As cliché as it sounds, exercise makes us happy. When you exercise, your body releases hormones called endorphins which trigger positive feelings and makes us feel good after a sweat fest. That is often followed by a positive and energised outlook on life, which also serves as motivation.

I mean not all of us are cut out to be as ripped as the fitness influencers flooding Instagram, but it doesn’t hurt to get yourself into a better shape of health. Personally, it makes me feel less guilty as I’ve been snacking more often at home.

I favour home workout routines as I can do them at any part of the day and not have to head to a gym. Plus, if you’re not comfortable working out in a crowd, home workouts will just be what you need. All you need are some basic exercise equipment and you’re good to go!

Workout #1: The Pull-Up Bar

Pull-up bars these days are generally really affordable and can be installed at home very easily. I got mine from Decathlon for around $40.00 so you should definitely check it out.

Pull-ups work on your bicep, shoulder and back muscles which are important for everyday tasks. Chin-ups are basically the same thing just with your hands gripped facing towards you and engage more of your biceps.

Nearly everything you do involves either of those muscles and training them simply makes doing those tasks much easier. If you’re struggling to do one pull up you can loop a resistance band on the bar and step on it for assistance.

Tricep extensions can also be done on the pull-up bar by tying the resistance band on it and pulling downwards with your elbows close to your body.

The Workout:

• Pull-ups: 3 sets x 5 reps
• Tricep Extensions: 3sets x 10 reps (per side)
• Chin-ups: 3 sets x 5 reps

Workout #2: The Resistance Band

Resistance bands are very versatile and can be used for a multitude of various exercises. They substitute the weight needed for exercises that normally require dumbells or barbells.

Probably one of the most basic exercises here, push-ups are an important staple for any home work out. You can wrap a resistance band behind you such that you are being resisted as you push yourself up.

Bend over rows are great for strengthening your mid to lower back muscle which can get sore easily after working at your desk the whole day.

Lastly, bicep curls are pretty basic and are good for building strength by isolating and training your bicep muscles. You’ll probably need different resistance band weights so do adjust accordingly.

The Workout:

• Resisted Push-ups: 2 sets x 20 reps
• Resistance Band Bent Over Rows: 2 sets x 10 reps (per arm)
• Resistance Band Bicep Curls: 2 sets x 10 reps (per arm)

Workout #3: Dem legs

Leg day might sound boring but it is definitely an important component of any well-rounded exercise regiment. Deadlifts are a compound exercise which targets multiple muscle groups, making the training very efficient.

The focus of deadlifts are on the hamstrings, glutes and quads but also make use of the abductors and calves as well. For people who are short of time to exercise, deadlifts are the way to go.

Similarly, squats are a compound exercise which engages various parts of your lower body. They focus more on your quads and your glutes as compared to deadlifts. If you want to have a balanced body type, working on your legs is a must.

The Workout:

• Resistance Band Squats: 4 sets x 8 reps
• Resistance Band Deadlift: 4 sets x 8 reps

Workout #4: Six Pack Hacks

Contrary to popular belief, doing a thousand sit-ups won’t get you a six-pack. If you want to get ripped abs, there’s no escaping the diet involved.

Furthermore, there is no running away from running (pun intended) when it comes to losing belly fat so there’s no shortcut there. But for most of us who just want to stay healthy and keep a relative level of fitness, basic core exercises are great to relieve the guilt of snacking.

Sit-ups and planks are great for working your abdominal muscles. Besides your major abdominal muscles, planks also engage various muscles such as your glutes and obliques which are generally harder to isolate.

Flutter kicks are also another great exercise that engages your lower abdominal muscles and hip flexors.

A yoga mat is preferred to prevent any tail bone or lower back injuries, especially for sit-ups.

The Workout:

• Sit-Ups: 2 sets x 30 reps
• Planks (Front and Sides): 2 sets x 30 sec each
• Flutter kicks: 2 sets x 25 reps per side

Workout #5: Cardiooo

As mentioned above, the most effective way to lose body fat is through cardio. Nobody likes cardio but its definitely an unavoidable aspect of keeping healthy.

While going outside for a nice jog is probably one of the best exercises, not all of us have a park or stadium nearby and getting there can be rather time-consuming.

Instead, cardio can also be done at home. And no I’m not referring to running a marathon at home unless that your thing. Burpees, jumping jacks and the skipping rope are all great options for stay-home cardio.

You can even add push-ups to your burpees if you’re up for the challenge!

The Workout:

• Burpees: 2 sets x 15 reps
• Jump Rope: 2 sets x 50 reps
• Jumping Jacks: 2 sets x 20 counts

These a just a few basic routines you can do in the comfort of your own home. The equipment needed is really affordable and I encourage everyone to give it a shot.

For people with little time to exercise, compound exercises which target multiple muscle groups are the way to go. No, these exercises won’t make you the next Dwayne Johnson but it’ll definitely make you fitter than you were before.

This article was first published in Shopback.