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.
The bear crawl exercise is exactly what it sounds like: you move across the floor on your hands and feet, knees hovering just above the ground, like a bear on all fours. It looks playful, and it is, but it is also one of the most demanding bodyweight exercises you can do in a small…
The chin tuck exercise is one of the smallest movements in fitness and one of the most useful. You simply glide your head straight back, as if making a double chin. Done regularly, it strengthens the deep muscles at the front of the neck, eases the strain of hours spent looking at screens and helps…
Landmine exercises use a barbell with one end anchored to the floor, so the bar moves in an arc instead of a straight line. That one change makes pressing kinder to the shoulders, squatting easier to balance and rotation simple to load. It is one of the most useful pieces of kit you can add…
Mid back exercises strengthen the muscles between and just below your shoulder blades. They are the muscles that hold your shoulders back, keep your upper back from rounding forward and give your neck a stable base to sit on. For most people who sit for a living, they are also the weakest muscles in the…
The wood chop exercise copies the motion of swinging an axe: a diagonal sweep from high on one side to low on the other, powered by your legs and trunk rather than your arms. It is one of the best ways to train your core for the way you actually use it, which is turning,…
Back stretching exercises are often the first thing people reach for when their back feels tight, and for good reason. A few minutes of gentle stretching can ease stiffness, make it easier to get moving in the morning and take the edge off a long day at a desk. My own back taught me the…
Thoracic mobility exercises loosen the middle and upper part of your back, the section between your neck and your lower ribs. If you sit at a desk, drive a lot or spend hours looking down at a phone, this is usually the stiffest part of your spine, and it quietly causes trouble above and below…
Mental health exercises come in two kinds. Some move your body: a brisk walk, a strength session, a bike ride. Others work on your mind directly: slow breathing, grounding, writing things down. Both have good evidence behind them, and they work best together. I came to this the long way round. I started exercising to…
Pelvic floor exercises are the quietest workout you will ever do. Nobody can see them, they need no equipment, and you can do them sitting at a desk or waiting for the kettle. They are also among the best-researched exercises in this whole site, with decades of trials behind them. I ignored mine for years,…
A foldable weight bench solves the biggest problem of training at home, which is space. It gives you a proper surface for pressing, rowing and seated work, then folds flat enough to slide under a bed or stand in a cupboard. My first bench did not fold. It lived in the middle of a spare…