Home Weight Loss Workouts: Exercises for Losing Weight at Home

Looking for the perfect home weight loss workouts because you’re just not a fan of gyms, or going to the gym is too time and money intensive? Let me tell you, you’ve come to the right place!

To be fully honest with you, gyms are great. Especially, if you want a certain variety in your workout, your goal is to build more muscle mass, or you enjoy the community aspect of a gym. However, if you currently cannot or don’t want to visit a gym but want to keep up a fitness routine for weight loss, I will show you various exercises for losing weight at home in two intensities.

I also provide you with 2 home weight loss workouts that require no equipment. The 2 workouts will feature exercises in different intensities. The first workout will be low impact: this one is perfect for beginners or anyone with sensitive knees or injuries. The second workout will have you breaking a sweat: this workout if perfect if you want to kick it up a notch and challenge yourself.

Reminder: always listen to your body and adapt any number of repetitions or rounds to the needs of your body that day 🙂 You can always add an extra round or skip one – just be honest with yourself!

Important Aspects of Weight Loss

Before we dig into the exercises for losing weight at home, I want to point out a few importance facts about weight loss in general:

• The 80/20 Rule

Maybe you have heard the saying before that “bodies are made in the kitchen”. And it is true: which is the good and the bad news. It means that you do not have to overstrain yourself in the gym 5 days a week to achieve weight loss results. It does, however mean, that what you eat will have a major impact on your weight loss results. Our diet makes up for 80% of our results, while exercising makes up only about 20%. That being said, we should – and need to – adjust both ends to make a change.

• Calorie Balance for Weight Loss

At the end of the day, the one thing that will have you triumphing on your weight loss journey – or not – is the calorie balance. The formula is simple, if we want to lose weight, we need to ingest fewer calories than we use. We all have a basic metabolic rate that varies from person to person and determines how many calories we burn without exerting energy – just to keep our vital functions going. If we want to lose weight successfully, we should be eating approximately our basic metabolic rate worth of calories. To little can lead to muscle deficiencies and yo-yo effect. If we eat much more, any surplus energy will be stored as fat.

• Build Muscle to Lose Weight

Or maybe more specifically: build muscle to lose fat. Muscle weighs more than fat, so in theory, this phrase might be misleading. The underlying assumption, however, is crucial. The only organ in our body capable of burning fat is, you’ve guessed it, muscle! The more muscle mass we have in the body, the higher our above-described metabolic rate. This, in turn, means that we can consume more calories without gaining weight. Strength training, or strength endurance training, is therefore more effective in long-term weight loss than just endurance training.

• Eat more of the good stuff

Despite what we have said about basic metabolic rates and calorie balance, what we eat has a big impact on our success in weight loss, as well as our health, and energy levels. A plant-based, vegan diet is generally lower in calories, saturated fats, and processed sugars. You can ultimately eat more food for the same amount of calories, as when you’re eating, let’s say, meats or fast foods. Vegetables and greens, for example, have a high-water content and will make you feel full faster. But more in this in my article on Plant-Based, Vegan Diet for Weight Loss (coming soon!).

• Exercises for Losing Weight at Home

As briefly mentioned, strength endurance training is the best type of exercise for losing weight. Training formats such as HIIT – High Intensity Interval Training – drive the pulse up and burn a lot of calories. They also have on big advantage: the afterburn effect from this type of training is very high and you can still burn calories after the end of your training session. The heart rate is usually at 80-90% and thus in the anaerobic range. Carbohydrates are the primary energy source for this type of training, as energy must be available quickly. The best part: you can easily perform these training format in the comfort of your home!

Important: Take breaks between HIIT sessions; we recommend a maximum of 2-3 HIIT sessions per week.

After all the theory, let’s dive into our home weight loss workouts! Let me introduce you to 6 easy exercises for losing weight at home that can always be adapted to your fitness level:

These exercises for losing weight at home are specifically designed to target the whole body and all big muscle groups: legs and glutes, back and chest, as well as arms and abs.

Ready? Let’s go!

Home Weight Loss Workout 1: Low Impact

6 Low Impact Exercises for Losing Weight at Home:

1. Squat to Knee Touch: squat low and then bring left elbow to right knee, slightly twisting in the upper body. Squat again and bring right knee to left elbow. Repeat 10 times per side.
2. Squat and Jab Cross: squat low and then perform a boxing combo of jab cross – right left. Squat again and repeat jab cross – left right. 10 repetitions on each side equals 20 squats 🙂
3. Plank to Downward Dog Toe Touch: you can start from standing and move into a plank, or start directly in the plank. From your plank position, lift hips back to down dog and tap right hand to left toes, then left hand to right toes. Move back into your plank and repeat 10 times.
4. Reverse Butterfly Reclined: lie belly down on a mat and place arms out at the sides at 90°. As you exhale, lift arms, legs, and head off the mat, tensing the back and glute muscles. Release and repeat 20 times.
5. Scissor Abs: lie back down on a mat, lift legs up to the sky. Bring right leg down, as you crunch the abs and touch your hands behind the left hamstring. Now change legs. Repeat 15 times per side.
6. Lower Heels from 90°: lie back down on a mat and bring your knees to 90°. Press your lower back into the mat and keep it there, as you slowly bring your heels to touch the mat. Repeat 10 times.

For a video showing the low impact home weight loss workout, click here. Remember to adapt the reps and rounds to your needs. Don’t forget to take at least 1 minute rest between the sets, so you can go full force in the next round 🙂

And remember: you are stronger than you think you are! So, take a deep breath – you got this.

Home Weight Loss Workout 2: High Intensity

6 High Intensity Exercises for Losing Weight at Home:

1. Sumo Jump Squat: from a standing position, jump your feet into a sumo squat (little wider than shoulder width). If you like, you can alternately place on hand to the ground – see the video for a demonstration 🙂 20 repetitions in total.
2. Lunge Back to Front Kick: from a standing position, step back into a lunge and then directly bring the back leg forward for a front kick. Repeat 12 times per side.
3. Bodybuilder Burpee: from a standing position, jump into a plank position, then open close legs and perform a push up. Jump back forward and repeat 15 times.
4. Push Up to Reverse Butterfly: perform a push up, then lie down and lift arms and legs off the floor. Repeat 20 times.
5. Downward Dog Knee to Elbow: from a downward dog position, bring the right knee to the outside of the right elbow and then the leg back up behind you. Repeat 12 times before changing sides.
6. Full Boat to Half Boat: sit on the sit bones and lift your legs into a boat position. As you exhale, lower your legs forward and your upper body back into a “banana” shape, before rising back up to a full boat. Repeat 15 times.

For a video demonstration of the high intensity exercises for losing weight at home, click here.

If you have any questions regarding these workouts or exercises, please give me a shout below and I’ll get back to you a.s.a.p. I hope you have a lot of fun with these weight loss workouts!

Good luck & namasté

Kim