Creating a home workout plan can be a great way to stay active and improve your overall fitness without needing a gym membership or expensive equipment. And what better time to get working on your health and fitness than the turn of the new year and heading into spring.

Often the most challenging thing is knowing where to start, especially if you’re new to working out. In this article, we'll provide a comprehensive guide on how to structure a home workout plan that includes both strength training and cardio exercises. But first, let’s find out a little more about these two types of exercises.

 

The benefits of strength training

Strength training, also known as resistance training, is a type of exercise that involves working against resistance to build muscle and improve overall strength. This can include using weights, resistance bands, or even your own body weight as resistance. Strength training is an important aspect of any workout plan, and there are many physical and mental benefits to incorporating it into your routine. Some of the benefits include:

• Increased muscle mass: Strength training increases muscle mass, which can lead to an increase in overall strength and power.
• Improved bone density: Strength training can help to improve bone density, which can reduce the risk of osteoporosis and other bone-related conditions.
• Increased metabolism: By increasing muscle mass, strength training can also help boost your metabolism which can lead to weight loss and improved overall health.
• Improved cardiovascular health: Strength training can improve cardiovascular health by increasing the strength and efficiency of the heart and lungs.
• Improved balance and coordination: Strength training can help to improve balance and coordination, which can reduce the risk of falls and injuries.
• Increased self-esteem: Strength training can help to increase self-esteem and body confidence by improving physical appearance and strength.
• Better mood: Strength training can also help to reduce stress and improve overall mental health.

The benefits of cardio

Cardiovascular exercise, also known as cardio, is a type of exercise that raises your heart rate and increases blood flow to the muscles and organs. The main goal of cardio is to improve cardiovascular fitness, which includes the health of your heart, lungs, and circulatory system.

Some examples of cardio exercises include:

• Running, jogging or sprinting
• Cycling
• Rowing
• Swimming
• Skipping rope
• Dancing
• High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

Cardio is another important aspect of any workout plan and it offers many benefits to your overall health. Some of the benefits of cardio include:

• Improving cardiovascular health: Regular cardio exercise can help improve heart and lung function, lower blood pressure, and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.
• Burning calories: Cardio is an effective way to burn calories and lose weight.
• Improving mental health: Cardio has been shown to improve mood and reduce stress, anxiety and symptoms of depression.
• Improving endurance: Regular cardio can help improve endurance and overall fitness.
• Improving sleep: Cardio can also help improve sleep quality and insomnia.
• Increased energy levels: Cardio can help to increase energy levels, which can improve overall productivity and mood.
• Improved immune function: Cardio can help to improve immune function by increasing the number of immune cells in the body.

Overall, a well-rounded home workout routine includes both cardio and strength training, as they both provide different benefits and target different aspects of your health and fitness. Now you’ve learnt about the different benefits, it’s time to get planning your home workout routine! Here are our top tips on how to create an effective routine and maximise results.

1. Assess Your Fitness Level

The first step in creating a home workout plan is to assess your current fitness level. This will help you determine which exercises are appropriate for you and how much weight you should be lifting. Don’t feel bad about yourself if your fitness is very low, we all have to start somewhere. Just make sure to start with light weights and low-intensity cardio exercises, and gradually increase the weight and intensity of your workouts over time.

 

2. Set Specific Goals

Before you begin your home workout plan, it can help you achieve the best results if you set specific goals for yourself. This will help keep you motivated and on track. Common goals for strength training include increasing muscle mass, improving overall strength, and building endurance. For cardio, you might set goals such as increasing cardiovascular fitness, burning calories or losing weight. Whatever your goal, notice when you see some improvements and use that as motivation to keep going!

3. Create a Schedule

Once you've assessed your fitness level and set specific goals, it's time to create a schedule for your home workout plan. Exercising little and often is the best way to achieve long-term results - it's better to do a shorter workout 3-5 days a week than to do a long workout once or twice a week. This will help to keep your body active and promote muscle growth and strength gains. Often people work out too hard too soon or add too much cardio to their routines, which only leads to burnout. It's also important to schedule rest days to give your muscles time to recover.

