5 Easy Exercises for Beginners to Do at Home

Getting started on an exercise routine as a beginner doesn't have to be all that complicated or expensive. You can exercise at home without a gym membership. It's better to start something now than put it off and never get started at all.

A solid beginner exercise programme can help ease you into things, gradually increasing the intensity and challenge as you get stronger.

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At-home Beginner Exercises

Here's a look at five such workouts:

1) Chair Squat

Chair squats are an excellent beginner exercise for strengthening the lower body, including the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves. To do this exercise, engage your abdomen and back muscles to maintain an upright torso as you squat down.

How to do it?

• Stand up straight, and keep your feet hip-distance apart and toes pointed slightly outward. Hold your arms at chest height, parallel to the ground.
• Bend your knees, and push them towards the floor.
• Lower your glutes toward the seat, keeping your knees aligned with your toes.
• Don't tip forward; keep your upper body upright and tall.
• When your glutes come into contact with the chair, sit back before you return to standing.
• You can do two sets of 8t-12 repetitions.

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2) Wall Push-up

Push-ups are a great beginner exercise for the chest, triceps, shoulders, and core. A wall push-up is similar to a traditional push-up, but it can be easier to do. Put your hands on a wall at an angle so that you’re doing half a normal push-up while leaning against the wall.

How to do it?

• Stand with your feet hip-distance apart, and place your palms on the wall at shoulder height, spreading your fingers.
• Bend your elbows at a 45-degree angle, pressing your chest towards the wall.
• Extend your arms back to starting position, keeping your elbows close to your torso.
• Alternate 8-12 reps two times per week.

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3) Assisted Lunge

Lunges are an excellent lower body move that challenge every major muscle group, but they require coordination and balance. Performing an assisted lunge is one of the best ways for beginners to start testing the waters of this compound exercise.

How to do it?

• Stand with your feet hip-distance apart and hands on the back of a sturdy chair or couch.
• Engage your core; bend your right knee, and lower your right foot towards the floor, allowing your left knee to bend slightly to stay aligned with and behind your left toes.
• This is a good time to remind you to keep your torso upright and tall as you bend both knees.

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4) Dead Bug

The Dead Bug exercise is a core-targeting move that starts in a plank position with your arms extended and moves through a roll-up, engaging the core muscles. That makes it an ideal beginner move, as it reduces strain on the lower back while engaging the core muscles.

How to do it?

• Lie down on your back with your knees bent, feet on the floor, and arms by your sides.
• Pull your tummy muscles in, and push your low back into the ground.
• Lift your feet from the floor till you've got a 90-degree angle at each hip and knee — the knees should be touching the elbows in the middle.
• Raise your arms straight towards the ceiling from your chest, forming an '11'.
• From this position, reach your right arm behind you and over your head.
• Move it towards the floor as you simultaneously move your left toe towards the floor while keeping a 90-degree angle at your knee.

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5) Modified Jumping Jack

Modified jumping jacks are a great way to warm up before a strength-training workout or to add short bouts of cardio between exercises so that you can keep your heart rate up.

This modified version of a popular exercise ensures that one foot remains in contact with the ground at all times, reducing the impact and making it more accessible for people with limited mobility.

How to do it?

• Stand with your feet together and arms by your sides.
• Swing your arms up over your head as you step out with your right foot, and swing your arms back down to your sides.
• Bring the right foot back to the center, and move left, repeating the motion.
• Repeat for 30-60 seconds before resting for 15-30 seconds. Repeat at least three times.

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Takeaway

One of the best things you can do is find an exercise routine that works for your body and stick to it.

There are many great resources out there. If you’re a beginner, start with some of the aforementioned exercises at home, and build from there as you build a home workout routine.