Beginning Exercises For A Home Fitness Program

A home fitness program is the focus of many health-conscious individuals and families. A quality home fitness program will include a variety of exercises like weight lifting, aerobics, Pilates and Yoga etc. Some kinds of exercises included in the home fitness program depend on the age, physical condition, and sex but other are more general and can be practiced by anyone in the family. This article describes a few basic exercises for beginners to include in their home fitness program. These exercises use body weight as resistance and can be performed by all except people with injuries in movement-specific areas (shoulders, back etc.), and pregnant women.

Exercise 1: Push-Ups On Knees

To begin the exercise, start on all fours with your hands slightly wide apart and below your shoulders. Straighten your body to keep a line from your knees to your shoulders. Now comes the movement stage. Bend your elbows slowly to lower your body until your chest reaches just above the ground. Keeping your spine rigid and straight, raise yourself back to the starting position. Beware not to lock the elbows at top and not to bend at hips. Keep the stomach tight during the movement.

Exercise 2: Half-Split Squats

To begin, place one foot in front of the other by a distance of just more than a step. Raise your body up onto the toe on the back foot, slightly bending the back knee. Keep hands on hip, shoulders back, and look forward. The movement stage comes here. Slowly lower the back knee towards the ground. Stop halfway down. Push yourself back up to the beginning position. Remember to bend both knees, keep your shoulders back, and not to look down.

Exercise 3: Back Extensions

The beginning position consists of lying face down on the stomach with hands crossed at the forehead, palms down. The movement stage requires you to lift your chest off the floor and then lower to the beginning position. Remember not to hyperextend your back. Keep your chin tucked and your neck in relaxed state. This will prevent neck pain. Also do not twist the spine. Maintain a steady pace during the movement.

Exercise 4: Crunches

The beginning position is lying on a mat on your back with knees bent. Place your hands under your head so as to support the neck during movement. Keep your chin up and your eyes on the ceiling. In the movement phase, you are to squeeze your abdominal muscles and lift your shoulders until your shoulder blades have left the floor. Now slowly return to the starting position.

Theses exercises can easily fit into a standard home fitness program. Remember to take rest for ten seconds before starting with the next exercise. Each exercise should be repeated at least three times.