If you’re reading this, it might be because you don’t have enough time to train. Or maybe winter weather (cold, rain, snow) makes you want to stay indoors instead of heading out. Either way, training at home is absolutely doable if you get a little organised. There are plenty of smart ways to get your workout done at home.
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How to do a workout at home
Let’s be honest, training at home every single day isn’t the best way to maximise progress and performance. Still, some sessions are perfect to do indoors when the weather is too rough or when you simply don’t have time for anything else. Here’s how to set yourself up to train at home and keep your endurance training moving forward.
Plan your at-home workouts
The best way to make sure you actually train is to plan it. When you schedule your session, you force yourself to free up a time slot and commit to getting it done. When the moment comes, you won’t be able to dodge it. 😉 On top of that, it boosts motivation and helps you stay focused for your workout.
Planning also helps you prepare any gear you’ll need and gives you a clear idea of how long the session will take. In a way, planning is already half the training.
Set up a training space
If you decide to train at home, it’s important to make room when it’s time to start so you have enough space and can move comfortably. Most of the time, it just means pushing a few pieces of furniture back and moving your mother-in-law’s vase somewhere safe.
We recommend choosing a room with a window because you’ll heat up quickly.
Use a timer
You’ll often work with reps, but also with time intervals. It’s important to have a watch with a stopwatch, or you can buy a timer in a sports store. You’ll be more consistent, and your training will be more effective for running performance and trail running fitness.
Find your motivation
If you’re training at home, it might also be because you didn’t feel motivated to go outside. So it’s important to create motivation indoors. For example, put on music with a speaker. If your neighbours think it’s too loud, invite them to do the session with you. Training solo is great, but training with others is even better. So if your friends are free, plan a group workout. Finally, you can put a workout video on your TV and follow along. Here’s a great example you could use for your session.
S&C and strength training exercises to do at home
Training at home with strength work is absolutely possible. No equipment needed? Yep, you can do an S&C (general strength and conditioning) session with no gear at all. That said, if you want to make your sessions more specific and varied for endurance performance, you can buy a few small accessories like resistance bands, light dumbbells, a balance disc, and more.
No-equipment S&C
To build your at-home S&C session with no equipment, pick from the exercises below and fully personalise your workout. In the RunMotion Coach app, you’ll find S&C sessions every week.
- High knees in place (cardio)
- Butt kicks in place (cardio)
- Straight-leg kicks in place (cardio)
- Jump rope without a rope (cardio)
- Burpees (cardio)
- Mountain climbers (core, planks)
- Planks (front, back, side) (core, planks)
- Core work (sit-ups, scissors, crunches, obliques) (core, planks)
- Squats (glutes, quads)
- Wall sit (glutes, quads)
- Lunges (hamstrings)
- Calf raises (calves)
- Dips (triceps)
For this type of session, it’s best to set a work interval for each exercise. If you only count reps, you might rush the movement just to get it over with. For example, pick 6 exercises and do 30 seconds of work with 30 seconds of recovery between each one. Once you’ve done them all, take a 3 to 5 minute break, then start another block. Don’t forget to adjust the work time and number of exercises to your level.
There are also S&C programmes in RunMotion Coach!
More specific strength work
To improve and mix up your strength training, you can use everyday objects around you or buy a bit of small equipment. You can follow the same structure as above by choosing a few exercises from the list. For some moves, you can add variations. For lunges, for example, you can hold a dumbbell plate to increase the challenge. Here’s a list of small training tools you can find in sports stores.
- Light dumbbells
- Balance disc
- Resistance bands
- Medicine ball
- Weighted vest or weighted backpack
- Ab wheel
- Jump rope
With this small equipment, you can add even more exercises to your list and make your sessions more varied.
Train your cardio at home
If you want to add cardio exercises at home, it’s definitely possible. Of course, it’s easier if you have an indoor trainer, a stationary bike, a rowing machine, or a treadmill. But don’t worry, you can build aerobic fitness and endurance without all that gear.
Keep in mind that an S&C session using 30 seconds of work and 30 seconds of recovery is already an excellent cardio workout. To fine-tune your at-home cardio session, you can do other exercises like stepping quickly onto a chair, alternating left and right legs. If you’re lucky enough to have stairs, you can do stair repeats with variations: one step at a time, skipping steps, hopping, single-leg work. It will also improve your balance and proprioception. Finally, you can put a Zumba class on your TV and burn a ton of calories.
Now you’ve seen that training at home is totally possible. Just don’t forget the fundamentals of training: hydrate well, warm up properly, and recover well to avoid injuries. Enjoy your at-home session. 😉
You can also prepare your road running or trail running goals with the RunMotion Coach app, a coaching app that gives you a personalised training plan.