How To Workout In A Small Space
In truth, you don’t need a full gym or even an open room to get an awesome workout, so if you’re working with a studio apartment, dorm, hotel room, or whatever space you find yourself in, we’ve found some workouts that will address a variety of fitness goals.
Goal: I Just Want To Get Moving
While these tips aren’t designed to get you lifting heavy, they are perfect for keeping you active on a daily basis to eliminate both mental and physical stiffness. Because they aren’t intense at all, they're a great way to get started on the way to a more robust workout routine, or to compliment an existing one.
Probably the easiest exercise to accomplish in the smallest of spaces is stretching. Although stretching isn’t really geared toward burning calories or weight loss, it can be a tool for staying agile and counteracting the negative effects of a dest job.
For specific stretch suggestions, check out LifeHacker’s Guide to Stretching in Small Spaces.
Another great option is walking. If you’re at work, suggesting walk meetings with coworkers or taking conference calls while walking laps around your building can be a great way to break up the long stretches of sitting. And if you’re not working, going for a walk can be a chance to double dip and cover mental and physical health. Focusing on living in the moment, listening to an audiobook or podcast, or simply meditating or praying can have such a positive impact on your health and overall well-being.
Goal: I Want To Get My Heart Rate Up
The word cardio often holds a direct mental link to running in our brains, and although running is definitely a prominent form of cardio, there’s a million other ways to get your heart pumping and break a serious sweat - practically in place.
Jumping rope is a method of cardio that melts fat like no other. 10 minutes of jumping rope will burn more calories than 10 minutes walking, running, cycling, rowing, or swimming. Check out our Jump Rope Training Guide for knowledge and resources on jump roping.
Dancing is a fun cardio option that often doesn’t even feel like exercise. Better yet, it can take as much or as little space as you want it to. Blasting music in your apartment can make an hour of cardio fly by, and you can combine it with daily tasks like cleaning the dishes or folding laundry to get some extra bang for your buck.
If your main concern is shedding fat, there’s several bodyweight exercises that will make you sweat buckets with no more than the space needed to get into a plank position. Burpees, high knees, sumo jumps and mountain climbers are the epitome of small space cardio. This Bodypusher Article explains and demonstrates these and more cardio movements.
Goal: I Want To Build Muscle
With limited equipment and space, it is still definitely possible to bulk up, especially if you’re willing to push your body to and then through failure.
If all you have is your body, the way to go is strict and slow bodyweight movements. Pushups, pistol squats, and pull-overs can leave your muscles begging for mercy. These and more muscle building movements for small spaces are demonstrated in this video by Athlean-X .
If you have the ability to invest is some equipment, one of the best pieces to start with is a kettlebell. Check out our Kettlebell Training Guide for tips on incorporating a kettlebell into your workouts. Another awesome tool to pick up is a steel club. Onnit has a great article with exercises for Building Strength With A Steel Club.