The trick to a successful workout at home is efficiency, and there is no more efficient workout than full-body strength training. If you’re lucky enough to have a full home gym with squat racks and benches, you can smash out a full body training session no worries, but what if you’re short on space?
We’re here to tell you that workouts can happen anywhere, including in your living room! All it takes is a little ingenuity and a few key pieces of equipment. Take a look at some of our favourite full-body exercises that will see you get results.
Use Your Squat Rack to Its Full Potential
A squat rack is a worthwhile investment and one of the most versatile pieces of equipment you can have. Although the name might sound very specific, a squat rack is not just for squatting; it can train the whole body, upper, lower, and core!
Yes, you can do squats, deadlifts, and lunges. They’re all exercises that are great for building strength through the entire leg, from the hamstrings and calves to the quads and all-important glute muscles! However, you can also use the rack to aid chest and shoulder presses, pull-ups (with or without resistance bands), or even inverted rows to build a powerful back, body, and core.
Yoga & Pilates Build Full-Body Strength with Ease
Yoga and Pilates are powerful ways to build full-body strength from the core outwards. Gentle enough to nourish yet fierce enough to create long and strong muscles, both yoga and Pilates stretch and strengthen the muscles. The fluid, small movements involved build endurance in the muscle to help you lift longer with a larger range of motion.
Yoga and Pilates might look simple, but we promise you’ll feel the burn in muscles you never knew you had! The best thing about them? All you need to do is buy a yoga mat, and you’re away! No bells and whistles here.
Functional Full-Body Training
There’s been a lot of hype surrounding functional training and for a good reason. Functional training looks to train multiple muscle groups with movements we tend to do in our everyday ‘functional’ lives.
Functional exercises can be achieved using just your body weight. Channel your inner animal by bear crawling across your lounge or spur up those fast-twitch fibres in the shoulders with spider-planking! However, if you’re looking for a little added resistance, incorporate dumbbell sets or kettlebells.
Dumbbell Exercises for Resistance Training
Dumbbells are a great addition to every home gym, big or small. Our favourite dumbbell exercises are lunge step-ups to build glute and core strength, shoulder presses and peck decks for stable and strong shoulders, or the classic goblet squat to load your back and front!
Try Kettlebells for Fun Workouts from Tip to Toe
Kettlebells are one of the most fun exercise equipment you can own and use for full-body strength training! A kettlebell swing is a great exercise to build core stability, raise cardio, and get deep into the glutes. You can also train your entire cross-body sling with kettlebell woodchops, bringing the kettlebell diagonally across the body from bottom to top. Or pop the kettlebells on the floor, one beneath each shoulder, for a renegade row that targets the whole body from shoulder to toe.
Build Strength with TRX & Resistance Bands
If you’re constantly on the go or don’t have much space, TRX and resistance bands are the equipment to enhance your full-body strength training. You can use them in a range of exercises, including rows, glute bridges, or plyometric (jumping) exercises to raise the heart rate; the world is your oyster with these bands.
Always on the go? No worries, pack your bands into your suitcase so you can get a full-body workout wherever you land!
Build a Strong Core to Improve Full-Body Strength
Start your strength training from the core if you want to nail full-body exercise and maximise results. A strong core isn’t just a pack of six sleek abdominals; it’s also your shoulders, back, and glutes. These stabilising muscles allow us to lift heavier, run faster, and endure muscular strain for longer.
Planking is a great way to improve core strength. Whether a straight-armed plank, side-planks, or an elbows-down hover, you’ll fast-track a core of steel that’ll set you up for all-over body strength!
Train Your Whole Body with DB Fitness’s Range of High-Quality Equipment
Whether you’re starting your fitness journey or a fully-fledged fitness fiend, DB Fitness has a range of high-quality gym equipment without the hefty price tag. Train your whole body from the comfort of your home with DB Fitness. Enjoy free shipping Auckland-wide, and for customers throughout the rest of NZ, gain free shipping for purchases over $2,000.
