12-Minute Living Room Workout For Beginners (No Equipment)

Working out in your living room for beginners can present challenges like the lack of enough space which may hinder your workout. But working out in your living room may bring about a number of health benefits. According to the CDC, Adults should move more and sit less throughout the day. They recommend 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes a week of the vigorous-intensity activity or an equivalent combination of both.

Not only can it be convenient but it may also save you the money and time you spend when regularly going to the gym while still realizing the standard benefits of exercising.

The lack of space may hinder some workouts but here are a few that should suit you while allowing you to attain your exercise goals.

12-Minute Living Room Workout

Before beginning this or any other exercise program, you should always consult with your doctor or physician.

circuit 1: Upper body

Couch dips: 10 Reps
Decline push-ups: 10 Reps
Lateral Plank Walks: 10 Reps

circuit 2: Core

Couch leg raises: 10 Reps
Couch raised legs seated twists: 10 Reps
Couch Air bike crunches: 10 Reps

circuit 3: Lower body

Couch squats: 10 Reps
Couch Single leg squats: 5 – each leg
Chair Step-Up: 5 – each leg
Alternating Side Lunges: 5 – each leg

circuit 4: Cardio

Incline Burpees: 5 Reps
Couch Incline Mountain Climbers: 10 Reps
Lateral bunny hops: 10 Reps

Living Room Exercises

1. Couch leg raises

This is a physical activity you can comfortably do on a couch. The couch makes it easier than when you would have done it on a hard floor.

It serves to increase your body strength and generally targets the internal hip flexors since the abdominal muscles are often used isometrically during the motion to stabilize your body.

The exercise may also be used in strengthening the rectus abdominis muscle and both the external and the internal oblique muscles.

Target muscles:
The muscles involved are rectus abdominis muscle, the external and internal oblique muscles, and the abdominal muscles.

The procedures to be followed in doing Couch leg raises are:

First, lay flat on your sofa with your head on the cushions and your back on the couch.
Leaving both your legs straightened out, elevate them to a vertical position before lowering them back.
Repeat this for about 30 times.

2. Couch raised legs seated twists

While the essential exercise can be quite monotonous, this variation provides a more challenging experience that should surely help you realize your exercise goals.

Target muscles:
The muscles involved are back, hips and arm muscles.

To do a couch raised legs seated twist, the following procedures should be followed:

Sit on a sofa with both your knees bent and place your hands on the back of your head.
Then lean slightly backward such that your torso forms a 45-degree angle with the couch.
Lift your feet a couple of inches from the sofa. This will be your starting position.
Then brace your core and follow this up by rotating your torso to one while extending your other leg.
Pause for a few seconds then reverse your movement.

3. Couch Air bike crunches

This can be the ideal exercise for those days that you do not feel like exercising, but you know that you have to.

A mere 30 seconds of this can be quite rewarding. The numerous variations like a speed of doing them and the different movements involved make this a versatile workout.

Target muscles:
The muscles that are involved in this include the quadriceps, lower abs, and front hip flexors.

The procedures for doing couch air bike crunches are:

Lie on the sofa with your knees bent, and your lower back pressed on the couch.
Put your hands behind your head.
Then contract your body’s core muscles while drawing in your abdomen to stabilize your spine.
With both your hands holding your head gently, pull your shoulder blades backward then slowly elevate your knees at an angle of about 90 degrees while lifting both your feet from the sofa.
Breathe out slowly then make a bicycle pedal motion while bringing one leg upwards towards your armpit and straightening the other. You ought to do these while keeping both your legs raised at a higher level than your hips.

4. Couch squats

Couch squats can be ideal for your less spacious living room. The workout serves to not only strengthen but also tone your bottom and legs. The exercise also increases the ligaments, bones, and the insertion of tendons on your lower body.

Target muscles:
The primary muscles involved here are the buttocks, hips and thigh muscles, hamstrings, and quadriceps femoris muscle.

The procedures for coach squats are:

Stand in front of your sofa with both your arms out while sucking your stomach inwards.
Move as if you are about to sit down but do not touch the couch and get back up.
Repeat this around 20 times.

5. Couch Single leg squats

While this is quite similar to the earlier mentioned squat, with this you squat while using only one of your legs to offer you support. This workout serves to increase your body’s strength.

Target muscles:
The muscles involved here are the glutes and quadriceps.

The procedures for carrying out couch single-leg squats are:

Stand in front of a sofa on one leg.
Slowly squat to try and sit on the couch. You may use your other pin to offer you balance and guide you.
Ensure that your legs remain aligned and do not bow or drop on either side.
Also, ensure that your knees do not pass over your toes.
Stand back up.
Repeat this about 30 times.

6. Chair Step-Up

Generally, a step-up is an effective strengthener of one’s lower body. While carrying out this workout, several body muscles contribute as your body’s prime movers.

