Conquer April Showers with an Indoor Workout!
Spring is finally here and summer is right around the corner! Although the warm weather is creeping in, the month of April is known for its frequent rain showers. We all know the saying, “April showers bring May flowers” but rainy days also tend to decrease our desire to get out of the house and exercise.
Don’t let the rain stop you from getting in a good work out! There are dozens of at home workouts that require NO equipment at all and will give you that same feeling of accomplishment after a workout at the gym. Here are some of my personal favorites that I enjoy doing on a day where I can’t get out of the house to workout.
Important Note: Ask your doctor before participating in any sort of physical activity. If you are unsure of an exercise or if it feels uncomfortable, seek the help of a fitness professional.
Below is a list of exercises that will target every part of your body and could be done right in your own living room!
| Exercise | Body Part Targeted | How To: |
| Jumping Jacks | Cardio | Jump up and extend both arms out at the same time and then bring feet and hands back to starting position continuously. |
| Run/Walk up and down stairs | Cardio | Pick a flight of stairs inside your home and skip steps to challenge yourself. |
| High Knees | Cardio | Stand in place, shoulder width apart. Drive your knees up to your chest one at a time. Alternate knees at a rapid, steady pace. |
| Burpees | Cardio, Total Body | Begin in a low squat position with hands on the floor in front of you. Kick your feet back to a pushup position and immediately return your feet to the squat position. Leap up as high as possible from the squat position. |
| Squat Jumps | Cardio, Quadriceps | Start by doing a regular squat; then jump up as explosively as you can when you rise up, reaching for the ceiling. When you land, lower your body back into the squat position. |
| Lunges | Quadriceps, Hamstrings | Stand with your arms by your sides. Step forward or backwards with one leg and bend both of your knees toward the ground. Make sure your front knee is directly over your ankle, to prevent knee injury. |
| Wall Sits | Quadriceps, Hamstrings | Stand with your back against a wall in your house. Lower down into a seated position, as if you were sitting in a chair. Increase the difficulty by holding a heavy book out in front of you or over your head. Hold as long as you can! |
| Planks | Core | Lay down on your stomach on the floor. Raise your body up into a push up position or onto your elbows; hold for 30-60 seconds. This can also be done lying on your side and holding yourself up on one elbow to target your oblique’s. |
| V-Ups | Core | Lay on your back with your hands above your head. Raise your feet and hands off the floor at the same time and touch your fingers to your toes (your body should form a V, with only your rear on the floor as you touch your feet). |
| Mountain Climbers | Core | Get your body into a push up position. Quickly bring your right knee to your chest and then back to push up position. Immediately do the same with your left knee, then right, then left to create a rapid movement. |
| Push-Ups | Chest, Triceps, Core | Place your hands wide apart to target your chest. Place your hands close together to target your triceps. These can be modified by placing your knees on the floor instead of in full push up position. |
| “Weight Lifting” | Total Body | If you do not have weights in your house, use canned foods to do bicep curls or front and lateral arm raises to target your shoulders and arms. |
| Superman | Back | Lay with your stomach on the floor and your arms over your head. Slowly raise up your chest, arms and legs off the floor (forming an arch in your back). |
| Dips | Triceps | Place the back of a chair against the wall. Sit on it and place the palms of your hands on the edge of the chair, fingers hanging off. Extend your legs off the chair so you are holding yourself up with your arms. Slowly bend your elbows backwards, lowering your rear to the floor and push yourself back up using your triceps muscles. |
| Glute Bridge | Glutes, Hamstrings | Lay with your back on the floor and feet flat on the ground. Raise your hips off of the floor, tightening your glute muscles and lower yourself back onto the floor. |
| Inchworm | Core, Arms | Start in a standing position with your feet together. Bend down and put your hands on the floor, keeping your legs straight. Walk your hands out in front of you so you end up in a push up position. Perform one push up and then walk your feet in to meet your hands again. |
These 16 exercises are ones that are easily done at home. Try and perform them consecutively with little rest in between to keep your heart rate up and maximize calorie burn. And remember, some of the best exercises are ones that require only your body weight, so don’t feel that you always need weights or some kind of resistance to get a good workout.
Your turn to take action: Which of these exercises will you try?
Thanks for a great list, Bonnie. There’s no shortage of exercise to be had inside, it’s just the doing that gets us undone! Out with the excuses and on with the exercises! Preparation is the key 🙂
Tamsin, you sound like you are ready to start! Let me know how these exercises work out for you.
I love all these suggestions. Basically, I’m not one for jogging over long distances so these are great for me! Thanks for sharing!
Your welcome Michelle. Thanks for reading!
We’re actually having April snow instead of rain. All your ideas are great and just this morning I was thinking it might be time to buy some weights (small dumb bells) to do some arm work.
What I really prefer to do is turn on some good dance music and boogie!
And, I some mornings I’ll do yoga stretches, which include what you call “superman” and “glute bridges.”
Thanks Bonnie.
~Debra
Hi Debra, thanks for sharing. Like you said, one of the best cardio exercises is putting on your favorite music and just dancing. Have fun!