4. Choose Your Exercises

When it comes to strength training, it's important to focus on exercises that target multiple muscle groups, such as squats, deadlifts, and push-ups. These exercises are known as compound exercises and are great for building overall strength and muscle mass. In addition to these exercises, you can also include isolation exercises, such as bicep curls, tricep extensions, and leg curls, to target specific muscle groups.

Add intensity to these exercises by incorporating equipment like dumbbells, kettlebells and barbells. AMP’s 2kg per weight strength bars are the perfect addition, helping increase resistance to tone, sculpt and shape your muscles.

For cardio, you can include exercises such as running, cycling, or jumping rope, as well as bodyweight exercises such as jumping jacks, burpees, or mountain climbers. These exercises are great for burning calories and improving cardiovascular fitness.

When adding cardio to your exercise routine, make sure to choose activities that you actually enjoy, otherwise, you might be put off entirely. Experts recommended aiming for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity cardio per week, or a combination of both, so try to work your way up to this.

 

Increase Intensity Over Time

As your body adapts to your workout routine, it's important to increase the intensity and weight of your exercises.

This is known as progressive overload and will help to ensure your muscles continue to grow and get stronger. However, you don't need heavier weights to do this, you can achieve progressive overload by increasing the number of reps, or the number of sets. But always start with a weight that is comfortable for you, otherwise, you risk injury - remember, you have nothing to prove!

As you become more advanced, you can also try incorporating more advanced exercises and techniques, such as supersets, dropsets, and pyramid training.

 

 

Mix it Up

As you progress with your home workout plan, you might want to mix up your routine to prevent boredom and keep your body challenged. This can include trying new exercises or incorporating different types of training, such as circuit training or high-intensity interval training. If you’re stuck for ideas, there are some great (free!) home workout videos you could watch online as well as online fitness programmes you can subscribe to. Let us know your favourites!

 

Recovery

Recovery is a crucial aspect of any workout routine. Make sure to give your muscles enough time to recover, and don't forget to stretch before and after your workout. You can also use foam rollers, massage balls, and stretching bands to help relax your muscles.

AMP’s release and stretch foam roller is a great tool to support muscle recovery. When used regularly after exercise, it can help increase your range of motion, flexibility and mobility while boosting circulation and lymphatic flow to relieve inflammation and soothe your muscles.

 

Be Consistent and Track Progress

The key to achieving the best results from your home workout plan is consistency. It's important to stick to your schedule and make exercise a regular part of your routine, but staying motivated can be extremely challenging. Keeping track of your progress is one of the best ways to stay motivated as it can help you see how far you've come and how close you are to reaching your goals. You can track progress by taking measurements, such as body weight, body fat percentage, or muscle measurements, or by taking progress photos.

 

 

But remember, life happens and sometimes things don't go as planned. Be flexible and adaptable, and don't get discouraged if you miss a workout or two. Just get back on track and keep going!

 

Get Enough Sleep and Nutrition

Exercise is only one aspect of overall fitness. Without proper sleep and nutrition, all your hard work will be futile and you are likely to find exercising much more tiring and demotivating. To support your body and all the hard work it is doing, aim for at least 7-8 hours of sleep each night and eat a balanced diet that includes plenty of protein, carbohydrates, and healthy. Protein is especially vital, as it provides the building blocks to support new muscle growth and muscle repair.

 

Summary

In conclusion, creating a home workout plan that includes both strength training and cardio exercises is a great way to stay active and improve your overall fitness and health. By assessing your fitness level, setting specific goals, creating a schedule, and increasing the intensity and weight of your exercises over time, you can achieve the best results. Remember to be consistent, stay motivated and adaptable, and don't forget the importance of recovery, sleep, and nutrition in achieving your fitness goals. With a little bit of effort and dedication, you can create a home workout plan that works for you and helps you achieve your fitness goals. Good luck!