Your hamstrings, quadriceps and your gluteus maximus give you most of the power needed for this exercise. Other tissues may not only provide you with power but also the necessary stability.

Target muscles:
The muscles involved in this exercise are your quadriceps.

The procedures for doing a chair step-up are:

Find a sturdy chair that the moment you put your leg on it, your knee forms a 90-degree angle or possibly more.
Then step up about 20 times leading with the right leg followed by the left one, bringing both legs onto the chair.
To return to your starting position, drive with your right foot to step down to the floor then you left leg until both legs are on the level.
Repeat the above steps but this time interchange and start with your left leg then follow it up with your right one.

7. Alternating Side Lunges

Lateral movements can be an excellent way to exercise both your gluteus medius and your inner thighs. These muscles often help in stabilizing the pelvis hence ought to be viewed as part of your core.

Target muscles:
The muscles that are involved in this exercise are your hamstring, adductors, quadriceps, and glutes.

The procedures for carrying out alternating side lunges are:

Begin with your legs directly beneath your hips.
Then step your right leg wide to the side that is coming into a lunge as your left fingers touch your right leg.
Ensure that your right leg does not go beyond your left toes. Also, ensure that your chest is lifted and your weight is in your heels.
Then push into your right leg such that it returns to standing then lunge to the left to finish one rep.
Do two sets of about ten on either side.

8. Couch dips

Dips often tend to be an excellent compound bodyweight exercise that increases the real mass of your triceps. This exercise is ideal for beginners as your legs’ positions will significantly reduce the bodyweight you ought to lift.

Target muscles:
The muscle involved in this workout are your triceps.

The procedures for doing couch dips include:

Put both your hands on a sofa behind you while your legs are together and horizontal on the ground with your knees bent.
Lower slowly as far as possible then press back up forcefully.

9. Decline push-up

This is a slight variation of the standard push up which significantly increases the difficulty by putting your legs higher than both your hands. Adjusting the height of the bench permits you to customize the level of intensity of the exercise while only using your bodyweight.

Maintaining an ideally rigid body position often needs a considerable amount of stability and strength through the entire core, back, and legs.

Target muscles:
The muscles involved are back, chest, shoulder and arm muscles.

The procedures for doing decline push-ups are:

Lie on the ground facing down while your hands are roughly 36 inches apart and your torso up at arm’s length.
Move your feet to the couch. This will serve as your starting position.
Then lower yourself downwards as you inhale until your chest nearly touches the ground.
Exhale and squeeze your breast while pressing your upper body back to the starting position.
Pause briefly before repeating the steps.

10. Lateral Plank Walks

This workout often adds a stern upper body test. Adding movements in a traditional plank often results in adding its core challenge.

Target muscles:
The muscles involved in this are arm, chest and shoulder muscles.

The procedures for doing a lateral plank walk are:

Move such that you are in a top of push-up plank position.
Pull your abs upward toward your spine.
Start by crossing the right hand over the left side while stepping your left leg out to your right.
Return to the plank position by moving the right hand to your left while stepping the right foot to your left. Both your hands ought to be directly beneath your shoulders at this point.
Reverse the above steps while changing the direction you start with.

11. Incline Burpees

Making burpees’ moves to be less explosive can be an ideal way of making them accessible and fun. Incline burpees can not only help you break a sweat but is also a lower-impact exercise.

Target muscles:
The muscles involved are shoulder muscles, calves, glutes, leg muscles, and the core.

The procedures for doing incline burpees are:

First, stand while facing the couch with your legs hip-width apart.
Then squat and place both your hands on the couch.
Ensure that your shoulders are vertically above your hands as you step back a leg at a time.
Stay in a plank position while using the court to balance.
Then activate your glutes and rise, standing onto your toes while swinging both your arms up and over your head.
Repeat these for about 15 times while retaining a brisk pace

12. Couch Incline Mountain Climbers

This is among a few workouts that offer comprehensive cardio and abdominal training. They not only work to burn body fat but also strengthen and tone your body muscles.

Target muscles:
The body muscles involved are the glutes, shoulders and the core.

The procedures for doing couch incline mountain climbers are:

Put your hands at a distance slightly more full than shoulder distance.
Then put your body in a plank position and try to engage your abdominals.
Bring a knee in towards your chest before switching feet and drawing the other knee in alternating back and forth rapidly as if you are running.

13. Lateral bunny hops

These are appropriate for increasing the strength and the mobility of your lower body.

Target muscles:
The muscles involved in these are glutes, abductors, hamstrings, adductors, and quadriceps.

The procedures to do later bunny hops are:

Make small jumps sideways as if you are jumping an invisible line.
Make your legs as close as possible then swing your arms to help you climb.

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