5 Simple Exercises for Beginners to Do at Home

The best way to get fit is by exercising at home. There are many exercises you can do at home with nothing more than a chair and your bodyweight.

These simple exercises can help you get started on your journey to becoming fit and healthy.

Best At-home Exercises For Beginners

Here's a look at five such workouts:

1) High Knee

High knees are a great exercise when it comes to burning fat and toning the body. They can ramp up the heart rate and give running and jumping rope a run for their money.

Here's how to do high knees:

Start with a standing position. Keep your hips low, and make sure your heels do not touch the ground.
Run in place by taking short steps and keeping your knees high as you do so. That can be done at a brisk pace for about 30 seconds or till you feel tired or need to stop due to pain or discomfort in any part of your body (in which case you should stop immediately).

2) Jumping Jack

Jumping jacks are a simple exercise you can do almost anywhere - even at home.

To do a jumping jack:

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and arms by your sides.
Bend at the waist, and place your hands on the floor in front of you, keeping palms down. Make sure to keep your core tight throughout the move.
Jump straight up as high as possible, bringing both feet together when they land back on the ground with a soft thud (but not too loud).

Keep in mind that jumping too high can put undue stress on fragile joints, such as theankles and knees. If your jumping height is uncomfortable, simply adjust how high up off the ground you jump.

3) Mountain Climber

Mountain climbers are a great exercise designed to target the core and obliques, whilst using the arms and shoulders to support your upper body. As such, it makes for a rather wholesome upper body and core workout.

Here's how you do this exercise:

Start in a push-up position, with your body straight and hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
Bring one knee towards your chest while lowering your opposite elbow to meet it.
Go back to the starting position.
Repeat with the other leg, alternating legs as quickly as possible for one minute (or 30 seconds on each side if you're a beginner).

4) Squat

The squat is a compound, full body exercise that works nearly every muscle in the body. If you're new to fitness or are struggling with injuries, squats might be the best thing for you.

It's relatively simple to learn and can be performed almost anywhere. Here's how to do a basic squat:

Bend at the waist while keeping your feet flat on the ground
Lower yourself down till your thighs are parallel with the floor (or lower).
Return to a standing position by pushing off your toes and contracting the glutes.

In addition to building strength and endurance throughout your major muscle groups (quads, hamstrings, buttocks) this move can also help improve balance and flexibility as well as increase blood circulation.

5) Push-up

It's done as follows:

To do a push-up, start in a plank position, with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
Your feet should be close together, and your back should be straight.
Bend your elbows so that your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Slowly lower yourself down till you feel a stretch in your chest muscles.
Once that's done, push yourself back up by extending your arms completely and squeezing the muscles at the top of the movement.

The number of repetitions depends on what kind of shape you’re in. Most people can do three sets of 8-12 repetitions per set to get started with this exercise.

If you find that you need more resistance or cannot complete one rep without assistance from an object or person (e.g., using a wall), try starting out by doing negative reps till they become easier while building strength over time before moving on to bigger challenges.