If you are one of those who enjoy working out at home because it is more comfortable, but for space reasons, your training is stagnant. We have 14 exercises that need the equivalent space to an exercise mat.
And besides, it will not disturb your neighbors since they do not include extreme jumps or steps.
Let’s take a closer look at these 14 quiet exercises for small spaces and apartments.
Table of Contents
1. Tricep Dips On A Chair
The tricep dips are an ideal exercise to increase the muscle mass of the arms, specifically the triceps.
To perform this exercise, you will need a four-legged chair to use as support. With the chair, it will be easier to perform the movement, with which you will have to concentrate the effort exclusively on the triceps.
Next is the step by step of doing tricep dips on a chair:
1. Rest your hands on the chair’s seat, just above its front legs.
2. Place your feet flat on the floor in front of your body, keeping your knees bent in a 90-degree position and your hip elevated (without contacting the chair).
3. In this position, perform an elbow flexion lowering the hip towards the floor without the glutes contacting the floor.
4. To finish, do an elbow extension to return to the starting position.
5. To get better results, repeat 15 times for 3 rounds.
Main Benefits:
Tricep dips are one of the most effective exercises for developing arm musculature. It also helps muscle the shoulders.
Eliminate fat from the arms.
2. Up And Down Planks
Both the planks and the push-ups are exercises that make you use your whole body. And when you put these two movements together, your muscles are double toned.
The planks are a perfect workout to strengthen the abdomen, and there are different varieties. In this case, we will see how up and down planks are made using the elbows.
Next is the step by step of doing up and down planks:
1. Get into the plank position facing down, but bend your elbows and unload your body weight onto your forearms instead of your hands.
2. With your feet on the floor, your body should take the form of a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles.
3. Contract your abs and lift your right forearm until your palms are flat on the floor.
4. Now, get up from the left forearm until the hands’ palms are on the floor.
5. This movement must be performed with both forearms but one at a time, thus returning to the original position.
6. Repeat each movement after holding for 10 seconds.
Main Benefits:
The up and down planks not only tone and strengthen the abdominal area.
By maintaining this position for a long time, various muscles are activated, and, as a result, it contributes to having a strong back, toned glutes, fit legs, a flat abdomen, and toned arms.
3. Side Plank
The side plank is also an exercise to strengthen the abdominal area.
It is a movement similar to that of the previous plank but with variations.
One of them is the position. Instead of lying face down, you will do it on your side, which is a little more complicated when maintaining balance.
Next is the step by step of doing side plank:
1. First of all, place the mat on the floor and stand sideways on it. Rest one hand on the mat and the other on the waist.
2. Then, raise your hip until you have a forearm and feet on the ground, forming a straight line between your shoulder and your feet.
3. The forearm that you have placed on the mat has to flex, and the feet must be together. On the other hand, keep the legs straight, trying not to drop the weight downwards.
4. In this position, the core muscles will begin to work. As it is an isometric exercise, the effort is made while maintaining the position. Try to hold as long as possible in this position and then switch sides.
Main Benefits:
This exercise works the lateral abs.
However, the isometric position also involves other muscles such as the obliques, the deltoids, and the trapezius.
4. Single-Leg, Single-Arm Reach
This balancing exercise is good for activating some muscles like the glutes and hamstrings.
It is an activity for both beginners and advanced, and it is also perfect for challenging your ability to balance.
It is a straightforward exercise to perform where you do not need any extra gymnastic elements other than your legs and arms.
It is a silent exercise but with which you can exercise your body very well.
Next are the step by step of doing single-leg, single-arm reach:
1. Stand up and put all the weight of your body on your left leg, raising your right arm in front of you.
2. With your back straight, lean your torso forward as you extend and raise your right leg behind you. Your torso should go down while your leg goes up until both are parallel to the floor.
3. Stay balanced as you tighten your abdominal muscles. To return to your starting position, contract your glutes and hamstrings.
4. Perform the same movement with the other arm and leg.
Main Benefits:
You work the glutes and hamstrings, i. e., three muscles that run through the back of the upper leg.
You strengthen your arms, and you can keep your abs firm while doing the exercise.
5. Pushups
Pushups are the perfect exercise to strengthen the upper body.
