When you don鈥檛 have weights听at home, strength training can be a challenge. For stronger athletes, simple bodyweight exercises and endless repetitions are听probably not听enough to stimulate a strength-training effect. That鈥檚 because, once you do听more than 15 to听20 repetitions, you enter the zone of muscular endurance and conditioning听rather than strength training, says John Mark Seelig, captain of the and owner of 听in Edwards, Colorado. 鈥淒oing a bunch of reps might work for somebody for a couple of weeks, maybe a month,鈥 he says, 鈥渂ut long-term, it鈥檚 not very effective, and the repetitive motion can lead to overuse injuries.鈥 Without weights or gym equipment, how can you keep the rep scheme low while making the intensity high enough to build strength?
鈥淲ith my athletes, I鈥檝e introduced isometrics and tempos to their at-home programming,鈥 Seelig says. Isometric exercises force听muscles to contract without changing length (think static holds, like wall sits, planks, and lock-offs). Tempo听increases muscles鈥 time under tension听and emphasizes the eccentric phase of muscle contraction (when muscle fibers elongate under a load, also called negatives). 鈥淭hese techniques are incredibly effective for strength,鈥 Seelig says. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 need additional weight, and you can continue to progress through听the workout in a linear fashion by adjusting the timing.鈥 For those who want to improve upon听their training routines at home, he recommends these moves for a full-body strength workout.
Start with a good warm-up: run for five minutes, then cycle through three rounds of pull-ups, air squats, push-ups, and single-leg straight-leg deadlifts, performing ten听reps each at a steady pace. Gradually increase your听speed and intensity each round. For the workout itself, aim for three to four sets of each exercise, with one to two minutes of rest between each effort. When you鈥檙e counting reps, don鈥檛 go until complete failure. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a common mistake I see with home-gym workouts,鈥 says Seelig. Adjust your听intensity so that you always have one to two reps left in the tank during听each set.
鈥淓ven if you鈥檙e not training for a specific goal or race, know this will help you maintain your strength. More importantly, it鈥檚 going to be good for your mental health,鈥澨齋eelig says.
The Moves
Squat Hold
What it does: Strengthens the quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves, and core.
How to do it: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart or slightly wider. Hold your chest and head high, pull your shoulders back and down, and keep your spine stacked in a neutral position. Then lower into a squat until your thighs are slightly below parallel to the floor (or as low as you can go with good form). Hold this position for 30 to 45 seconds. Then engage your glutes, and push through your heels to stand. 鈥淚f you can鈥檛 reach 30 seconds, reduce the range of motion to a manageable level by staying higher in the squat,鈥 says Seelig. 鈥淚f you can easily get to 45 seconds, add weight.鈥 If you don鈥檛 have free weights, fill a backpack with canned food, water bottles, rocks, textbooks, or anything that鈥檚 heavy until you can hit the target time range.
Push-Up Hold
What it does: Strengthens the chest, triceps, shoulders, back muscles, and core.
How to do it: Start in a standard push-up position, with your arms straight, your hands below your shoulders, and your feet together. Maintain a rigid plank form, with your body in a straight line from your heels to your head. Bend your elbows backwards along your sides to lower your chin and chest until they are an inch or two from the floor. Hold this position for 30 to 45 seconds, then push back up to the starting position.听听鈥淭his is very challenging,鈥 says Seelig. 鈥淚f you can鈥檛 get to 30 seconds, elevate听your hands on a bench, cooler, or some raised听surface. If you can easily hit 45 seconds, elevate your feet.鈥
Too monotonous? Mix it up with the . Play , and lower every time you hear 鈥渄own.鈥 Hold the low position until you hear 鈥渦p,鈥 and continue like this for the duration of the song鈥攊f you can make it until the end.
Tempo Single-Leg Deadlift
What it does: Emphasizes the eccentric (lowering) phase of the movement to strengthen the hamstrings and glutes,听while training balance.
How to do it: Stand on one leg, with a slight bend in your knee. Engage your core, and square your hips. Then, without rounding your back, reach forward and down toward the floor slowly (taking three to five seconds),听lifting your free leg behind you until your upper body and leg are in the same plane, parallel to the floor听or as far as you can go with good form.听Pause for a second, then reverse the movement for one repetition. Keep your hips level (point your raised foot toward the floor) and your back straight throughout the movement. Focus on leg control and balance. To make it even harder, extend the duration of the lowering phase.
Volume: Eight听to twelve听reps on听each leg. Complete all reps on one leg before switching to the other.
Tempo Pike Push-Up
What it does: Strengthens the shoulders, triceps, chest, upper back, and core.
How to do it: Start in a downward-facing dog position, with your feet together and your hands just wider than shoulder-width apart (the closer your feet are to your hands, the harder the exercise). Then slowly (taking three to five seconds) bend your elbows听and听lower听your head between your hands, just above the floor. Hold the low position for a second or two, then push back up to the starting position for one repetition. Keep your hips high and听your heels low, and maintain the inverted V position throughout the movement.
Volume: Eight听to twelve听reps.
Split-Squat听Hold
What it does: Primarily strengthens the glutes, quads, and inner thighs,听while also working the hamstrings, calves, hip stabilizers, and core.
How to do it: Stand tall, with your feet hip-width apart, square your hips, and engage your core. Then take a large step backwards to enter a split-squat stance (also known as a stationary lunge). Bend your knees to lower your hips until your front thigh is roughly parallel to the ground and your back knee is hovering just an inch or two off the floor. Hold this low position for 30 to 45 seconds, then engage both legs to stand听for one repetition. Keep your chest high, your pelvis neutral, your torso upright, and your back straight throughout the movement.
Volume: Eight听to twelve听reps on听each leg. Complete all reps on one leg before switching to the other.
Handstand Hold
What it does: Builds upper-body and core strength听and trains balance, body awareness, deep breathing, and focus.
How to do it: Enter a handstand, either unassisted听or with your heels up against a wall. Hold this position for 30 to 45 seconds. Remember to breathe.