 

Focusing on your wellbeing in 2023

The new year is a time when we look back on the last 12 months and decide what changes we want to make for the future. The fitness industry has seen a significant increase in the number of people making New Year's resolutions to start exercising more, eat healthier and lose weight. However, January can also be a hard month to get going on these plans. It's cold, dark and busy, so we can feel more like hibernating in our free time than jumping around. If you're one of these people, you might be wondering how to keep up with your goals throughout the year. Here are some tips:

Set some goals. It doesn't have to be new year new you, or require making a 180 degree change in lifestyle, but if you want to get into healthier habits and make those fitness changes you want to make stick for the long term, then you have to start somewhere. Goals can be a really fun, motivating way of turning habits into a healthy lifestyle, particularly when they incorporate all of your wellbeing. They help in many ways, from scheduling time to relax and enjoy self care, to spending time with friends and family, getting those finances in order and prioritising sleep as well as improving your exercise and nutrition. Taking a more balanced approach and using small step changes, can help you improve the likelihood that you will make positive and lasting changes in all areas of your health.

Make it specific. The first step in setting New Year's health and fitness goals is to make them specific. Instead of saying "I want to get more exercise," try "I want to walk (run/bike/dance) three times a week for 30 minutes after dinner." Schedule it in your diary, but if something comes up that prevents you from walking one night, at least you can count it as missed instead of giving up completely and you have 3 days out of 7 to achieve your goal. If you want to achieve more strength and tone, you could sign up to an online class and commit to taking two full body 30 minute classes a week to start off with, then review your actions each month to ensure you're moving towards your goal.

Make sure your goals are realistic. If you're just starting out, don't expect to run a marathon or lose 50 pounds in a month. Setting unrealistic expectations can lead to frustration if you don't reach them right away, overeating when you've restricted yourself too much and burnout from trying to do too much too soon, which can lead you to stop all together. Instead of aiming too high, start small and increase your level of activity gradually over time. Consistency in exercise routines and approach to nutrition is key to those health and fitness goals, and you don't need a gym or heavy equipment to achieve body confidence or a toned physique, but you do need to allow time for yourself to get there in a healthy and sustainable way. Read our blog on the benefits and reasons to use light weights in your workouts here. And remember, abs are made in the kitchen! 

Set small goals that are easily measurable. For example, if your goal is to run five miles every other day by June 1st, instead of saying "I'll run five miles every other day," write down "I'll run two miles, three times a week for the first month." You then have a starting point (achievable for you) which can help you to break down your goal over the next 6 months and work out how you can build up to achieving it realistically from there. Writing down your goal helps you stay accountable for it as well as track your progress toward achieving it. If you can share them with a friend or create an accountability partner, you're also more likely to stick to them. Depending on your overall goal, you don't have to be strict or rigid in your approach, allowing flexibility in your goals can help make them more enjoyable and achievable. You could set an intention, such as "workout 3 times per week for half an hour," as this lets you then choose the workout you feel like doing on the day so you're more likely to stick to the routine and feel good when you've done it, whether it was HIIT, sculpt or yoga. 

 

Some examples of simple SMART fitness goals: eat 5 servings of fruit/veggies every day (ideally aiming for 30 different types of plant over a week for optimal health benefits); go for a 30 min walk 3 times/week (at a time which works for you); do 10 push ups every other morning or before bed (build up to add a one minute plank hold!); drink 6-8 glasses of water per day throughout the day; get 8 hours of quality sleep every night; spend 1 hour reading each week, set aside 20 minutes 3 times a week. These small habits can then build into lasting lifestyle changes for overall wellbeing.

Lastly, it's important to take the time to think about what you want from your fitness plan. What are your ultimate fitness goals? What do you want to achieve in the next month or year? How do you want to feel by the summer? Once you have an idea of what you want, write them down so that you can break them down and track your progress along the way. What goals can you set today? We'd love to know how you're getting on, let us know in the comments below.

Dragging oneself out of bed in the morning to exercise can be a challenge; especially as the winter is approaching and the mornings are darker and colder.

