At-Home Workout Routines to Beat the Summer Heat

Summer is here, and there is no better time to work on your fitness goals. However, Texas is known for its summer heat, which can cause some people to skip their morning jog or outdoor yoga session. Gyms are great, but not everyone wants to spend money on a month-to-month contract.

The good news is you can still get in shape right at home with some easy at-home workout routines that require little to no equipment. Explore our guide to some activities perfect for your home exercising indoors.

Home Exercising Tips

Working out at home means you probably will not have the same professional weightlifting and cardio equipment you would find in the gym. However, the good news is that you do not need all that equipment to get a great indoor workout. Before you start your new at-home workout routine, here are some great tips to follow to get the most out of your exercise.

Work Smarter, Not Harder with Compound Exercises

Compound exercises are any movement that engages multiple muscle groups at once. One good example is the deadlift, which targets the forearms, lats, glutes, hamstrings and core muscles. This ensures you get more of a total body workout during each set.

Work to Failure

To properly build muscle, you must put your body under enough fatigue to break down your muscle fibers. With proper nutrition, your body will build back those muscle fibers, bigger and stronger. If you notice that your morning twenty pushups aren’t as difficult as they used to be, try increasing the number until you cannot complete another.

Keep Rest Periods Short

To burn the maximum amount of calories per session, you should limit the amount of rest time between sessions. This will help keep your heart rate up during anaerobic exercises, providing a similar effect to cardio.

Upper Body Exercises

Upper body exercises focus on the arms, chest, back and shoulders. These exercises will help you lift heavy objects and define the “vanity muscles” that include the pectorals, biceps, triceps and deltoids. Here’s an easy at-home workout routine to start with:

Pushups

Tried and true, pushups are a great way to build not only your chest but also your arms, back and core. The key to a proper pushup is to keep your back straight, pulling in your abdominal muscles to stay rigid.

On a flat surface, perform the above while keeping your body rigid and straight.

• 3 sets
  • Set 1: 10 repetitions,
  • Set 2: 15 repetitions
  • Set 3: To failure

Decline Pushups

Place your hands on a sturdy table or stairway, raising your top half off the ground. Just like before, make sure to keep your body straight and rigid. These are also a great alternative to traditional push-ups for people who have wrist or shoulder issues.

• 3 sets
  • Set 1: 10 repetitions,
  • Set 2: 15 repetitions
  • Set 3: To failure

Burpees

Burpees are a great indoor workout that burns tons of calories and works the chest, back, arms and legs. Perform a pushup and shift your legs toward your chest when you reach the top of the movement. From this position, leap into the air, lifting your arms over your head. Once you land, get back into a pushup position and repeat.

• 3 sets of 10 repetitions

Lower Body Exercises

Lower body exercises focus on the legs, glutes, hamstrings and calves. Your legs have one of the hardest working muscle groups in the body, keeping you upright and moving you from Point A to Point B. They are also prone to muscle pulls, so keeping these muscles strong will help you stay active and mobile. Here is a good beginner's routine you can follow:

Wall Squats

These are easy exercises to perform because all you need is a sturdy wall and a little patience. Place a pillow behind your back and lean against that wall. Slowly lower yourself into a sitting position and hold it for 30-60 seconds.

• 3 sets

Lunge

This exercise is best performed in a room with plenty of space. From an upright standing position, step forward and bend your knee, slowly lowering yourself down untill our back leg is a few inches off the ground. Make sure to keep your upper body straight and upright throughout the entire exercise. Lift yourself and repeat with the other leg. Perform ten lunges to complete a set.

• 3 set of 10 lunges or to failure

Calf Raises

For this exercise, you will need a staircase or a short, sturdy stool. Standing upright, place the balls of your feet on the edge of the stair or stool, making sure your heels are suspended in the air. Slowly lower yourself, stretching your Achillies heel until you cannot lower any further. Lift yourself by extending your feet, making sure to tighten your calves at the peak. Repeat 20 times to complete a set.

• 3 sets of 20 repetitions or to failure

At-Home Core Exercises

Your core consists of more than your abdominals. It also includes your obliques, diaphragm, pelvic floor muscles and more. While sit-ups are a great exercise, many more target the muscles around your abdominals. The good news is that most of these are easy to do inside any home. Here is a simple workout to start with:

Standing Bicycle Crunches

Stand upright, feet shoulder-width apart, and place your hands behind your head. Start the exercise by lifting your left knee chest-high and lowering your right elbow down to meet your knee. It is ok if you cannot touch your elbow to your knee. Just try to get as close as you can. Lifting your right and left leg once equals one repetition.

• 3 sets of 12 repetitions

Leg Lifts

Lie flat with your head slightly off the ground and place your hands just underneath your glutes. Slowly lift your legs off the ground until they reach a 45-degree angle. Slowly lift your legs back to the ground and repeat.

• 3 sets of 15 or to failure

Planks

This is another simple at-home workout routine that is still quite challenging. You may want to perform this exercise on a thick yoga mat or on a carpeted surface to protect your elbows. 

Facing the ground, place your elbows on the floor and get in a rigid pushup stance, making sure to upper arms are perpendicular to the ground. Stay in this position for one minute or until failure.

• 3 sets

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a lifelong endeavor. Many new Perry Homes have ample flex space to create the perfect home gym for your needs. Find your ideal Texas home and design a home gym where you can stay fit and active.