7 ways to make your home workout harder

Since the gyms are still closed in New York, I am still doing my workouts in my home “gym.” At first, the change of equipment forced me to give my body a break from the heavy weights and the change of pace felt great.

Over time, my workouts began to feel too easy and I was losing motivation. Normally, I would use a different machine, swap dumbbells for a barbell, etc. to spice up my workouts and work the muscles another way. Due to space abd the rapidly rising cost of exercise equipment on the internet, I could not purchase more equipment and had to get creative.

Here are a few ways I have made my home workouts more challenging with dumbbells and resistance bands. Check this article for other equipment you can add to your gym. I have demonstrated each method in a short video underneath each description.

7 exercise variations to make your workout harder

1. Add a resistance band. Aside from working out with resistance bands, you can incorporate them into your workout in conjunction with other equipment. Use a light to medium resistance band when using this method otherwise the exercise may become too difficult to perform. 

2. Get off of your feet. Try performing overhead exercises in a kneeling position or squats in relevé (heels raised off of the ground.

3. Partial reps. For this method, you would perform an exercise with a shorter range of motion by itself or in combination with the full range of motion. The weight should be light enough for you to move with control and intention.

4. Isometric holds. Hold a particular position for an extended period of time. 

5. Change the speed. Try slowing down your reps altogether or just one part of the exercise.

6. Paused reps. This method involves stopping the momentum of the movement. Most of the time, the pause is done at the top of the exercise, but the pause can be placed anywhere during the exercise. 

7. Pulse it out. Similar to doing partial reps, however, you perform the movement for a high amount of reps (20-30x) or complete as many as possible in a specific time period (e.g. 30 seconds). Since you are burning out the muscle, this is best done after working a particular muscle group or the conclusion of a workout.

BONUS: Combine several methods together in one exercise. In the video below, I have combined slow eccentrics and paused reps in the same exercise. Let’s just say I was on fire afterwards.

Final thoughts

Feel free to experiment and see which methods work best for you. Also, these variations are not limited to home workouts and can easily be implemented in the gym! If you want for tips for working out at home, check out this post!

Do you prefer to workout at home or in the gym?