Cosy season really crept up on us this year, didn’t it? And while we’re all but ready to embrace Gilmore Girls, crunchy autumn leaves and pumpkin spice season, the gloomy weather does tend to make physical activity less appealing. It’s common to experience a dip in motivation at this time of year, and if you can relate, you may want to give living room workouts a go.
Living room sessions are one of the nation's favourite go-to home workouts, largely because most people have the most space in their living room to roll out a mat and get moving. It's also where people have their TVs, making it an ideal space for streaming an online workout and following along.
Wondering whether home workouts are as effective as gym sessions? Good question. Research from last year, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, suggests that online home-based resistance training may be just as efficacious as exercising in a fitness facility. Researchers found that eight weeks of resistance workouts via Zoom resulted in improved mental and physical health, including muscle size. A separate study, which looked into the impact of walking and home-based resistance training on older adults, found that ten weeks of combined walking and at-home strength training resulted in improved muscle size and quality, even without the use of conventional machines.
Of course, if you’re working towards a specific goal, such as building strength or muscle mass, you’ll want to stick to your current training plan as much as possible. It’s also important to prioritise time outside in some capacity (one 2019 Natural Environment survey found that two hours in nature a week massively boosts health and wellbeing). However, if the downpours are causing you to cancel your workouts, it’s worth considering switching some of your gym-based sessions to living room workouts instead.
Keen to make the switch but unsure where to start? We asked PT Aimee Victoria Long to share her best tips for training at home. Don't miss our guides to the best at-home strength training workouts, best home workout exercises, and how to make home workouts more effective. New to working out? Home workouts for beginners, at the ready.
Autumn is here, as is living room workout season - your guide to making them effective
What are the benefits of doing living room workouts?
In addition to avoiding autumn showers and increasingly chilly temperatures during your outside session or gym commute, working out at home has a number of advantages. First and foremost, it’s super convenient if you’re short on time or managing a busy schedule.
“If you’re having to commute 30 minutes to your gym and 30 minutes back, that's an hour out of your day, and if you’re a parent or run your own business, for example, this extra hour saved can be crucial,” says Long. “At-home training allows you the flexibility to exercise whenever it fits your schedule, whether it's early in the morning, during lunch breaks, or late at night.”
Living room workouts, although not ideal for everyone, also tend to be widely accessible. Expenses such as memberships and travel costs are eliminated, while investing in a small selection of equipment (or simply sticking to bodyweight exercises) can significantly reduce your overall spend. “Additionally, exercising at home provides a comfortable environment where you can wear whatever you like and focus solely on your workout without feeling self-conscious,” says Long. “This privacy can lead to a more relaxed and enjoyable workout experience.”
Can you build strength and muscle from living room workouts only?
In order to improve your strength and build muscle mass, progressive overload – where the level of stress placed upon the musculoskeletal nervous system during training gradually increases over time – should be a priority in your programme. While progressive overload absolutely can be achieved while exercising at home, it’s not quite as straightforward.
“You can implement it by increasing reps per set or increasing the number of sets,” explains Long. Alternatively, you can play with the tempo or, if you’re training for time, increase the number of reps you complete within the period. That said, the wide variety of equipment typically available at a gym means it tends to be easier to facilitate progressive overload within that environment.
“If you are looking to increase strength and build muscle from home I’d recommend following a strict programme so that you know exactly what reps, sets and weights you’re using each session to really help you achieve your goals,” Long says.
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5 PT-recommended living room workouts to try today
1. Fully body no equipment home workout
What? A full body no-equipment HIIT session.
Why? "This is a great workout for beginners," says Long. "It's low-impact and therefore gentle on the joints, and you need zero equipment – just your body weight."
How long? 25 minutes.
2. Full body dumbbell workout
What? A full body, dumbbells-only workout.
Why? This workout uses compound movements (which target multiple muscles at once) to train the entire body using just a pair of dumbbells. It's a good place to start if muscle-building is your goal.
How long? 30 minutes.
3. Dumbbell full body workout
What? Dumbbells-only strength training session.
Why? The no-repeat nature of this workout means it's ideal if you struggle to stay focussed and motivated during a session. Plus, it targets the entire body.
How long? 20 minutes.
4. Small space friendly full body workout
What? No-equipment, flat-friendly workout.
Why? Long recommends this session for anyone looking to boost strength from a small living space (while avoiding annoying any downstairs neighbours). You'll only need a mat to partake, and there's no jumping so it's easy on the joints too.
How long? 30 minutes.
5. Beginner-friendly strength training session
What? No-equipment strength training workout targeted at females over 40.
Why? You need no equipment to get stuck into this session, and it's suitable for all experience levels. There are modifications provided for all exercises, so you can go at your own pace and alter the challenge level as necessary.
How long? 15 minutes.
Shop PT-recommended equipment now:
Adjustable dumbbells are ideal for at-home sessions, allowing you to alter the load depending on the exercise.
"Glute bands are great for activation, and you can utilise long resistance bands for exercises such as band pull pasts and face pulls," says Long.
"If you have the ability to hook up a TRX suspension trainer at home, they are amazing," enthuses Long. "You can train your whole body from head to toe with one of these, and they take up very little space."
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