This way, you train the pectoral muscles and the arms, more specifically the triceps. Strengthening the arms and upper body allows for good posture.
Start by performing a series of 15 repetitions and increase the number of series.
Try to reach up to 3 sets of 15 repetitions. Don’t hesitate to take a minute of rest between each set. Don’t go too fast!
Next is the step by step of doing pushups:
1. Get into the plank position, but this time, you have to lean on your hands with your forearms extended.
2. Keep your back straight and go down until your torso almost touches the floor. The movement must be slow, and inhale as you lower your torso. Also, be sure to put the body weight on your forearms and not on your hands.
3. Go back up until you have your arms outstretched. Don’t forget to keep your back straight and exhale.
Main Benefits:
The pushups strengthen more muscles than you thought.
The pectorals and triceps are the ones that have been worked the most thoroughly, but others such as the abdominals, glutes, and shoulders are also stimulated.
6. Bear Crawl
The bear crawl is a self-loading exercise without any equipment, so we can try it at home without problems, even if you have a mall space.
This exercise consists of imitating the way the bears walk.
It is a simple exercise to do, although it may be a bit complicated if you are a beginner.
Still, with practice, you can do it perfectly by increasing your strength and exercising your whole body.
Next is the step by step of doing bear crawl:
1. To do it correctly, we must first get down on our knees in what we know as a four-legged pose.
2. To perform the movement, we will raise the hip and support ourselves with our feet on the floor instead of with our knees and with our hands as the only 4 support points.
3. Now, you should only imitate the movement of displacement but in the same place.
4. You can start slowly and then increase the speed, changing your hands and legs position.
Main Benefits:
Among the main muscles worked are the abs and obliques, dorsal, trapezius, deltoids, iliac psoas, quadriceps, gluteus maximus, and calves.
7. In-Place Lunges
In-place lunges are an exercise similar to squats but encompassing a greater range of motion.
They aim to work the upper glutes, the hamstrings (muscles located behind the thigh), the hip flexors, and the quadriceps (muscles of the front of the thigh).
To a lesser extent, it is also an exercise that will allow you to work your calves, abs, and back, although it is not its main objective.
Next is the step-by-step of making in-place lunges, including starting, stepping forward, and moving down and up.
1. In the starting position, it is essential to stand with your legs open at shoulder height.
2. In the forward step position, it is important that the stride is long enough to lower your knee to the ground without touching it. The torso must remain straight.
3. In the last part of the lunge, you must return to the starting position keeping your back straight and without putting all the weight on the knee.
Main Benefits:
The lunges allow you to work your quads, glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, inner thigh, and the muscles that comprise the femoral biceps of your legs.
8. Bodyweight Lateral Lunge
The bodyweight lateral lunge is a variant of basic strides or lunges, and they are an effective way to work the muscles of the lower body, mainly the glutes.
That is why it makes it an ideal exercise to develop and strengthen your butt and inner-thigh from the comfort of your home.
You don’t need any equipment or a gym membership to benefit from this incredible and fun exercise.
Next is the step by step of making a bodyweight lateral lunge:
1. Stand up with your knees and hips slightly flexed and your feet shoulder-width apart. This will be your starting position.
2. Take a big side step with your left leg as you lower your torso and hips by flexing your left knee.
3. Stop for a moment and then return to your starting position.
Main Benefits:
It is a complete muscular work that includes glutes and quadriceps and calves, adductors, abdominals, and lumbar.
9. Air Squats
The air squats are a fundamental move of CrossFit and any other strength training.
Many people recognize it as the queen of exercises.
However, despite its great importance as the basis for many of the fundamental movements in functional strength training, most people do not perform squat correctly.
Next is the step by step of doing air squats:
1. Starting Position: Spread your feet shoulder-width apart and raise your arms horizontally to the floor.
2. Squat down to start the squat. Start by shifting your hips back and go down by flexing your knees. You must maintain the lumbar curvature, and your knees must follow the line of your feet. Descend until your hip is above your knees.
3. Quickly extend the hip and legs. Be sure to keep your heels flat on the floor throughout the movement.
4. End the movement with a full knee extension and a hip lock.
Main Benefits:
The main muscles in an air squat are the quadriceps and glutes, but it also works with other leg muscles, the lower part, and the extensors of the back and abdomen.
