June 12, 2025, 9:02 am | Read time: 4 minutes
My secret to training is definitely home workouts. Thanks to them, I’ve managed to bring consistency to my fitness routine, something I hadn’t experienced much since the end of my “sports club career” and the almost obsessive training phases in my twenties. However, for extensive and intensive sessions, nothing beats a gym for me. Ideally, I combine home workouts with gym training. Here’s how that looks for me.
If you don’t want to torture yourself every year at the last minute for a so-called summer body and struggle with unwanted pounds the rest of the year, you need regularity and consistency. This means maintaining a consistently healthy diet paired with regular exercise. It’s important to find what suits you in both diet and exercise. Only then can you stick with it long-term. Strict diets are counterproductive, and training that feels like torture is too. A fundamentally healthy, varied diet and training or sports that are fun are better. This way, you can return to a routine even after small “sins” or breaks from exercise. When it comes to regular training, I’ve found that a mix of home workouts and gym training is a good strategy. This way, my inner slacker has less chance to prevail.
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Overview
Why it was so hard for me to maintain a proper training routine
Sports have been a part of my life since childhood. I was one of those kids who tried everything–from swimming to gymnastics and dancing. Later, I switched to Tai-Bo and volleyball for a while. I remained most loyal to dancing, which eventually dominated my athletic routine with weekend performances and competitions.
Sports, especially dancing, took up so much time that I didn’t want to know anything about exercise for a while after that.
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How I found my love for the gym
Eventually, I got restless. Being completely without exercise wasn’t good either. But I didn’t want to go back to a routine that revolved around my figure, makeup, and hair. I was done with that.
As it happened, several gyms opened in my area, and they were particularly targeting my age group. I started training there for free and competed with the trainers to see who could do the most crunches, squats, or lunges. I spent my twenties working out like this, believing it would make me slim.
Training without a system
My training back then didn’t really have a system. Consistency was also lacking. Phases of daily training, where I pushed myself to the limit, were followed by weeks of inactivity. This was neither physically nor mentally beneficial.
Exercise, especially dancing, was so important to me. But after a while without it, I realized how much I needed it for my mental health. When I don’t exercise for a while, or worse, can’t bring myself to do it, I become restless, and it affects my entire day.
What I like about the gym
The reason I struggled to maintain a routine wasn’t the gym itself. I love strength training. It makes me feel like my body is changing the way I want it to. The gym offers a wide range of equipment, and I have my favorite exercises that I prefer to do there.
I also enjoy the environment, which sometimes pushes me to train harder than I initially intended or thought I could.
What I like about home workouts
But sometimes, that same environment keeps me from training. After breaks, it can be hard to get back into the gym. That’s where home workouts come in. I can get back in shape in my own space without the pressure of others watching.
Home workouts also allow me to exercise without the time commitment of going to the gym. I can try different workouts at home, which keeps things interesting and helps me maintain a routine.
How I combine home workouts and gym training
What does my combined routine of gym and home workouts look like? At the gym, I start with the treadmill, then move on to the leg press, lat pulldown, and the biceps or abs machine. I focus on two muscle groups per gym visit, depending on equipment availability.
On three to four other days, I work out at home. I do short, intense strength workouts that target specific muscle groups and make them shake in no time. I also make sure to include cardio, using fitness or dance workouts.
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Just don’t lose the routine
Home workouts serve as a standalone element, allowing me to exercise daily with minimal effort. Sometimes it’s less about making progress and more about maintaining a routine. Long breaks make it harder to get back into a program, but with 15 minutes a day, I avoid long breaks that are hard to overcome.