If you’ve had one of those days where all you want to do is head home and hang out in your living room, then you might think you need to skip the gym. Or maybe you simply can’t afford a gym membership and the idea of exercising outside makes you cringe. Either way, your living room does not just have to be known as the den of sloth. You can get your workout on right in the comfort of your own home. Don’t believe us? Here are seven ways to prove it:
1. Coffee Table Dips: Sit with your knees bent and feet on the floor, and your back facing a stable and sturdy coffee table. Place your palms on the edge of the table with your fingers pointed forward and your elbows bent. Press into your palms, raising your rear off the ground and straightening your arms. Slowly lower back to a the starting position to complete one rep. If this is too easy for you, slide your legs out in front of you, so that they are straight with your feet on the floor. Still too easy? Lift one leg off the ground, or place both feet on a stability ball.
2. Couch Hip Lifts: Lay on the floor with your feet facing the front of the couch. Place your heels on the cushion of the couch near the edge. Scoot forward until your knees are bent into a 90-degree angle. Engage your core and raise your rear off the floor until your hips are fully extended. Lower back to the starting position to the complete the rep. Need more? Extend one leg straight and off the couch by about 4-6 inches. Switch legs between sets.
3. Pillow Hops: Place a throw pillow from the couch on the floor. Stand on one side of the pillow and jump with both feet to the other side of the pillow. Hop back to the first side to complete one rep. Change up directions the easier this becomes, adding forward and backward, as well as using a single leg. If it’s still too easy, add a burpee every time you land a hop.
4. Ottoman Squats: To make the most of the overall body benefits that squats have to offer, you need to work on getting your rear below parallel. But without a mirror, that can be tricky to know if you’re getting there. Use your ottoman–or a footstool–as a target to touch. Start with your feet hip-width apart. Keeping your chest up and a slight arch in your lower back, sit back toward the ottoman. When your rear touches (no sitting!), use your hips and your core to return to a standing position. If this is too easy, lower the target by piling couch cushions on the floor.
5. Armchair Pistols: A pistol exercise is essentially a one-legged squat, where the raised leg is extended in front of the body. Unassisted pistols are challenging exercises, but by using supports, you can certainly work up to them. Begin by balancing on one leg and extending the opposite leg forward to about shin height. Lower into a squat at the side of an armchair. Just like with the ottoman squats, sit back toward the arm of the chair until your rear touches. Raise back up to a standing position. Keep trying to lower the target surface. If that’s too easy, try a full pistol squat, but support your weight using the side or back of the armchair to help keep your balance.
6. Throw Blanket Stretches: A throw blanket is a great prop for warming up or cooling down. Hold the ends wide with both arms extended overhead and stretch your shoulders by moving the blanket forward toward the front of the body and then overhead to the back of the body. There are all kinds of stretches you can do when you treat the throw blanket like a yoga strap. Play around and see in what you can get your muscles to give.
Sample Workout
- 15 Coffee Table Dips
- 25 Couch Hip Lifts
- 12 Pillow Hops
- 20 Ottoman Squats
- 8 Armchair Pistols, each leg
- Cool down with more throw blanket stretches.
[adform]
Carrie Anton is a freelance writer focusing on health, fitness, and sports. She's been published in Self, Women's Health, Oxygen, and Maximum Fitness.
Leave a Reply