Home workout: Exercises with no professional equipment

What you need:

・2 thick books

・2 filled water bottles

・1 sofa cushion 

・2 filled grocery bags

Books not only train your brain, but can also train your body. Get yourself two thick books from the bookshelf and try the following exercises:

For your arms:

Put the books on the floor. Get into the push-up position with legs at hip width. Put your hands on two books of the same thickness and flex your stomach. Then lower your upper body and bend your arms so that your elbows point outwards. As a beginner, you can also do this exercise while being on your knees which makes it a little easier!

(10 to 20 repetitions)

For the chest and shoulder muscles:

Lie down straight on your back and flex your stomach. Take a thick, heavy book between your hands and stretch your arms up forward. Then start lowering it over your head towards the floor, but do not put it down! Slowly pick it up and repeat the movement.

(10 to 20 repetitions)

For the buttocks:

Have you ever done a squat? Very well! How about a little extra weight then? Just pack a few books in a backpack and strap it on during the exercise.

Put your feet a little further apart than shoulder width and turn them outwards – only a little. Make sure that your knees and toes always point in the same direction. Then put your arms horizontally up in front of your body and slightly bend your upper body forward. Tense your body and slowly bend your knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Keep your back straight and push your butt back. Then bring your body back into the starting position.

(10 to 15 repetitions)

Drinking water is important – especially when exercising! However, you can also integrate your water bottles into your training, since they serve well as dubbells. For example, a filled DREE drinking bottle weights about 1 kilogramm, the perfect weight to start with. If you have two bottles that aren't the same, use a kitchen scale to evenly distribute the weight.

For the chest and shoulder muscles:

Lie down on your back and bend your legs, placing your feet close to your bottom. Take a filled water bottle in each hand and stretch your arms straight up. Now bend your arms and lower them right and left sided towards the ground. Then push up again.

(15 to 20 repetitions)

For the arms:

Go down on all fours – place your knees right under your hips and put your hands beneath your shoulders. Now shift your weight to one arm and take a filled water bottle in the hand of the other arm. Angle the arm holding the water bottle, pressing the inside of your upper arm against your upper body. Then slowly extend the forearm backwards, holding it parallel to the ground. Repeat for the other arm as well.

(20 to 30 repetitions per arm)

As you've probably noticed, carrying grocery bags sometimes feels like a high-intensity training, doesn’t it? So in case you didn't have to carry any bags today, just include them in your workout!

For the neck and shoulders:

Fill two grocery bags and make sure they weight the same. Then stand upright and take a bag in each hand. Your legs should be about shoulder-width apart. Now lift your shoulders and slowly lower them again.

Is that too easy for you? Alright! Alternatively, you can try lifting your arms sideways until they are parallel to the floor – hold on for a few seconds, then slowly lower them again. 

(15 to 25 repetitions per arm)

Get off the sofa, please - but take a cushion with you!

For the abs:

Lie down on your back with your legs stretched out on the floor. Grab a cushion and place it between your knees. Now raise your legs to 90° while still holding the pillow between your knees. Lower your legs again, but don't let them touch the floor! Repeat the movement.

(10-20 repetitions)

You can now go back to the sofa. You made it! If you liked these exercises, make sure to share this post with your friends on Facebook!