Candice S.Today I’m sharing some indoor exercises for small spaces. These are simple, practical exercises and space-saving equipment, that I use to help take care of my body while spending more time at home. Bookmark this post because it’s full of great resources and links for your home workouts/set-up. *This post may contain affiliate links to some of my favorite retailers. While it doesn’t cost you anything to click, this blog could earn a small fee when you use one of my links to buy. So, thank you!
Our new normal includes many of us and our families spending extra time indoors. For some, that may mean a full house with very limited space to ourselves, even for exercise.
But no worries! I’m gonna show you how you can turn even the tiniest space in your small home into the perfect workout spot, just for you. But first, let’s start by getting our workout routines in order.
Indoor Exercises For Small Spaces – Ideas For Workouts
When starting a new exercise routine at home, the best thing you can do is to research quality sources for your workouts. I like to gather and bookmark full-body and strength training workouts from my Pinterest board, women’s health or fitness magazines, and fitness websites.
Here are some of the workouts and exercises that I like to do indoors. These don’t require a lot of space at all.
Squats
I currently like to use my Row n Ride machine to do squats. I prefer using it because it helps me to maintain better posture and has a little counter that keeps track of my progress and calorie count. With this, I can also adjust my resistance and it’s comfortable on my joints.
In the past, I would do squat challenges and end up feeling extra sore all over because my posture was terrible. Now I only feel soreness where it should be targeted.
Cardio
For cardio, I mostly like to run in place, jump rope, or do high knees. I try to keep cardio as simple as possible. But ultimately, the goal is to consistently get my body moving and get my heart rate up.
Arm Exercises
Lately, I’ve been using this arm exercise workout that I found on Self.com. The repetitions are just right and I can do these anywhere in the apartment.
Stretches
I love to whip out my floor mat and put in a good stretch. Stretching is especially important as we spend more time indoors or sitting down in front of computers. All it takes is a good 10 minutes or stretching can be done in smaller increments throughout the day.
Indoor Exercises For Small Spaces – Exercise Equipment
Floor Mats
If you don’t have one already, try to score a quality comfortable floor mat. Even though I have carpet in a lot of the rooms in my apartment, it still doesn’t beat having a good mat. They provide grip and the extra support you’ll need for your joints.
I prefer portable floor mats that come with a nice carry bag. That way, I can store it away in a corner or under my bed. It also makes it easier to carry from room to room.
Then, if I decide that I want to work out outdoors, I can toss it in my car or trunk.
Handweights
A quality set of hand weights is great for adding resistance to arm workouts. I find that they also help to keep me stable and take the pressure off of my wrists when doing push-ups.
Foldable or small gym equipment
One of my favorite pieces of equipment is my Row N Ride by Sunny Health & Fitness. It’s more like a squat machine than a rower. I really love it because it folds up super small and it’s portable. So, I can use this in any room that I like and it takes up very little space.
It folds down tight enough to fit up against a wall or can slide under the bed. I also bought a mat to go underneath it for extra stability and soundproofing for the neighbors downstairs.
Small Workout Space Ideas
For those of us in small apartments or living spaces, we have to get a bit crafty when creating our workout space. Some of us have to consider things like noise levels or sharing space inside of already occupied rooms. Here’s a great resource from HGTV, to give you some unique ideas about turning your small space into a workout area. Just click the link for some inspiration.
⇒ Make A Home Gym In Any Place ⇐
If you can measure out a good 7′ x 4′ area, that’s enough room to lay down an exercise mat or to set up a space-saving piece of workout equipment.
All we really need is an area that is large enough to fit a mat plus some wiggle room. In our home, I mostly use the areas at the bottom or sides of my bed. But I also like to plop my mat down in front of my living room window for better light and a change of scenery.
Best Indoor Exercises For Small Spaces
Here are some workout resources that I find both helpful and effective. Try some of these for yourself and let me know what you think!
Full-Body Strength
Stretches & Flexibility
- Fitness Blender – Relaxing Stretching Workout For Flexibility and Stress Relief (Video)
- Self – 21 Best Stretching Exercises (Slides)
Arms
Cardio
Women’s Health Mag – 25 Best Cardio Exercises Of All Time (Videos & Slides)
Remember, you don’t have to have an expensive gym membership or invest in compact exercise equipment to get in a full-body workout. Just use what you have around you! All you truly need is a small bit of space and some motivation.
Do you workout at home? What are some of your favorite indoor exercises?
Candice S.