The quadriceps, biceps femoris, hamstrings, adductors, muscles of the knees, gluteus, hip, and even the calves work both during flexion and extension.
10. Wall Sits
The wall sits similar to a squat but with support on the wall. A beginner can be done to enhance the muscles and acquire technique, progressing from simpler exercises to more complex ones.
It is also widely used to recover people with injuries since the muscles are worked without straining the back, shoulders, and neck.
Next is the step by step of doing wall sits:
1. Stand with your back against the wall with your arms extended down by your side.
2. Let yourself fall slowly and controlled until you flex both legs.
3. At the end of the movement, the knees must be flexed at 90º and must never exceed the toes’ line.
4. Maintain leg tension for 30 seconds and force both hips and upper and lower backs to stay firm against the wall. Tighten your abs.
Main Benefits:
Like the classic squat, this is an optimal exercise to strengthen the muscles of the lower limbs, thighs, quadriceps, glutes, calves, and abs.
11. Single-Leg Isometric Wall Squat
This is another variant of the previous exercise.
Even if you are leaning against the wall, it can be a little complicated exercise if you are a beginner, but once you maintain your balance, you can do it without problems to perfectly work your glutes, core, quads, and hamstrings.
Next is the step by step of doing a single-leg isometric wall squat:
1. Stand with your back against the wall and place your feet approximately two feet apart, separating them the same width from your shoulders.
2. Drop by flexing your knees at a 90-degree angle.
3. Keep your balance and extend your right leg forward so that your calf is parallel on the floor.
4. Stay in that position for at least two seconds, and then do the same with the other leg.
Main Benefits:
Doing this exercise will work the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, hip extensors, calves, abs, and lumbar.
12. Crunches
The abdominal wall is a critical point in the body, and most fitness exercises focus some of their strength on these muscles.
Show off a flat stomach in no time but don’t forget to combine it with a healthy diet.
Next is the step by step of doing crunches:
1. Lie on your back with your knees bent at an angle that allows your heels to be as close to the front of your thighs as possible.
2. Rest your hands behind your head: Ideally, they touch the sides of the head instead of resting on the nape of the neck.
3. Bring your torso to your knees without lifting your back off the ground. Keep your feet on the ground at all times and squeeze your core while doing the movement.
4. Repeat 15 times for 3 rounds.
Main Benefits:
The crunches strengthen and tone your abdominal muscles.
13. Leg Lifts
The leg lift is an exercise with which we will work the legs and the abs simultaneously.
Being leg lifting an indispensable exercise to get a more toned and strong body.
Among the different styles and difficulties within the leg lift, it is important to adapt the exercise’s intensity to our physical condition.
Next is the step by step of doing leg lifts:
1. We will start lying on our backs, with our legs stretched out, and during the exercise, we will keep the palms of our hands touching the ground, making sure that we do not lift them when raising our legs.
2. We begin to lift the legs at the same time as we contract the abdomen. Both legs have to go up at the same time smoothly to achieve better results and in the same way when we start to lower them.
3. When bringing your legs down, you should avoid touching your feet to the floor, maintaining constant tension during the exercise repetitions.
Main Benefits:
It is an alternative to the basic abs, so its main objective is to work the core.
14. Lying Hip Raises
The lying hip raises are ideal for working the buttocks, which most women use to tone their hips and thighs.
It is a fairly simple exercise to do, and you can do it without any problem at home. You need a mat.
Next is the step by step of doing lying hips raises:
1. We must lie down on the back with our arms extended to the sides of the body and the palms of the hands resting on the ground.
2. With the knees bent and the feet resting on the floor, we must inspire and contract the glutes to elevate the pelvis while the buttocks separate from the floor with the feet’ help to push hard on the floor.
3. A kind of bridge will be formed with the body. You must hold the position for a few seconds and slowly lower the pelvis without resting the buttocks on the floor again. We exhale and begin a new repetition of the movement.
Main Benefits:
It is an excellent exercise to work the buttocks as well as hamstrings.
Conclusion
As you can see, you do not need to go to the gym or have gym machines at home, and you can train all the muscles of your body from the comfort of your home, even if you have a small space.
The best thing is that these exercises are silent, so put on your gym clothes and get ready to be in shape right now.
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