 

Morning exercise has several significant health benefits and is a great way to set you up for the day ahead. If hitting the gym first thing is out of the question, home workouts are equally effective and for many people, much more achievable.

In this article, we will provide a brief overview of some of the main benefits of morning exercise.

 

1. Healthier food choices

Interestingly, research suggests that morning exercise can change your relationship with

food. It is believed to encourage healthier food choices throughout the day and reduce overall food intake. By starting your day with a healthy activity, it is likely that you will want to keep that feeling throughout the day. After all, we don’t want to undo all our hard work!

 

2. Better sleep quality

Early morning workouts are also hugely beneficial for sleep and energy. According to research, morning exercise can help improve sleep quality by increasing deep sleep and reducing awakenings and the time taken to fall asleep. It also helps increase the release of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin at night for further sleepy benefits. What’s more, if you prefer to exercise outside, the light exposure can help keep your body clock in check so that you fall asleep easier and wake up feeling refreshed.

 

3. Increased weight loss

If your goal is to lose weight, you might see better results if you work out in the morning before breakfast. Exercising on an empty stomach means there is no food to provide immediate energy to your muscles. This means your body switches to burning fat as a source of fuel. According to one study, you can burn up to 20% more fat by working out on an empty stomach!

 

4. Better mood and brain function

Morning exercise can help you start the day on a positive note because, during physical activity, the brain releases an influx of “feel good” hormones that help relieve stress and make you feel happy.

Scientists have found that exercise also improves mental clarity, attention and energy by increasing the levels of a vital brain molecule that plays a role in learning and memory.

The perfect home workout accessory

Every home workout needs the right equipment. And what better place to start than a trusty fitness mat? AMP’s eco-friendly fitness and yoga mat provides 6mm of cushioned support and a slip-proof surface to perform all of your exercises. Whether you choose yoga, pilates, HIIT workouts or weight training, this multipurpose mat has got you covered. 

 

Summary

Now you’ve learnt about the benefits of morning exercise, it might seem more worthwhile getting up for. Not least does it enhance multiple aspects of physical and mental health, but it also sets the right tone for the day ahead.

According to scientific research, starting your day with physical activity increases the likelihood of you making healthier food choices and eating less throughout the day. It also helps support faster weight loss, improves sleep, reduces stress and enhances brain function and mood.

When do you prefer to workout? Let us know!

 

Having strong, toned arms can make all the difference to our appearance and body confidence. With the festive period in full swing and Christmas parties just around the corner, you might be wondering how to tone your arms fast.

 

Well don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! The following are some of the most effective exercises to include in your at-home arm workouts. For best results, repeat each exercise for three sets of 12 reps. And don’t forget to rest in between sets!

1. Bicep curl

This is a classic arm exercise that is great for targeting your biceps on the front of your upper arm.

How to do it:

• Begin standing with your feet hip-width apart.
• Hold a dumbbell in each of your hands at your sides, palms facing forward.
• Keeping your arms tucked into your sides, bend your elbows to bring the weights to your shoulders.
• Lower back down and repeat.

 

2. Triceps kickback

This exercise targets your triceps which are located at the back of your upper arm. They help stabilize your shoulders and support movements that involves extending your arms.

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, palms facing each other.
• Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the waist.
• Keeping your arms close to your sides, straighten your arms and push the dumbbells backwards so that they are behind you.
• Hold and slowly bring your arms back to starting position.
• Repeat.

3. Chest press

Chest presses target multiple muscles in your upper body at once including your triceps, pectorals (chest muscles) and deltoids (shoulder muscles).

 

How to do it:

• Lie on an exercise mat on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
• Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing the floor.
• Bend your elbows to a 90-degree angle and hold the dumbbells wider than your chest. You are now in the starting position.
• Keep your elbows bent and push the dumbbells up above you until your arms are straight - don’t lock your elbows!
• Slowly lower back down to the starting position and repeat your reps.

4. Front and lateral raises

Lateral raises are great at working out your shoulder muscles and triceps, while front raises target shoulder and chest muscles as well as your biceps.

