There are endless workout routines online to pick from, so you’ll never be wanting for ideas, but you can save yourself a lot of time by having a tried-and-tested formula to fall back on.
There are plenty of those floating around as well, but not so many that let you shape the workouts to your preferences.
That’s what I love about this strength training formula from Lee Bell, strength and conditioning coach and senior lecturer in sport and exercise science at Sheffield Hallam University.
He’s provided a list of example exercises for three different movement patterns. He calls it a constraints-led approach and told me it works especially well for people who work out from home.
“A constraints-led approach provides someone with a framework, but then it allows them to make executive decisions of what fits that framework,” he explains.
Bell says this is a great method to try if you often become bored by working out. “It’s more motivating—there’s more autonomy,” he says.
“For me, being interested in and enjoying the workout is much more important than having a very rigid, inflexible workout plan.”
“If me and you did the same program, but you pick the exercises and I have to follow you around the gym, the chances are you’ll progress better than me, because you’ve got ownership and you’re picking things that you know work best for you,” Bell says.
Full-body home workout formula
Pick one exercise from each grouping below and voilà, you have a full-body workout. Repeat this format regularly, but feel free to vary which exercise you choose from each group, as long as you do one from each category.
“I don’t mind what you pick because they’re all going to train the same muscle,” says Bell, “but you pick what you feel works best for you.”
Squat pattern
Sets: 2-3 Reps: 8-12
Choose one of the following exercises and complete the above sets and reps for the move you choose.
Sit to stand
- Sit on the front half of a sturdy chair with your feet hip-width apart and flat on the floor.
- Push through your feet to stand up, keeping your chest lifted and avoiding using your hands if possible.
- Push your hips back and bend your knees to slowly lower yourself back to the chair with control.
Goblet squat
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a kettlebell in both hands close to your chest.
- Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower, keeping your chest up and your knees aligned over your foot.
- Press through your heels to stand back up, squeezing your glutes at the top.
Dumbbell split squat
- Stand with your feet hip-distance apart holding dumbbells by your sides, then take a big step back to adopt a split stance, with your front foot flat and your back heel lifted.
- Bend both knees to lower straight down until your front thigh is close to parallel with the floor, keeping your torso upright.
- Push through your front foot to return to the starting position.
Upper-body push
Sets: 2-3 Reps: 8-12
Choose one of the following exercises and complete the above sets and reps for the move you choose.
Dumbbell lateral raise
- Stand holding dumbbells by your sides with a slight bend in your elbows.
- Raise the dumbbells out to the sides until they reach shoulder height, keeping your shoulders relaxed and avoiding swinging.
- Lower the dumbbells back to your sides with control.
Dumbbell overhead press
- Stand or sit holding dumbbells at shoulder height, with your palms facing forwards and elbows underneath the weights.
- Press the dumbbells overhead until your arms are fully extended,without arching your lower back.
- Lower the dumbbells back to shoulder height.
Single-arm kettlebell overhead press
- Hold a kettlebell in one hand in the rack position, with your wrist straight, hand by your shoulder, elbow close to your body and the kettlebell resting on the back of your forearm.
- Brace your core and press the kettlebell overhead until your arm is fully extended.
- Lower the kettlebell back to the rack position with control.
Upper-body pull
Sets: 2-3 Reps: 8-12
Choose one of the following exercises and complete the above sets and reps for the move you choose.
Biceps curl
- Stand holding dumbbells with your arms by your sides and your palms facing forwards.
- Keeping your elbows close to your body, bend your elbows to curl the dumbbells up towards your shoulders.
- Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position, maintaining control throughout the movement.
Bent-over row
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells by your sides.
- Engage your core.
- Hinge forward from your hips and push your hips back, bending your knees slightly and keeping your back flat.
- Pull the dumbbells up to your lower ribs, drawing your elbows past your torso, keeping your shoulders level and your back flat.
- Lower the dumbbells with control.
Kettlebell high pull
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, a kettlebell on the floor in front of you.
- Push your hips back and bend your knees slightly to lower and grasp the handle of the kettlebell.
- Pull the kettlebell off the floor and let it swing between your legs.
- Push your hips forward explosively to swing the kettlebell in front of you, bending your elbow to pull the kettlebell to the side of your head.
- Reverse the movement to control the descent of the kettlebell, hinging at the hips to go straight into the next repetition.