-1GYM FREE WORKOUT 1: Standard - Beginner

Below is an exercise plan that can be performed in the comfort of your own home using only bodyweight exercises and a resistance band. This is ideal for beginners and people who are not accustomed to training at a gym, but can also be used by individuals of more advanced fitness levels by adding weights to the exercises, possibly in the form of dumbells (or anything similar you can find at home such as water bottles, tins of food etc).

There is no cardiovascular exercise prescribed (read 'Cardio Myth...' article!). This plan demonstrates the use of resistance training to tone and sculpt the whole body by exercising the major muscles groups, but if you want to do some additional cardio to maximise fat burning then throw in some sprints at the end of the workout (try 5 - 10 lots of 60 second sprints).

Any questions, just go to the 'Free Fitness' page and get in touch via the 'Questions' link.

Remember, you get out of training what you put in......... so train hard! Enjoy!

Warm up

....for 5 mins with some gentle exercises, such as light jogging, bodyweight squats (gradually getting deeper) and press ups (on knees for beginners).

Lower Body And Torso Circuit

Do the exercises below in the order shown, with little to no rest between exercises (up to 15 secs). Once you have completed the circuit once through, take 2-3 mins rest before attempting another round. Try to complete the circuit a total of 2-3 times.

• Bodyweight squats x 15 reps

Start

....Brace your abdominal muscles and stand in a neutral position, feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Flex (bend) at the knees to lower yourself down to bring your thighs parallel with the floor then return to the start position.

Tip: The lower you go, the more your glutes (muscles in your bum) work.

2. Lunges x 10 reps each leg

Start

....From standing, take a pace forward and flex the knee to lower yourself to the floor (as shown). Return to the start position and then repeat, alternating legs.

Tip: To engage the glutes further, take a longer stride. A shorter stride emphasises the muscles in the front of the legs (quads).

• The Plank

Try to hold this position for 30 - 60 seconds, keeping your back straight, in its neutral position! If this is too difficult you may lower onto your knees for a slightly easier variation.

• Lateral lunges x 10 reps each leg

You can advance this move by adding weights or reaching to touch the toes of your flexed (bent) leg with the opposite arm.

Start

• Seated Russian twists x 15-20 reps each side

Start

1. Sit at a 45 degree angle, feet on the floor, with flexed knees.

2. Place hands as shown above and rotate your torso to either side, trying to keep hips and back in a neutral position.

3. Use core (abdominal) strength to support yourself in the position shown without falling backwards.

With the lower body and torso exercises complete, we can now move on to exercising the chest and back. These are two of the three largest muscle groups in the body (legs being the other major group) and so the more lean muscle you hold in these areas, the more calories you will burn when at rest!

Chest

Perform 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions of the exercises shown below in order to work the muscles in the chest.

• Lying chest press (with resistance band)

Start

4. Keep the elbows in line with the wrists

5. Avoid locking the elbows

6. To make this exercise harder you could 'double up' the resistance band. Bands vary in the resistance they provide and so you could try higher resistance one.

Back

Perform 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions of the exercises shown below in order to work the muscles in the back.

• Seated row (with resistance band)

Start

7. Keep your head up and shoulders drawn back, keeping the back straight

8. Pull the band towards your torso, drawing the elbow back just past the torso (as seen above)

9. Squeeze the shoulder blades together to emphasise the contraction before returning to the start

Cool down and then .....

Stretch

It is important to stretch at the end of the workout in order to allow the muscles you have worked to return to their original length. It will also allow the development of flexibility and can aid muscular strength and endurance gains. Stretch all the muscles you have been working in the session. Hold all stretches for a minimum of 15 seconds for maintenance, and to develop flexibility hold stretches for at least 30 seconds.