The holidays are wrapped up, vacation is coming to an end and we know just what you’re thinking: Time to get motivated.
Frankly, it’s the best time of the year to get motivated, according to the experts (at least that’s what we’ve read on the internet...). While we spend the better part of our days fixing and replacing garages, we still know a thing or two about working out in garages—These garage doors and parts don’t lift themselves!
Break out your mats, dumbbells, and your body and get inspired with these 12 simple workouts you can complete in your garage. Let’s go!
Body Weight Exercises
1. Squats
Squats are one of the most popular workouts nowadays, and they can be very effective without weights at all. We’re not going to sit here and tell you how to squat, but if you want to know the BEST way, check out this guide.
Plus, there are enough squat challenges online to fulfill anyone’s fitness goals. Squat on!
2. Push ups
The one workout to rule them all… But really, who hasn’t busted out a set of pushups to get the blood flowing? There are many, many variations of push ups (see below for one), so we’ll let you do the digging for your favorite push up version or challenge. Here’s 15 of them for you right now. Remember, keep your core tight, back straight and push yourself away from the garage floor!
3. Tricep Dips
Dips are a great way to workout your triceps with just your body weight. Find a bench or some lifted surface around a foot or two off the ground, and place your hands on the bench with your body facing outwards. Bend your elbows and have your bottom nearly touch the ground before you push back up and complete your rep. Okay, that might sound confusing. Check out this guy on a bench for reference!
4. Pull Ups
Pull ups are tough, but they are a fantastic way to work out nearly your entire upper body. Pull up bars are fairly inexpensive and you can get a lot of different workouts for a $30 bar. Because most bars go in the door opening, it’s a fantastic garage workout. Whether it’s a palm-in chin-up or a palm-out pull up, make sure you go all the way up and all the way down when doing your reps! Find your perfect amount of reps and do 3 sets of them. Look for a perfect pull up bar for your garage here.
5. Plank
The plank exercise does a lot for both your waistline and your strength. Similar to the pushup, there are a lot of different ways to do the plank exercise, but if you’re a beginner we recommend the basic position. Feeling confident in your planking ability? Try these 20 different plank exercises!
If you're looking to brighten up your garage for your workouts while maintaining privacy, we've got you covered. Our wide range of glass options allows you to customize your garage for the ultimate home gym, office, or any other setup you desire. Don't hesitate to reach out to us and discover how we can transform your garage into the perfect space for your fitness journey.
Cardio Exercises
6. Box Jumps
Box jumps are one of the most popular plyometrics exercises and can be done in your garage! The exercise is simply jumping onto a box over and over again to increase strength, endurance and your vertical jump. While box jump sets aren’t cheap, they should last forever, and you can never master them—You can always jump higher! Here’s a guide on how to properly do box jumps.
7. Jumping Jacks
If you ever played a sport growing up or remember your morning P.E. class, you’ve probably done a jumping jack or two. They are a great exercise to use as a warm up with or to seriously challenge your endurance. You probably know how to do a jumping jack, so get in the garage and bust them out! Try this awesome jumping jack workout, the Jumping Jack Pyramid from Men’s Health.
8. Burpees
Burpees, AKA “The Fat-Fryer” are a great cardio workout that require only your body and a lot of willpower. Burpees burn a lot of fat because they are essentially three workouts in one. You start facedown in a pushup position, squat up, jump, and then go back down the other way. More tips and workouts for burpees can be found here.
9. Mountain Climbers
The mountain climber exercise is great for burning lots of holiday calories and strengthening your core. You start in a plank for push up position and bring one knee to your chest at a time. Check out this guide to learn more about mountain climbers.
Dumbbell Exercises
10. Dumbbell Squats
This is similar to the basic squat (shown above) but with more weight. Simply hold the dumbbells at shoulder with your feet at shoulder width. Squat down with the same technique as above with the basic squat, and make sure to keep the arch in your back! Try doing 2-3 reps of as many as you can do.
11. Dumbbell Push Ups or Push Up to Row
This is just like the push up workout above, but your hands are holding dumbbells and the workout is going to be a lot harder. Set up in a pushup position, complete the pushup and once you get back to the top, pull up one of the dumbbells in a pulling motion. Put the hand back down and complete another push up, then another dumbbell pull. Check out this explanation from Muscle and Fitness for more information.
12. Dumbbell Curl
The dumbbell curl is the most famous dumbbell exercise of them all. Start with your back straight (up against a wall can help) and a dumbbell in each hand. Curl up towards your head one at a time, and lower it all the way down before beginning your next rep. If you want a more in-depth walkthrough, check this out. 3 sets of 10-12 with your appropriate weight should do your body well.
Feeling motivated now?
We hope this gives you inspiration this month and for the rest of the year. After all, we’re garage service people, not personal trainers. Take the workouts above and explore the many variations and workouts you can do in your garage. Who knows, you might turn a large part of your garage into a full gym! But for now, enjoy these simple workouts and have a wonderful start to the year.
And remember, if you have any internal or external garage issues that are hampering you from becoming the next Iron Man or Woman, please contact us! We’d love to help.