Thread by @Rob_NBF

Home workout megathread!

If you're staying inside and not going to the gym out of coronavirus fears - or your country (like Italy) has been locked down, I've got you covered.

Read on!

Firstly, I've got all this information on my blog in a more convenient format to read (and with more detail).

Head here to read it:

nothingbarredfitness.com/workout-at-hom…

Some places (like Italy) are in total lockdown and people can't go to the gym.

In other places, people are worried about catching the virus, or potentially acting as a carrier to pass it to more vulnerable people.

If you're young & healthy, the risk to you is very low. Governments are discouraging travel & public spaces (or soon will be) because they don't want to spread it faster than necessary & suddenly have to deal with the most vulnerable 10% of the population needing a hospital bed.

More places could be put on lockdown as more governments start to introduce measures to prevent the disease spreading.

It’s looking likely that a lot of people who workout are going to need to start doing this at home if they want to keep up a fitness routine.

This post will recommend some equipment you can buy to get a good workout at home, some exercises you can do, and will give you a sample routine.

Here's some equipment you should look into getting:

Doorway pullup bar:

amzn.to/3aH1uYF

Resistance bands:

amzn.to/2IBXyfL

Chinup max (alternative to the resistance bands to help with pullups/chinups):

amzn.to/2Iwatjw

Gymnastic rings:

amzn.to/38F1GX9

Adjustable dumbells (cool expensive version)

5-52.5lbs (pair):

amzn.to/3aOo0z7

10-90 lbs (single):

amzn.to/38FMFnI

Adjustable dumbells (cheaper – changeable plates)

Pair of dumbells, 40lb combined:

amzn.to/2Q4DNSh

Pair of dumbells – 200lb combined:

amzn.to/334E11b

If you’re really serious about working out at home and going to make it a long term thing, I would suggest getting a power rack, a barbell and plates.

With that equipment you'll never be stuck for a way to work out at home that is challenging.

Onto the exercises you can do.

My suggestion is to do 3 sets of between 5 and 15 reps and for each of those sets to be challenging.

If you're a beginner, this will be easy.

If you're more advanced you might have to get some more equipment, use more difficult variations or get more creative with the equipment to get a challenging home workout in.

FIRST EXERCISE

Squat.

Beginners should be able to get a challenging workout in with bodyweight squats.

Progression should be to goblet squats (pictured) and intermediate trainees can get some good work with these.

You should be able to get mileage out of dumbells up to 70lbs.

If you’re lucky enough to have a barbell and rack at home with enough plates, you can do back squats and never run out of enough weight to get a challenging leg workout in.

SECOND EXERCISE

Romanian Deadlifts

You should definitely include some sort of hip hinge movement in your workout routine.

Depending on your level of experience, it might not be easy to get this done at home if you don’t have significant weight.

You might need quite heavy dumbells, or ideally a barbell and plates.

If you’re not experienced with this move, you can get a good workout in with dumbells.

More experienced trainees can do single leg dumbell RDLs.

THIRD EXERCISE

Pullups/Chinups

This is where your pullup bar will really come into play.

If you’re not able to do chinups or pullups yet, you’re going to want to get the resistance bands or the chinup max (linked above) to help you (see picture)

Don’t just skip these entirely

Losing fat will help MASSIVELY here (check out the video course if you have no idea where to start ($50 off if you preorder - gumroad.com/l/huDyE/pre-or…)

Aim for 3 sets to failure. Add weight if need be (as pictured). This one covers advanced trainees.

4TH EXERCISE

I know you want to work your chest. This is a bit harder at home but still doable. These are some of the options:

Pushups (including single arm)
Floor press
Bench press (more equipment needed)
Ring dips

Pushups are a great option for a beginner and with good form will be hard enough at first.

If you can't do one, do them on your knees at first.

You can make pushups harder by elevating you feet if need be.

You can also do floor press, which is essentially the same thing as a dumbell bench press, but you lie on the floor.

This reduces the range of motion (because your elbows can’t go any lower than the floor) so it is easier than a dumbell bench press.

The best option for more advanced trainees, without investing in significant equipment (adjustable bench, heavier dumbells or a barbell, plates and rack), is going to be harder bodyweight moves.