How to do a lateral raise:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, palms facing towards your body.
• With your elbows slightly bent, raise your arms so that they are parallel to the floor.
• Slowly lower to starting position and repeat.

How to do a front raise:

• Get into the same starting position as with a lateral raise, but hold your dumbbells in front of your legs and palms facing your thighs.
• Keeping your arms straight, raise them out in front of you so that they are parallel to the ground.
• Return to the starting position and repeat.

The perfect arm workout accessories

Ready to get cracking but don’t have the right equipment? Our 4kg dumbbell strength bars are the perfect match for the exercises above. They are easy to hold and add just the right amount of resistance to your movements to help tone, sculpt and strengthen.

 

If you’re just getting started and looking for something lighter, try our 6lb fitness bars instead. Again, these are easy to hold and help you achieve toned and lean looking arms.

Let us know how you get on, we'd love to know what you think!







What are your favourite arm exercises? Tell us in the comments below.

If you’re looking to add a little intensity to your home workouts, resistance bands might just be what you’re looking for. They are a great way to build muscle and tone-up your body because they add tension and resistance to any exercise movement.


You can use resistance bands in a variety of ways, looping them around different parts of your body and attaching them to different anchor points, such as a door frame or bedpost. They also come in different resistances so you can alter the difficulty of your workouts and are suitable for all fitness levels.


Here, we explain a few of the main benefits of working out with resistance bands and share a few examples of effective moves to include in your workouts.

Benefits of using resistance bands

1 Portable

One of the major benefits of using resistance bands is their portability. Because they are so lightweight and take up very little room in a bag, you can take them with you wherever you go, whether that’s work trips or holidays! This makes them great for people who are constantly on the move and means you will never have to miss a workout.

2 Effective at building muscle mass and tone

Resistance bands are extremely effective at increasing muscle mass and tone because they add tension and load to movements, both of which are necessary for building muscle. Unlike weights which remain equally heavy through an entire rep, the tension of resistance bands increases as they’re pulled apart, which makes muscle work harder.

According to research, working out with resistance bands is equally effective at building muscle as working out with conventional resistance training equipment such as weight machines and dumbbells.

3 Reduces injury risk

Resistance bands place a very small amount of force on joints, meaning there is less chance of injury compared to weight training. You can also increase resistance without increasing injury risk. As such, this makes resistance bands a great option for elderly people, or anyone with existing injuries or joint pain.

4 Works multiple muscle groups

Because resistance bands are so versatile, you can train at specific angles in order to target certain muscle groups. For example, it is much easier to work the smaller muscle groups, which may otherwise get neglected in your workouts. You can also target several muscles at the same time, enabling you to get a full-body workout.

What’s more, the constant tension requires muscles to work extra hard and activates stablizer muscle groups to control the movement, improving balance, stability and core strength.

3 examples of exercises with resistance bands

1. Lateral Raise

How to do it:

• Start by standing with the right foot stepped forward infront of the left, flat on the floor with the middle of a resistance band lopped underneath the arch. Keep your left heel slightly raised off the floor.
• Grasp one end of the resistance band with either hand with your arms at your side.
• Raise both arms outward until they are parallel with the floor and return slowly to the starting position.
• Repeat for both sides

2. Banded front squat

How to do it:

• Stand on the middle of a resistance band with your feet hip-width apart.
• Hold one end of the band in either hand and bend your arms to bring your hands to your ears.
• Keeping your arms in this position, engage your core and sink your hips back into a squat.
• Extend your legs to return to the starting position.

3. Side plank high pull

How to do it:

• Start in a side plank position with a resistance band underneath your hand on the floor.
• With your other hand, grasp the other end of the band and bend your elbow to pull it away from the floor. Make sure to remain in a stable plank position.
• Repeat on both sides.

Summary

Resistance bands are a great way to add intensity to your workouts. They are effective at building, strengthening and toning muscle and offer numerous other benefits including a reduced risk of injury, portability, versatility and they are great for targeting multiple muscle groups. Once you start using them, it’s likely they’ll become a staple piece of equipment for your home workouts!

