8 Creative At-Home Workouts You Can Try Today

Mix up your workout routine

There's nothing worse than doing the same workout day-in, and day-out, with no end in sight. Even if you're in the midst of a bout of intense training, you need to occasionally switch things up to add some spice to your workout life. This type of cross-training can also help you shore up muscular imbalances while reducing the likelihood of injuries.

The following eight workouts have been designed by fitness trainers and experts from around the country as exclusive home-based routines. So grab a jump rope, a Theraband, or a boxing bag, and get ready to work up a sweat. You'll be surprised how a new workout can rejuvenate your excitement for staying healthy and fit.

1

An Inventive Theraband Workout

ChaiseFitness, a workout developed by former dancer Rachel Piskin, uses long, flat Therabands as resistance training tools. If you don't already own one, you can buy a band for about $10 from a sporting goods store before following along with the inventive, dance-inspired exercises developed by Piskin.

With a combination of higher-intensity cardio exercises, graceful, dance-like movements, and small isolations, this is a great all-around workout to supplement a more traditional strength-training program.

2

A Tough Bleacher Workout

bleachers.jpg
Running bleachers. Chuck Allen, Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/chucka_nc/4487820102/

Head outside and locate your nearest set of bleachers, whether they're at a nearby park, school, or a local university. ​This intense stadium workout requires nothing but your bodyweight and a set of steps. Workouts that revolve around a set of stairs are a great way to challenge your muscular endurance and cardiovascular strength, and if you get creative like trainer Shannon Colavecchio, you can hit every muscle group without using a single piece of traditional exercise equipment.

3

A Workout for Small Spaces

If you're stuck in a dorm or a hotel room, that's not an excuse to skip your workout due to the confined space. Adam Rosante, a celebrity trainer, developed the perfect five-move, total-body workout routine you can complete practically anywhere. It's fast, to-the-point, and effective, and all the equipment you need is a sturdy chair. 

4

A Home-Based MMA Workout

Chris Camozzi shadowboxing
Chris Camozzi

If you happen to have a heavy bag at home, but you're not quite sure how to put it to use, look no further than this workout developed by professional fighter and 18-time UFC veteran, Chris Camozzi.

You'll need a jump rope and a heavy bag, as well as a lot of perseverance and grit because this workout is tough

5

A Workout When You're Feeling Tight

Don't underestimate the importance of recovery time after a tough workout. If your muscles and joints are feeling a little cranky, you don't need to partake in yet another high-intensity workout. Instead, consider trying a workout that focuses on self-massage, like this four-move routine focused on self-myofascial release. Even if you don't have special equipment, you can simply put two tennis balls in a tube sock and tie off the end to create your own self-massage tool. You may be surprised how much your body needs the break. 

6

A 7-Minute Workout When You're Short on Time

Wood Chops
Dempsey Marks/PreGame Fit

All you need to buzz through this 7-minute workout developed by the founder of Pregame Fit, Dempsey Marks, is a simple set of dumbbells. But don't let the workout's simplicity fool you—because it's such a short workout, Marks takes you to task with total-body, high-intensity exercises that are guaranteed to make your heart pound. 

7

A Workout You Can Develop Yourself

If you'd rather choose your own exercises than let someone choose them for you, you might want to grab a deck of cards.

With the right know-how, you can turn any standard deck of cards into a personal trainer. Simply assign each suit an exercise, set a timer, then draw a card from the deck and do the exercise assigned to the card you drew for the number of repetitions the card represents.

8

A Self-Defense Workout

Jarrett.Arthur.jpg
Krav Maga Workout. Jarrett Arthur

There's no time like the present to brush up on your self-defense moves. This Krav Maga workout developed by self-defense and safety expert, Jarrett Arthur, provides the simple and effective moves you need to fight off an attacker. Plus, sequenced correctly, your practice time qualifies as a workout—all that blocking and kicking can really get the blood pumping. 

2 Sources
Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Allison MK, Baglole JH, Martin BJ, Macinnis MJ, Gurd BJ, Gibala MJ. Brief intense stair climbing improves cardiorespiratory fitnessMed Sci Sports Exerc. 2017;49(2):298‐307. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000001188

  2. Skorski S, Mujika I, Bosquet L, Meeusen R, Coutts AJ, Meyer T. The temporal relationship between exercise, recovery processes, and changes in performanceInt J Sports Physiol Perform. 2019;14(8):1015‐1021. doi:10.1123/ijspp.2018-0668

By Laura Williams, MSEd, ASCM-CEP
Laura Williams is a fitness expert and advocate with certifications from the American Council on Exercise and the American College of Sports Medicine.