Ever since I learned to walk, I have been working out, but in the beginning, it was through natural activities like swimming in rivers, climbing trees, and playing on the ground. But now, things have changed.
I am a millennial, and it’s a good thing that I had the best childhood. I have seen how people treat you when they love you.
I can remember the kisses on my palm from my nani. I can remember everyone coming with us to drop us off at the bus stand. I can remember everyone giving me pennies, hugging me, and kissing me on the cheeks.
I remember the days when houses were full of love and kids.
We used to visit our village during the summer vacations and spend all our time playing. There was no pressure, nothing—only pure joy, love, and the feeling of eating together with everyone at the same time.
The happiness, the love—everything was amazing.
If I compare those days with today’s kids and the current situation, I feel I was lucky. At the same time, I feel that the current generations, Gen Z and Gen Alpha, were born into a world of screens because they have learned so much from screens, and they have more screen time than an average working person.
Why I Love Home Workout, Not the Gym?
The reason lies in my childhood story. I always worked out naturally, not in a gym or anywhere else. My entire childhood was about playing in the field. Even during my school and college years, I was playing outside in the field and never visited any gym.
My first encounter with the gym was during Class 12, and I spent one hour there. I was bored, maybe because of my zodiac sign, lol.
I am kidding here, but the reality is that the gym makes me feel bored because I played football (soccer) during my school years and cricket in my childhood.
So, I feel more connected to open areas than closed workout places.
This is not the only reason. The second reason is the gym environment. You don’t always find a good gym in India at a decent budget, so gyms that have a low fee structure do not maintain proper hygiene.
And you know what other people’s sweat can do to your health. It might ruin your entire health ecosystem.
The third, and funny, reason is the exercises.
Gym exercises are quite complicated. You have to focus on muscle building, and to do so, you have to focus on certain bending exercises and lift weights, which sometimes makes me nervous.
The muscle targeting creeps me out a little. Like, on Monday you do arms and chest, Tuesday something else, and by the end of the week every muscle has been trained. But on the ground, things are totally different. Your entire body gets trained at once.
You not only build strength, but all elements get trained—your stamina, your endurance, and your capability to handle pressure as well. Your heart and mind- everything gets trained while you work out on the ground.
I feel more relaxed on the ground than in a gym.
Now the Question Comes: Is Home Workout Really Effective?
Most people hit the gym because they lack equipment at home and feel that working out without equipment is not possible. Some people also lack motivation.
I can understand the situation. To work out at home, you need some space, but most people don’t have that much space in their homes. The same goes for me—I don’t have much space at home either.
When I was doing my 75 Hard Challenge, I had to work out on roads and highways because there was no ground near my house.
So, for my second workout session, I used to hit the gym. But most people don’t think about it this way.
I have seen a huge change in myself when I work out at home—or rather, on the ground—compared to working out in a gym. My heart feels better, my head feels lighter, and my body feels more energized the next day.
But when I work out in a gym, the experience is quite different. Hitting the gym definitely increases my strength, but at the same time, it sometimes raises my blood pressure and creates more problems than solutions.
And I am not talking only about basic gyms. I have also tried gyms with a ₹2,500 per month membership, and I still had the same feeling. Obviously, expensive gyms are much better, but when it comes to my body’s reaction, it tells me the same thing: gyms are not as effective for me as working out on the ground.
You must be aware of Chris Bumstead, aka CBum, a Canadian retired professional bodybuilder. He is now working on his mobility to make his body function more naturally again.
Because we all can’t ignore the fact that increasing muscle mass affects body mobility. It can make the body less mobile and affect your daily routine and, ultimately, your lifestyle.
CBum is now working to make his body move more naturally so that he can move according to his own will.
So, does that answer the question?
Yes, home workouts are very effective. They might not give you the same level of gym strength, but if you work out regularly, I can say that you can easily lift around 100 kg and squat around 80 kg, because I can do so.
I also feel that natural workouts have more benefits than I can describe in words because gyms never existed throughout most of human history. They are largely a commercial concept, and not everyone is made for the gym.
Some people might suggest that you should hit the gym for reasons like road rage or self-confidence, but think about it for a while. Not everyone enjoys lifting weights. Yes, strength is necessary, but joining a gym just so that someone might not beat you in a road rage incident is, in my opinion, a very weak reason.
Yes, you should hit the gym if you want to maintain bone density, increase strength, or achieve other specific fitness goals.
But I will recommend that you work out at home because you can’t make your body and mind dependent on the gym. You should have the habit of working out anywhere you want and making yourself feel good.
As Hero Saitama once said, 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a daily 10 km run can change everything for you. Yes, it is true. Even half of it can totally change your looks, strength, and stamina for a lifetime.
Best Ways to Work Out at Home
Most people are confused about home workouts, or they don’t have that kind of schedule or place to work out at home. But I have found a solution to this problem. You only need 100 meters of space to do a full-body home workout.
- Start with a warm-up by walking or jogging 100 meters around 20 to 30 times. This will cover around 3 km.
- Next, you can do around 50 burpees.
- After that, you can do around 100 crunches, mixing different variations.
- Finally, end your workout with stretching, followed by breathing exercises.
Change these exercises every 2 to 3 days, and I am sure you will feel totally different after a few months. You will also be able to lift weights.
In my upcoming post, I will cover how I do my home workouts and what routine I follow while being a corporate employee.
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