AMP offer latex resistance bands in five different strengths, from extra light to extra heavy, depending on how challenging you want your workouts.

Or, try the adjustable fabric bands which allow you to alter the intensity of your workouts by adjusting the length of the band.

Which bands do you prefer? Let us know.

Lose weight and keep it off by lifting weights

 

If you’re wondering how to keep weight off once you have reached your desired scale reading, the key is to weight train. Lifting weights helps you build muscle and boosts your metabolism, both of which are essential for maintaining your weight.

In this article, read our top tips on how to lift weights to lose weight and learn why weight training is the best way to keep weight off.

 

 

Can you lose weight by lifting weights?

The answer is: definitely! While weight training generally doesn’t burn as many calories as a cardio workout, it benefits weight loss in other ways.

Firstly, weight training helps you build muscle which raises your resting metabolic rate (RMR) - the number of calories you burn at rest. This is because muscle burns through more calories at rest than other tissues like fat, meaning you will be torching the calories without even moving! According to one study, men and women who took part in 24 weeks of weight training increased their metabolisms by 9% and 4% respectively.

Weight training also boosts calorie burning long after a workout. When we exercise, our muscles require more energy to power their movement. Makes sense, right? But what scientists have found is that after a weight training session our metabolism can stay raised for up to 38 hours in order to continue to provide the energy and nutrients needed to restore muscles. This is known as the “after-burn effect”.

So, probably by about now, you’re eager to get weight lifting. But before you go do your thing, read our top tips on how to lift weights to lose weight to ensure you get the best results.

Tips on how to lift weights to lose weight

Set realistic goals

Weight loss targets are extremely effective at motivating you to stick with your training programme. But it is important that your goals are realistic, otherwise they might do the opposite.

Use a combination of strength exercises

There are two main types of strength exercises: compound and isolation exercises. Include a mixture of these in your workouts for maximum results.

A compound exercise uses multiple muscle groups at the same time to perform a movement. These include: 

• Squats
• Lunges
• Dips
• Deadlifts

 

An isolation exercise targets one specific muscle group and uses one joint. These include:

• Bicep curls
• Lateral raises
• Leg extensions
• Hamstring curls

 

 

AMP’s 4kg dumbbell strength bars are the perfect addition to your workouts, helping strengthen, tone and sculpt your muscles. By adding resistance, they can increase muscle growth to boost your metabolic rate and promote weight loss.

Looking for something heavier? Try our peak strength triangles for an added boost. With two weights included, one 10lb triangle and one smaller 7lb, these will add an extra burn to all your arm, leg and core exercises.

 

Include cardio in your training regime

While weight training is great for building muscle, cardio workouts burn more calories per session and can help you achieve a calorie deficit which is required for weight loss. According to research, cardio combined with weight training is the most effective way to achieve long term weight loss.

 

Eat a healthy, balanced diet

There’s no use putting the hard work into weight training if you’re going to follow a session with an unhealthy meal. All weight loss 'diets' are based on a calorie deficit, but also often miss vital nutrients and are not sustainable, or healthy, in the long term. We suggest you stick to eating healthy, balanced meals throughout the day, based on your individual calorie requirement, as the key to keeping weight off. Make sure to eat plenty of protein-rich foods, such as fish, nuts, eggs and tofu, as protein provides the essential building blocks for muscles. Avoid refined sugars, saturated fats and processed foods.

Summary

Weight training is essential for helping you maintain your desired weight for two main reasons: It builds muscle which helps boost your RMR so you burn more calories at rest, and it also keeps your metabolic rate elevated in the following hours after a training session.

For best results, set yourself realistic weight loss goals and incorporate a combination of compound and isolation strength exercises as well as cardio into your training programme. And, don’t forget about the importance of nutrition! Eating a healthy, balanced diet alongside a good exercise regime is key for achieving weight loss and maintaining results.

Let us know how you get on!