You have ring dips or single arm pushups. Both are fairly challenging.

For ring dips, you’ll need to hang your rings from something (over the pullup bar works well for me) or use a trx secured to something overhead.

For single arm pushups, start with your feet further apart (easier) and move them closer together to make it harder. If you can bang out 3 sets of 15 single arm pushups with great form, you’re incredibly strong!

If regular pushups are too easy for you, but you’re not able to do many single arm pushups, you can use a reverse pyramid approach.

RPT (reverse pyramid training) is where you do higher intensity (harder/heavier sets) first, then lower the intensity for subsequent sets.

With single arm and regular pushups it could look like:

First Set – Single arm pushups x5 (close to failure - each side)

Second Set – Regular pushups x15

Third Set – Regular pushups x15

Normally 2×15 regular pushups wouldn’t be a challenge, but after the first set of single arm pushups (which is almost to failure) those additional sets can also achieve failure with relatively low reps. You can also apply this approach for your ring rows (coming next).

FIFTH EXERCISE - Rows

You’re going to want to make sure you do some sort of horizontal pulling motion.

This will work the muscles of your back (lats, rhomboids, amongst others) and biceps to some extent too.

Most people usually use too much weight for all of these movements too. Use a lighter weight, pull towards your hip instead of your chest, and really feel the lats contracting.

If you’ve got a barbell, barbell rows or t-bar rows are another great addition.

You can also use your pullup bar and your rings, to do ring rows using your bodyweight. Hang the rings from your bar (or from whatever will support your weight).

Set your rings at a height so you can grab them when laying on the floor and pull yourself up to them whilst keeping your feet on the ground.

Need to make them harder? Use just one hand (these are very hard!)

I made a video here showing how to do inverted rows (very similar move - on a bar instead of rings)

You can also use a sturdy table for this

SIXTH EXERCISE - Shoulders

Working shoulders at home is quite easy if you’ve got some dumbells.

If you’ve got dumbells that challenge you for single arm rows, then you’ve got more than enough weight to get an effective shoulder workout.

Standing single arm presses, or standing double arm presses are more difficult with dumbells than the seated versions or barbell versions (you could also do those if you have the equipment.)

Being standing and using dumbells means you’ve got to stabilise the weights more, so you’ll probably not be able to lift as much as you’re used to.

Take it slow and don't cheat the weights up with momentum (advice that applies to every exercise in this thread).

Additional work:

Lateral and front raises (shoulders)
Biceps curls and hammer curls (Biceps)
Walking lunges (legs)
Bulgarian split squats (legs)
Hip thrusts (glutes and hamstrings)
Rear delt flyes (rear delts)
Upright rows (shoulders)
Dumbell overhead triceps extension (triceps)

You could sub any of the above in.

Next I'll show you a sample routine made up of 2 alternating full body workouts.

You would perform 3 workouts per week following an ABA, BAB, ABA pattern:

Example Full Body Home Workout A:

Goblet Squats 3×20
Dumbell Romanian Deadlifts 3×12
Dumbell Rows 3×10
Single Arm Pushups 3×10
Standing Dumbell Single Arm Press 3×10
Dumbell biceps curls 3x15

Example Full Body Home Workout B
Dumbell Lunges 3×15
Dumbell hip thrusts 3×12
Pullups 3×10
Ring Dips 3×10
Ring Rows 3×10
Dumbell lateral raises 3x10

Don't work out on consecutive days with this routine.

Each week you should aim to progress the intensity or volume in some way.

Either 1 more rep on one or more sets, or using heavier weights/more difficult exercise variations.

If you're struggling to make progress due to equipment limitations, it could be a good opportunity to focus on fat loss.

Lift at the best intensity you can and aim to MAINTAIN muscle and strength while allowing fat loss to come from your diet.

As mentioned before, my fat loss video course will teach you all you need to know if you're not sure what to do here.

You can pre-order it now and get it at a special discount:

gumroad.com/l/huDyE/pre-or…

If you have found this thread helpful or you think someone else would, retweet the first tweet!

I've got a mailing list where you can receive more tips. Sign up here:

mailchi.mp/332adc3ff7ba/m…