possible. In fact, there are tons of different types of workouts you can do right at home, many with no special equipment required!

So don’t let the idea of going to the gym hold you back from getting fit and feeling better – there are plenty of other options!

Here are 41 tips and ideas to get you started!

At Home Workout Guidelines

  1. Find workouts and exercises you love: This tip can NOT be overstated. If you hate running, starting a running program just doesn’t make any sense! You want to find an activity you enjoy, or at least find tolerable – that’s the only way you can stick with it.
  2. Spend money on your exercise equipment: This one won’t work for everyone, but… As an example, I hate cardio. I won’t run unless I’m being chased by a bear. But, you know what I hate more than cardio? Wasting money. So, I bought a pair of cycling shoes. I don’t love spinning, but I have no problem doing it because I already spent the money on the shoes! 
  3. Commit three months to your program: Before you even start an exercise program, really sit with it and picture yourself doing it. Imagine doing it during the week, during holiday breaks. Envision yourself jumping rope (or whatever) in the winter. If you can’t honestly see yourself sticking it out for three months, find an alternative. Much like exercise, quitting can be habit forming as well.
  4. Set realistic expectations: I spent years and years working out, wondering why I didn’t look like Chris Hemsworth in Thor or Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool. It turns out, those looks are incredibly difficult to achieve, much less maintain! If you’re not a professional actor, planning to start a pretty serious steroid regimen, or quit your day job, you need to set specific, achievable goals for yourself! For example, I’m in my 40’s and 6’ tall. My goal is to maintain as much strength as I can, and hit 9-10% body fat (~176 lbs).
  5. Integrate your exercise plan with a meal plan: Exercise is fantastic all on its own, and has unquestioned health benefits, both physically and mentally. If your specific, achievable goal from above is in any way related to your appearance, then you need to consider how your diet impacts your plan. And I mean diet-the-noun, not diet-the-verb. Do NOT “go on a diet.” Work to make long-lasting changes to how you eat. For example, if you’re American, you’re most likely eating too many carbs, too much fat, and not nearly enough lean protein. 
Start small, then improve. But focus on START

Minimal Equipment Workout Ideas

  1. Start an at home yoga practice: With just a few square feet, a yoga mat and YouTube you can start practicing yoga in your living room, bedroom or even patio.
  2. Pilates: You can begin practicing Pilates at home, also with nothing but a yoga mat and YouTube. No need for an expensive reformer. Just search mat pilates and get to work.
  3. Resistance bands: A compact alternative to weights, resistance bands are available in various materials and thicknesses to simulate weight. Bands are a great option for physical therapy, home workouts, and, especially, training small muscle groups (like shoulders).
  4. Check out local parks: It’s not uncommon for your neighborhood park to contain an assortment of workout equipment. In my neighborhood, the local park has various pull up bars and a set of parallel bars. An easy workout routine, for example, would be a jog to the park, a few sets of pull ups, a few sets of dips, a few sets of push ups, and then a jog home.

Cardio Exercises

  1. Jump rope: A few dollars at your local sporting goods store, and you’ve got the perfect torture cardio device to improve your cardiovascular strength. I like a Tabata style: 20 seconds jumping, 10 resting. Work up to 30 minutes (60 cycles) if you can.
  2. Running in place: It’s just like it sounds. It’s all the fun of running on a treadmill, without the weird vertigo when you stop! You could also do shuttle runs down your street or in the park.
  3. Mountain climbers: Start in a push up/plank position, then pull one knee to your elbow. Then switch to the other! Repeat. Like jump roping, I like to work towards a 2:1 work/rest ratio, then push for more cycles and/or longer work periods.
  4. Jumping jacks: It doesn’t have to be throwback Thursday to get your elementary school PE vibe going. Jumping jacks are a great source of cardio. Follow the guidelines mentioned above for jump rope or mountain climbers. Just don’t forget your headband!
  5. Burpees: Do you enjoy zipping your pants up too quickly? How about stubbing your toes? Then, woo boy, do I have the workout for you! Burpees take all the fun of push ups, mix in the joy of box jumps, piling them into distilled misery on earth one full body workout. Shoot for 8 rounds: 1 minute of as many burpees as you can, one minute rest. Then try to increase your burpee counts or rounds from there.
  6. Mix and match: A favorite of the CrossFit crowd, come up with your own mix of the above exercises.
  7. Swimming: If you have access to a swimming pool, then exercise just got a lot easier. Lap swimming is a great, non-impact activity to improve your fitness that you can do right in the backyard (or park, or wherever)!
  8. HIIT: A shorthand for High Intensity Interval Training, HIIT is much like the mix and match option above. The key is to spend 25-30 minutes focusing on high intensity exercises for brief periods. For example, you might jump rope for 30 seconds, rest 30 seconds, do burpees for 60 seconds, then rest for 60 seconds, and so on…
  9. Body weight training and calisthenics: You’ve likely heard of pushups, but there’s a whole wide world of body weight exercises that help you develop nearly every muscle in your body. From handstand pushups to pistol squats, you can develop incredible strength with almost no equipment at all!
  10. Start an at home workout program like P90X: Beachbody has a huge array of home workout programs for every fitness level. Whether you’ve got a full home gym, or nothing at all, there’s a course you can complete.

