Home fitness has revolutionised the way Norwegians keep fit. While gyms require membership, travel time and often queues at the machines, you can achieve just as good results at home - without investing in expensive equipment.
Research shows that bodyweight training activates multiple muscle groups simultaneously and improves functional strength better than isolated apparatus exercises. Here are our top five tips for maximising your home workout without a single weight or band.
Annema's top five tips for home training:
1. You don't need a large space to exercise at home. Most people have a suitable room or place in their home where they can conduct their sessions. Test your room: Do you have room for an exercise mat? Can you stretch your arms out to the side and over your head? Can you take one step in each direction? Congratulations, you have a fully functional gym.
2. Working out at home without equipment doesn't mean an easier workout. On the contrary - by adjusting angles, tempo and the time you hold positions, you can make any exercise harder than it is with weights. As an example, here's a "progression staircase" for push-ups:
- Level 1: Wall push-ups
- Level 2: Push-ups on knees
- Level 3: Standard push-ups
- Level 4: Diamond push-ups
- Level 5: Pike push-ups
- Level 6: Handstand push-ups
The same principle applies to squats, lunges and planks - all of which can be varied!
3. Structure your week as a training programme. Planning makes it easier to get to the gym even if it's at home. The benefits of signing up interactive training with Naardic is that you make a training agreement with yourself, but also the trainer, which can make it feel more binding. Here is an example of a training plan for home training without equipment:
- Monday: Upper body focus (push-ups, dips, plank variations)
- Wednesday: Leg focus (squats, lunges, single leg exercises)
- Friday: Full body HIIT (burpees, mountain climbers, jumping jacks)
- Saturday: Mobility and balance (yoga-inspired movements)
4. Have your workout clothes available and ready the night before. This makes the doorstep mile shorter! Since you don't have to travel to and from a fitness centre, you'll save at least an hour every day - which you can spend on sleep, other things you want to do, or just relaxing with friends and family.
5. Make it sociable. Invite friends and family to join you. This makes training more fun and increases the chances of you continuing. For example, if you have friends who live in another city, this is a great and fun way to meet up, even if you're hours away from each other!
Remember: Home training without equipment is good training!
Bodyweight training has been the foundation of military physical training for centuries. Navy SEALs, Norwegian hunters and elite athletes primarily use bodyweight exercises. Why do they do it? Because it works, it's injury-free, and it builds functional strength.
With Naardic, you get the structure of group classes, the expertise of personal training, and the flexibility of home training - all without spending a cent on equipment.
Regular physical activity provides energy in everyday life, is good for your mood, sleep and health, and prevents several diseases. Our bodies like to move and with Naardic, the only limit to how you can stay active is your imagination!
