Beginner-friendly fitness and movement guides, all in one place. Browse simple home workouts, stretching and mobility routines, habit and motivation tips, and honest equipment advice, with every guide written for total beginners and no gym required. New here? Start with our complete guide to home workouts for beginners or the Start Here page.
Breathing while running was the thing I struggled with most as a new runner. My legs were fine. My lungs were not. Two minutes into every run I was gasping, my chest felt tight, and by the third lamp post I had a stabbing side stitch under my ribs. I genuinely thought some people were…
Calf stretches became part of my routine the week I first tried to squat with my heels down. I could not do it. My heels lifted off the floor every time, and my coach pointed at my ankles and said, “Your calves are tight as piano wire.” Years of sitting at a desk, a few…
The CanDo band exercise loop 3 piece set is a small bundle of pre-formed latex resistance loops in three lengths: 10 inches, 15 inches and 30 inches. Each loop is ready to use straight out of the bag, with no cutting or tying, and each length is designed for a different part of the body….
Serratus anterior exercises were not on my radar until a physiotherapist pressed her thumb into the side of my ribcage, just below my armpit, and asked me to push my hand into hers. Nothing much happened. “That is your serratus anterior,” she said, “and it is half asleep.” I had been doing push-ups and shoulder…
The CanDo AccuForce exercise band is a flat latex resistance band with one clever difference: it shows you how hard you are pulling. Small printed boxes on the band change shape as you stretch it, so you can see when you have reached a set level of stretch, and therefore a set level of resistance….
Jump lunges are one of those exercises that look easy in a workout video and feel brutal the first time you try them. I added them to a home circuit after a few months of regular training, confident that my legs were strong enough. After eight reps my thighs were on fire, I was out…
This 12 week half marathon training plan is the one I wish I had for my first 13.1 miles. I signed up for a spring half marathon on a whim after finishing a local 5K, printed a plan from a magazine, and promptly ignored the easy days. I ran every session too fast, skipped the…
Running form was something I never thought about until a friend filmed me finishing a local 5K. I watched the video and winced. My shoulders were up around my ears, my arms swung across my chest like I was rowing a boat, and each foot landed far out in front of me with a loud…
Treadmill workouts were how I got fit through my first proper winter of exercising. It was dark when I left for work and dark when I came home, and the pavements were icy for weeks. A second-hand treadmill in the spare room became my best friend. The first time I stepped on, though, I had…
Monster walks look a little silly. You loop a mini band around your legs, sink into a half squat and waddle forward and sideways like a cartoon monster. The first time a physiotherapist asked me to do them, for a niggly knee that ached on long runs, I felt ridiculous. Then, about thirty seconds in,…