Small Home Gym Ideas

  1. Start with adjustable dumbbells and bench: With a little creativity, you can do heavy lifts (or not) for every major muscle group with just an adjustable bench and adjustable dumbbells. I’m mid remodel and making due with this exact setup right now!
  2. Stationary bike: If there’s one non-weightlifting item I’d recommend for every home gym, it’s a stationary bike. Stationary bikes are great for cardio, easy on your joints, compact, and available at nearly every price point.
  3. Install a pull up bar: Bodyweight pull ups are one of the best exercises to develop strength in your arms, back and core. Pull up bars are available in many varieties, including stands and designs that fit into your door frame.

Additional Equipment to Streamline Your Workout

  1. Floor mats: Whether you’re doing bodyweight exercises or deadlifts, a good set of floor mats will protect your home, your joints, and your equipment.
  2. Foam roller: Apart from massage, there’s no better way to work out sore muscles than a quality foam roller.
  3. LaCrosse/trigger point ball: Need more targeted massage? Using a LaCrosse or trigger point ball is a great way to focus on injured or sore muscles.
  4. Body back buddy: a variation on the trigger point ball, the Body Back Buddy is a self massage tool designed for myofascial release. It offers acupressure as it helps you get into deep muscle tissue to relieve aches and pains.
  5. Gym timer: So, me personally, I’d love to spend all day at the gym. But I realize that’s not actually practical, nor am I, uh, normal. So, I use a gym timer. When I lift weights it keeps my rest periods on track. And when I’m doing cardio, a good timer paces my HIIT sessions.
  6. Journal: Chalk it up to my age, I guess… But I don’t like using apps on my phone. For anything really. Instead, for my morning workouts, I go old-school and hand write my lifts. I keep my journal in my workout bag, and can refer back to it to see what I did last week, last month or last year. 
  7. Portable speaker: A growing body of research shows that music is beneficial for your fitness goals. Now that I workout in my home gym (so my music only bothers my wife 😆), I use a bluetooth speaker to stay motivated and dialed in.
  8. Olympic barbell: So… I could make a lot of arguments for why you should lift weights, but I won’t do that here. Instead, I’ll just say that a good barbell is a worthy investment if you’re planning to lift weights.
  9. Bumper plates: If you #LoveDeadlifts (like me), or if CrossFit is your bag, then investing in a good set of bumper plates is a good call. Not only are bumper plates designed for the wear and tear of Olympic lifts, they’ll help protect your floors as well.
  10. Quality barbell collars: I’ll admit it, I used to workout at my local YMCA with the generic metal springy looking barbell collars, and never gave them a second thought. Then one day they replaced them with some sweet blue plastic collars, and, uh… Yeah, I’m a convert! Not only do they actually secure your plates better, they’re so much easier to use! 
  11. Dip stand: Having spent my entire adolescence doing gymnastics, I am unquestionably biased. Nevertheless, nobody will ever convince me there’s a better tricep exercise than dips. I use this PRX attachment with…
  12. Weight belt: Yeah buddy! A weight belt! What’s more fun than dips? Dips with weights dangling around your waist! I also use mine for weighted pull ups.
  13. Medicine ball: I like to think of medicine balls as the equipment equivalent of burpees. I mean… sure, they’ll give you a good workout. They just have that extra flair of misery. Take a stab at the CrossFit Karen WOD and I think you’ll understand!
  14. Grip strengtheners: Lots of dudes like to focus on their forearms, and grip strengtheners are an easy way to go!
  15. Safety squat bar: I find these are love/hate for most people. I’m a big fan of front squats, so a safety squat bar doesn’t have much appeal to me. However, they are excellent for helping with form on back squats, if that’s your jam!
  16. Treadmill: Running is a fantastic exercise… for you, not me. Anyway, a high quality treadmill is a great investment if you’re one of those crazy people that can achieve the (I’m sure mythical) runner’s high.
  17. Rowing machine: A great alternative to a stationary bike, rowing machines offer you a great full body and cardiovascular workout. What’s more, they’re available in tons of price points, shapes and sizes, so finding one to fit into your home is pretty straightforward.

Top of the Line Home Gym Ideas

  1. Install a foldable squat rack: My first experience with a foldable squat rack was about 3 weeks into the pandemic. It suddenly dawned on me that, not only was I not going to the gym for a while, it was going to be a looong while. I installed a PRX Profile rack in my carport, and haven’t looked back!
  2. Buy a power rack: If you’ve got the space and inclination to focus on heavy weightlifting, then investing in a power rack is the way to go. These designs typically look like a giant cage, enabling you to bench, squat and press to your heart’s delight!