We all are home since months and it has definitely shown on our waistlines. With no travel and the only stress is of working 24x7 from home, there is an absolute need to move our body and definitely move the weight down. So here are a few easy exercises for beginners. If you do not have the equipment, do not fret; just sweat using just your bodyweight and start achieving your goals.

 Let’s begin! 

Always make sure you give those muscles a great warm-up before you start and the well-worked and very tired muscles a great cool down afterward to minimize the dreaded muscle soreness you are bound to experience the next day.  

1. Bear Crawl

This bodyweight exercise will leave no muscle untrained with a special focus on your shoulders and abs. 

1. Start with your hands under your shoulders and your knees roughly 3 inches off the floor, directly under your hips
2. Move your left hand and right foot forward together just a short distance and then repeat for the opposite side
3. With every step forward or backward you should focus on fully engaging your abs to prevent your hips from twisting
4. Remember to keep breathing throughout this movement

Sets: 4 | Reps: 5 – 10 (4 steps forward and back equate to 1 rep)

Alternative – If you start to struggle, come down to your knees for a moment before you start your next rep. 

2. Squat Jump

This will make you hit your quads and glutes. But be sure to keep your full foot including heels down when you squat to avoid injury to your calves. 

1. Start with your feet hip-width or slightly wider (whichever feels more comfortable)
2. Squat so that your thighs are parallel with the floor or until you can’t squat any lower without bending at your lower back
3. From the bottom of the squat, push yourself with the greatest force you can, and drive your feet off the floor
4. Lift your chest and keep your eyes pointing forwards
5. On landing, bend your knees to absorb the impact and begin your next rep straight away 

Sets: 4 | Reps: 15 – 20

Alternative – Remove the jump and just perform a bodyweight squat. 

3. Press Up

Sometimes, there’s just no need to reinvent the wheel. This is a staple of beginner works the chest and triceps, with a little bite in those shoulders. 

1. Hands just outside your shoulders with your abs engaged (make sure you are not arching your lower back and dropping your hips)
2. Lower your chest so your shoulders are in line with your elbows or slightly lower (remember it’s how low your chest goes, not your nose) 
3. Return to the starting position by pushing through the heel of your hand and actively thinking about squeezing your chest 

Sets: 4 | Reps: 10 - 12 (with good technique) 

Alternative – Drop to your knees to make this easier and reduce your range of movement to match your strength. 

4. Jump Lunges

When done correctly, you will lift that heart rate once more and really get your glutes working. It has the potential to leave you folding at the hip and bouncing your chest off your thigh. Take a long stride and bend your rear knee until your front thigh is parallel with the floor. 

1. Push your feet into the floor with force and drive your feet from the ground
2. Keep your chest lifted and your eyes pointing forward
3. Switch your stance in the air with speed and accuracy and bend your knees on the landing
4. Engage your abs and prevent your chest from lowering towards your thigh

Follow steps 2 to 5 for each leg continuously until you complete all your reps 

Sets: 4 | Reps: 10 – 20 

Alternative – Remove the jump and just perform a forward- or backward stepping lunge instead 

5. Burpees 

It’s one of the most effective, calorific, and easily-modified exercises you could do in your own home.

1. Bend your knees (not your back) and place your hands on the floor
2. Jump or walk your feet back into a full plank position
3. Drop your chest to the floor
4. Press back to full plank position and jump your feet inwards
5. Drive into the floor hard and jump as high as you can
6. Bend your knees on landing and begin the next rep immediately 

Sets: 4 | Reps: 5 – 10 

Alternative – Step your feet out and in and keep your knees down during the press. If the jumps have got you reaching for the sick bucket just take point number 5 away and work to your own limits. 

The following exercises will require the support of a sturdy, non-slippery tool or sofa or chair. 

6. Step-Ups

You will feel this predominantly in your glutes with some back up from your quads. Important note, don’t let your calves take over by bouncing off your back foot too much.

1. Step one foot flat onto your chair/bench
2. Keep your hands in front at chest level to prevent you swinging your arms and generating momentum
3. Shift your body weight onto your front leg and stand up, tall lifting your chest and keeping your eyes facing forward
4. Control your weight back down and keep your foot on the chair
5. Pause for a second before completing the next rep to prevent yourself from bouncing on your back foot
6. Complete all reps on 1 leg before changing

Sets: 3 each leg | Reps: 10 – 15 each leg 

Alternative – Lower the height of your step-up by using the first or second step of your stairs or by using your sofa. Remove the sofa cushions to lower the height further. 

7. Toe Taps

Add more precision to simply running on the spot with toe taps. Toe taps force you to lift your foot higher than when just running on the spot, this will certainly get your heart rate up while working just about every muscle in your lower body with a little engagement from your abs, this is a great addition to your home work out.

1. Rest the toes of one foot on your bench and keep your body weight in the leg on the floor
2. A slight bounce off the back foot just enough to lift off the ground
3. With speed and accuracy, switch your feet
4. You are aiming to take no rest in between each rep just as you would if running on the spot
5. Keep your chest lifted and remember to keep breathing 

Sets: 4 | Reps: 20 – 30 

Alternative – While you are trying to move your feet at the same time at speed you may need to slow down a touch if you are new to this. 

Beginning your exercise journey doesn't need to be as overwhelming as it appears in your mind. Start with these straightforward activities before working up your certainty to rehearse with various varieties and making your own small scale exercises.