At-home workouts for beginners

Not only does working out at home have numerous health benefits, but it also saves you time and money in the long run. There’s no requirement to understand how the equipment works, take a tour or meet with a personal trainer. The freedom to experiment away from a potentially busy and pressured environment makes an at-home workout an excellent starting point for those beginning their fitness journey. 

Here, we’ve put all the information you’ll need in one place to make working out at home easy, all with simple follow-along videos.

Convenience and accessibility

One of the primary advantages of a home workout is convenience. With a home workout routine, you have the freedom to exercise at a time that works for you and your schedule. There's no need to commute to a gym, which eliminates travel cost and time spent getting there and back. 

Additionally, home workouts remove the need to wait for equipment or share your workout space with others, giving you a more personalised and comfortable workout experience for a beginner.

Privacy and comfort

For those who feel self-conscious or uncomfortable exercising in public, home workouts provide a private and comfortable setting for working out.

You can exercise without judgment or distractions in a safe and familiar space that encourages confidence and helps keep motivation high. This is great for beginners who may initially be hesitant to start their fitness journey in a public setting.

As a beginner, how long should I do the workout for?

Start by setting a goal to continue the programme you’re following for three months. Creating a long-term exercise routine is all about forming and following positive habits, which means giving your mind and body the time to adjust to doing something new.

A good workout should take around 45 minutes to an hour with plenty of rest in-between sessions to ensure you rest and recover properly.

As a beginner, how much weight should I be lifting?

The best thing you can do is start light or use bodyweight only and increase the weights you’re using over time. When beginning a training plan, your main focus should be to get the form right and ensure you minimise the risk of injury as you improve.

What are reps and sets?

We get that some of the language used can be confusing for a beginner.

• Reps: a rep is how many times you repeat a specific exercise
• Sets: a set is how many rounds of reps you do.

So if you lift 10 times on a bench press, that would be ‘one set of 10 reps’. If you took a short break and then did the same again, you’ll have completed ‘two sets of 10 reps’.

How many reps and sets you go for depends on what you’re trying to achieve. If you’re following one of our workout videos below, the instructor will let you know how long each exercise should take. Completing more reps at a lower weight is designed to improve stamina and endurance, while fewer reps at a higher weight are more effective for building muscle mass.

Top tips for a great at-home workout

• Start low and slow. It’s important to work at a pace that can be held for the duration of your workout
• Understand that you’re at the start of your fitness journey. Working consistently towards a long-term goal is more important than progressing as quickly as possible.

Beginner at-home HIIT workout

This carefully designed 30-minute workout incorporates 3 exercises for 30 seconds each, followed by a 20-second active recovery, before switching up the exercises twice more in each section.

Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned fitness enthusiast, this session will push you to your limits and help you achieve your goals. Don't miss out on the chance to improve your strength, endurance, and overall fitness in just 30 minutes.

Warm up

• Head turns, shoulder rolls, arm circles, standing twist, side reach, knee raises, butt kicks, bounce

Block 1

• sumo jump squat, close grip push-up, plank knee tuck, active recovery/bounce on the spot, plank bunny hop, ceiling crunch, curtsy lunge to knee raise, active recovery/bounce on the spot, sprint on the spot, reverse lunge jump, hip drop, recovery

Block 2

• Forward & backward jump squat, wide grip push-up, side lunge, active recovery/bounce on the spot, flutter kicks, crucifix crunch, plank jacks, active recovery/bounce on the spot, ice skaters, spiderman, single leg burpee, recovery

Block 3

• Sumo squat jump, close grip push-up, plank knee tuck, active recovery/bounce on the spot, plank bunny hop, ceiling crunch, curtsy lunge to knee raise, active recovery/bounce on the spot, sprint on the spot, reverse lunge jump, hip drop, recovery

Block 4

• Forward & backward jump squat, wide grip push-up, side lunge, active recovery/bounce on the spot, flutter kicks, crucifix crunch, plank jacks, active recovery/bounce on the spot, ice skaters, spiderman, single leg burpee, recovery

Cool Down

• Chest stretch, tricep stretch, quad stretch, hamstring stretch, calf stretch

Beginner at-home cardio workout

This workout is designed to raise and maintain your heart rate and get you sweating. Improving your cardiovascular fitness has a range of benefits for overall health, from lowering the risk of conditions like heart disease and strokes, to helping you perform day to day tasks more easily. If you’re a beginner after an intense, upbeat workout, look no further.

