You made the big decision. You are ready to start exercising. However, as an overweight, you might feel uncomfortable going to a gym, at least at the beginning, so you decide to start with some easy exercises to do at home. But where do you start? What exercises are good for you as a beginner?
In this post I will show you 5 easy exercises to start strengthening your muscles, and all from a standing position, so if it is uncomfortable for you to do laying exercises at the beginning, then keep reading. All you need is a set of small weights (1-3 kg), and home equipment which is already in your house. If you don’t have small weights you can hold two small water bottles.
1. Bicep Curls
Stand with your feet about hip width apart. Bend your knees just slightly, this prevents you from feeling tension in your lower back. Engage your abdominals by lifting in and upwards so your torso is feeling strong and tall, and keep your shoulders back so you don’t slouch. This is a set position for many exercises so make it a habit to stand strong like that, even in your everyday life. Just by standing like that your are engaging all muscles in your body even when you are not exercising.
Holding a small weight in each hand, start with your arms straight. Now bend your elbows and perform a bicep curl. Repeat 20 times. Don’t lift the weights all the way up to touch your shoulders. Just keep it a bit lower. Your elbows should be relaxing by your sides, no need to squeeze them on your side, and don’t move them forward and back. They should be at the same spot all the time.
2. Kitchen Bench Pushups
When performing a regular pushup on the floor, your upper body is lifting your entire body weight. As an overweight person, it would be difficult to lift that weight into a regular pushup. As an alternative, you can perform the same pushup in an incline position.
So go to your kitchen bench. Put your hands on the bench, wider that your shoulders. Your feet should be further back so you are leaning towards the bench. Bend your elbows out to the side so you lower your torso towards the bench, and push back up again. When you are down, your elbows should be at 90 degrees. Your body should remain straight head to feet at all times.
This is a great exercise as it strengthens the entire upper body – chest, back, arms, shoulders, and abdominals. Perform 15-20 repetitions.
3. Side Leg Raises
Stand straight holding the back of a chair in front of you. Always keep your abdominals engaged so they work with every exercise and give you a strong feeling.
Now stand on the right leg while lifting the left to the side and back. The standing leg (right) should be slightly bend because as I said at the beginning it releases the tension from the lower back. The working leg (left) should be straight with the toes facing forward, not side.
Perform 20 repetitions on each side. This exercise strengthens the outer thighs, which is the outer side of the legs.
4. Back Leg Raises
Start in the same position as the previous exercise (3). This time instead of taking the left leg to the side, take it back. Remember to keep your toes facing forward, not sideways. The other important thing is to keep your leg straight as you take it back, do not bend the knee.
Also, your upper body (from the waist up) should not move at all (it tends to go forward and back).
Perform 20 repetitions on each side. This exercise strengthens the buttocks, the lower back, and the back of the legs.
5. Incline Plank
Although the abdominals should be engaged with every exercise you do, you should also work it independently. Same thinking as in the pushup (exercise 2), you could perform the plank on the floor, but you would have to hold all your body weight. So let’s do it in an incline position.
You can either go to your kitchen bench again, or you can use the bed or couch. The lower you go, the harder it gets.
Put your lower arm (from elbow to fingers) on the bench of your choice, and keep your entire body in a straight line, head to toes. The most common mistake you will make is to lift your pelvis up, because it makes the exercise easier. So identify your mistake and fix it.
If it is too difficult at first, start on your kitchen bench, and as it gets easier over time, you can go to your bed or couch, and finally on the floor.
Try to hold still in this position for a minute (use the timer on your mobile). If a minute is too much at the beginning, start with 30 seconds and slowly work your way up to 1 minute. This exercise strengthens the abdominals as the major working muscle, but for sure you will feel it in your entire body!
Conclusion
So there you have it. This is a starting point if you don’t know how to start exercising. Try to do these exercises 3-5 times per week.
Within the first couple of weeks you should see some changes in your body. You will feel stronger, stand taller, have more energy, and make it a habit to keep your abdominals engaged all day long. And by this I don’t mean holding your breath. You should still be able to breathe normally, just with a small engagement from your abs.
If you want to see more exercises from me check out my post on exercises for the back. They will help you a lot especially if you experience any upper or lower back pain.
I hope you enjoyed this article. I would love to hear from you how you progress after doing these exercises for some time. Compare before and after exercise and let me know how you feel. Also, if you have any questions you can always ask in the comments below.