The way to keeping fit is through exercise. But how many of us say that we don’t have time to visit the gym? A popular solution to those short on time or simply lacking the desire to work out in a gym is to have ahome gym. If you have one, here are a few strength exercises you can do in your home gym to keep your fitness programme fresh.

Equipment and machines

First, we need to lay out how well-equipped your home gym is. Let’s assume you dispose of a bench that can be inclined, a bar with sufficient weight plates for all your exercises and a couple of dumbbells that can be assembled to the weight required. For those with machines, let’s say you have a cable station, a excellent versatile piece of equipment or the odd back, leg, chest or combo machine.

Compound

Let’s focus on the fundamentals: compound exercises. If you are a beginner, they are a must; if you are returning to weight-lifting after a long break, compound exercises are also necessary to get into the grove. So get down under the bar for some squats, lie down flat on the bench for bench presses or set the bench inclined to work the upper pecs, grasp the bar for some bent-over row moves. You can’t go wrong with those moves.

But what if you’ve already done these and are looking for something different to your actual routine which has gone stale?

Back exercises

For the back muscles, try the T-bar row, an excellent exercise to target the middle of the back and which allows you to go really heavy too. You don’t need any fancy machines for that, just a bar whose end you stick in a hard corner and a double-ended handle for a two-hand grasp; alternatively, do the exercise one hand at a time and you won’t need any handle, just the bar. Also try doing the dumbbell version of the barbell bent-over row; they are more challenging as they work each arm individually so the strong arm cannot help the weak one. You must also have thought of the one-arm dumbbell row, another excellent exercise. If you have a combo machine, the pulldown is sure to feature in it. So pull the bar down, to the front usually but also to the back of your neck from time to time for some variety. And lastly don’t forget the pullover, an excellent exercise to target the lats. Do it lying across the bench, along a flat bench or along an inclined one.

Chest exercises

If you’re tired of the bar, swap it for dumbbells. If you’ve done that already, as well as the incline and decline versions and flyes, do the same thing again on a Swiss ball. If you’ve got a cable station, replace all the dumbbell exercises with the cables and use the bench or Swiss ball. What a great variety so far! So you’ve got inclined, flat and declined chest presses, with barbell, dumbbells and cables, on a bench and Swiss ball. You might have some machines too, such as the machine chest press or the machine flyes.

Quadriceps focus

Finally, the last large muscle group left is the quadriceps. This is the group that relies a lot on machines and equipment, from stands for the squats to leg press, hack squat, Smith and leg extension machines. For variety from the standard squat, try doing the one-leg squat, with or without weight, squats while holding a dumbbell in each hand instead of the bar, although you won’t be able to go as heavy and also the front squat, with the bar just under your chin. Your best trick to leg workout at home is the lunge. The first time you do it, you might find it challenging enough without weights. Then you might progress with a bar over your shoulders or a pair of dumbbells. Why not next try stepping over a HOBO ball? If you do this after squats, the simple lunge becomes one of the hardest exercises as you need to balance yourself on exhausted legs. Those with a combo machine will surely be able to do the leg extension and even the leg curls.

If you’re new to bodybuilding or simply have just started going to the gym or lifting weights at home, Iron Fitness is the place to go for beginners for basic information and motivation in your training.

Exercise muscle fatigue essentially means that your muscles can’t function at peak performance. The physiological cause of muscle fatigue varies depending largely on the type of exercise performed. Following is an overview of the predominant causes and activities associated with muscle fatigue, along with causes of general exercise fatigue.

Energy delivered for exercise via anaerobic metabolism produces lactic acid, like when sprinting. It’s believed that a build up of acidity interferes with your muscles ability to work, thus causing fatigue. So the primary cause for muscle fatigue during intense anaerobic exercise is an environment that’s too acidic.

Muscle fatigue caused by isometric exercises is caused by acidity as well. Yet, another cause for this type of exercise fatigue is static force can cut off your muscles blood supply because it clamps down on blood vessels.

Aerobic exercise resulting in muscle fatigue is believed to be caused by muscle damage and glycogen depletion, the primary source of energy for muscle. Ingesting high carbohydrate drinks throughout your endurance exercise helps reduce this depletion.

In addition to muscle fatigue, your overall body can become fatigued and affect exercise performance. When exercising in hot climates, one of the main causes of fatigue is dehydration, especially during long periods of heavy sweating. Also, circulation adjustments made to keep you cool diverts blood from your muscles to the skin. And a rise in core temperature can significantly impair muscle function.

Another factor involved in exercise and muscle fatigue is availability of oxygen. Exercising in higher elevations means less oxygen is taken in with each breath. Oxygen is a necessary component for energy production. So even a change in altitude of 1500 feet can cause noticeable fatigue due to a marked reduction in energy.

An onset of premature fatigue can also be caused by hunger, extreme cold, insufficient sleep and ingestion of alcohol or other drugs. Whereas stimulants, such as caffeine or amphetamines, can delay exercise muscle fatigue because they alter the production of neurotransmitters, particularly increasing serotonin and acetylcholine, while decreasing noradrenaline.

It is very common for those who practice yoga to stay in shape to also perform other exercises to strengthen their core muscles. When we think of strengthening the core, we equate that to performing a series of many sit-ups. Sit-ups are an effective way to get the core strength you desire, but you still need more than just working the abs, you cannot leave out your hip flexor muscles. Some sit-ups do provide strength for other key core muscles, the hip flexors, but many people just are not ready or willing to do multiple sit-ups to achieve a strong core. So, how can people that practice yoga achieve a strong core without leaving the yoga mat?

Yoga has numerous poses that will challenge the key core muscles, the abdominal and hip flexor muscles. One of the more popular poses for targeting the core is the Full Boat Pose; however, the Pendant Pose is usually overlooked as a core strengthening pose. When performing the pose in completion, you will need significant strength, but the pose can be altered for all levels to receive its benefits.

Poses that assist in strengthening your core will allow you to improve on keeping your torso stable while you move and stretch your limbs throughout your yoga practice. This will help to also prevent and alleviate back pain. A bonus that goes along with the Pendant Pose that sit-ups and the Boat Pose cannot offer is strengthening of the arms and shoulders as well as the core muscles, and the strength will be equated by your nervous system to stronger abdominal and hip flexor muscles.

This strength in the core gives the perfect base for pushing that strength and power out through your limbs as you move. You need this strength for all sorts of daily activities. This includes opening a door to playing sports. The Pendant Pose also benefits other aspects of your yoga practice. It will prepare you for more complex balance poses and improves changes between poses.

To see all of the benefits of the Pendant Pose you will have to regularly include it in your practice. You will have to take the time to practice it and grow. Start out with an easier version of the Pendant Pose. As you continue to improve, then increase the challenge. You will grow stronger, and your core will surely benefit.

This is a guest post written by Pais Downing a yoga enthusiast who also writes for directsattv.com