You can mix and match these exercises to create a session that works for you.

• Plate thrusters (15 reps x 3 sets)
• Mountain climbers (20 reps x 3 sets)
• Box jumps (10 reps x 3 sets)
• Walk outs (10 reps x 3 sets)
• Renegade rows (full plank/kneeling) (10 each side x 3 sets)
• Press ups (full plank/kneeling) (15 reps x 3 sets)
• Treadmill 10 min run/steep incline brisk walk (no hands)
• Superman pose (full plank/kneeling) (10 reps x 3 sets)
• Crunches (10 reps x 3 sets)

Beginner at-home workout for building strength and muscle

Run, box and condition your muscles with this 30-minute full-body workout. Great for at-home, you’ll be getting your heart rate up and working your muscles in 6-minute blocks.

Get ready for plank shoulder taps and crunch claps in block 1. In block 2, you’ll be getting to grips with some high-tempo boxing combinations and drills. Block 3 is all about stationary cardio, with zombie squats and mountain climbers to get you over the finish line.

Block 1

• Jacks & punches
• Quick feet
• Pike touches
• Front lunge & twist
• Skaters & lateral shuffle
• Frog jumps & twist

Block 2

• Boxing combinations

Block 3

• Stationary running drills

Beginner at-home HIIT workout

This is a high intensity 20-minute workout that will work as many muscles as possible and get your heart rate up. This is a great session for beginners looking for a range of different exercises based around cardio and maintaining a steady intensity. There are a few exercises that involves weights, however if you don’t have any to hand, don’t worry. You can just as easily follow along without them.

Grab a mat, a bottle of water and a towel and let’s go.

Warm up

• Neck stretching, chest opening stretch and hip hinges

Round one

• Side lunges
• Burpees
• Scissor lunges
• Lunges

Round two

• Squat
• Side plank with a tea press
• Plank

Round three

• Top glute bridge
• Swiss twists
• Mat glute bridges
• Diagonal push

Cool down

• Lunges, hamstring stretch and general stretching

Beginner at-home core workout

This low-intensity core workout focuses on the core and lower body and is perfect for beginners looking to tone. Great for following along at home, there’s no equipment required and you can always run sections back to focus on a particular area. This workout is made up of 4 rounds of 4 exercises.

Warm up

• Jog on the spot, squat rotations, forward lunges and side and up lunges

Core workout

• Abdominal walk outs
• Plank rotation
• Crossover crunch
• Leg extensions

Cool down

Childs pose, cat/cow, pigeon pose and neck stretching

Key takeaways to help you reach your goals

• Set realistic expectations and understand that fitness progress takes time to develop
• Gradually increase the weight and resistance in strength training exercises to build muscle and strength.
• Stay adequately hydrated by drinking enough water throughout the day
• Always warm up for between 5 and 10 minutes no matter what exercises you’re doing
• After exercising, allow time to cool down
• Maintain a balanced and nutritious diet to support your fitness goals
• Find the right balance between challenging yourself and pushing yourself too far
• Be patient and persistent for the full duration of your programme 

Starting a new exercise regime, even at home, can be a daunting experience. Our workouts and walk-throughs are designed to make it more accessible for you. By following along to a workout you'll soon get into the flow of things and find what works best for you and your body.

If you are looking to get into the gym, working with a personal trainer is a great way to reduce the stress that can come with your first session. You can find more useful information for new gym members at our advice hub, or by taking a free tour of your local Nuffield Health gym. 

Last updated Tuesday 18 July 2023

First published on Tuesday 18 July 2023