23 Easy Home Workouts For Women To Try in 2021

When it comes to your beauty look, things like makeup trends, skin care routines, and hairstyles are likely what pops into your mind. What you may be forgetting is that wellness and fitness are also a vital part of any beauty routine. And while you may have your pre- and post-workout routines down to a T, sometimes getting to the gym just doesn’t, well, happen. Whether you’re dreading braving the cold weather, want to avoid a high school reunion mid-workout, or don’t feel like having all eyes on you—there are plenty of reasons you may not make it to the gym. The good news is that it doesn’t have to affect your workout. Here, we’re sharing 23 easy workouts for women to try at home in 2021.

EASY AT-HOME AB WORKOUTS

There’s no denying that one of the key areas most of us focus on when working out is our abs. A toned stomach can really give you that extra confidence boost—and believe it or not, it isn’t that hard to attain. Try one (or a few) of our easy home workouts for abs below.

#1. LEG RAISES

Leg raises are one of the most well-known ab exercises for a reason.

STEP #1: LAY ON YOUR BACK

Grab a yoga mat and lay flat on your back. Put your hands behind your head to support your neck.

STEP #2: RAISE

Slowly raise your legs off the ground, making sure to keep them as straight as possible. When your legs are perpendicular (aka form a 90-degree angle with the ground), slowly lower them back down to your starting position. Make sure to keep your legs straight.

STEP #3: REPEAT

Repeat the process for however many reps and sets you’d like to do. You’ll definitely be feeling it in your core after a few rounds, but soon you’ll be seeing results, too.

#2. BICYCLE CRUNCHES

These are just like riding a bike—literally.

STEP #1: LAY DOWN

Lay down on a yoga mat and bend your legs, so your thighs are perpendicular with the mat while your calves are parallel.

STEP #2: GET INTO POSITION

Put your hands behind your head to support your neck—and have your elbows ready to get crunching.

STEP #3: START TO PEDAL

Begin “pedaling” by bringing the opposite knee to the opposite elbow. This will require you to raise your shoulders off the mat, forming a crunch. Keep alternating knee to elbow to your heart’s content.

#3: RUSSIAN TWISTS

If you want to target your sides, Russian twists are a smart way to do just that.

STEP #1: LAY DOWN

Lay down on a yoga mat. Be sure to have a kettlebell, dumbbell, or medicine ball nearby.

STEP #2: TWIST

Lift your upper body and legs (keeping them slightly bent) off the ground so that you’re balancing on your butt. Grab your weight of choice and twist your body to one side, keeping your legs straight. Then, twist to the other side.

STEP #3: REPEAT

Continue alternating sides and twisting away.

#4: FLUTTER KICKS

This one is easy, peasy.

STEP #1: GRAB YOUR YOGA MAT

Lay out your yoga mat before lying down flat on your back. Place your hands under your butt to support your back.

STEP #2: KICK

Raise your legs an inch or two off the ground. Then kick, or flutter, your legs by lifting one at a time, focusing on your core.

#5: OPPOSITE ARM, OPPOSITE LEG

If you’re a fan of alternating exercises, this is a perfect ab option for you.

STEP #1: LAY DOWN

Grab your yoga mat and, once again, lay down flat on your back.

STEP #2: GET INTO POSITION

Lay one arm on the ground above your head as if you were raising your hand. Bend the opposite leg, so your foot is flat on your floor. Place your other hand on your bent leg or to the side—whichever is more comfortable. Keep your other leg extended across the ground.

STEP #3: CONNECT THE DOTS

Slightly lift your upper body to allow your extended arm to meet your extended leg halfway. This means you’ll be raising both your leg and arm.

STEP #4: REPEAT

Continue to have your opposite arm meet your opposite leg. Once you’ve finished one side, switch to the other.

EASY AT-HOME LEG AND GLUTE WORKOUTS

If you want to target your legs and glutes, we know a few at-home options for doing just that.

#6: SQUATS

You probably already know how to squat, but we’ll break it down for you just in case.

STEP #1: GET INTO POSITION

Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart. For an even better workout, you can hold a medicine ball in front of you.

STEP #2: SQUAT

Squat down so that your thighs are parallel with the ground. Make sure to keep your back straight. Proper form is key, so you don’t hurt yourself or strain something.

STEP #3: STAND UP

Return to your starting position and repeat.

#7: CALF RAISES

If you’re looking to focus on your calves, this exercise can easily be done while watching your favorite TV shows.

STEP #1: GET INTO POSITION

Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart. To take this workout to the next level, hold a medicine ball or dumbbell in the weight of your choice.

STEP #2: RAISE

Raise your legs by lifting your heels and standing on the balls of your feet. Then, lower your heels back down to the ground. Repeat as needed.

#8: LEG EXTENSIONS OR “DONKEY KICKS”

Leg extensions are ideal for your glutes. Get kicking!

STEP #1: GET ON ALL FOURS

Grab a yoga mat and position yourself so your hands are flat on the ground along with your knees and calves.

STEP #2: KICK

Focusing on one leg, “kick” backward and extend your leg out straight. Then, bring your leg back to your starting position. Repeat as you wish, then switch to your other leg.

#9: FIRE HYDRANT

Here’s another popular glute-centric exercise to try.

STEP #1: GET INTO POSITION

Just like with leg extensions, you’ll want to start by getting on all fours.

STEP #2: LIFT YOUR LEG

Instead of kicking your leg back, you’ll need to keep it in its bent position and simply lift it sideways so that it’s parallel with the ground. Then bring your leg back to your starting position.

STEP #3: REPEAT

Continue to lift your leg and bring it back down. Then repeat this process on the opposite side.

#10: SIDE LEG RAISES

Here’s another exercise where you get to lay down—sign us up!

STEP #1: GRAB YOUR YOGA MAT

Lay down on your side.

STEP #2: RAISE YOUR LEG

Raise your top leg up toward your torso, keeping it as straight as possible. Extend as much as you can. If you can’t raise your leg too much at first, don’t stress. You’ll gain flexibility with time. Bring your leg back down to the starting position.

STEP #3: REPEAT

Continue to raise and lower your top leg. Then, roll over to your other side to work your other leg.

#11: BRIDGE

Squats aren’t the only home workout for glutes. Give this bridge exercise a try, which can easily be done in between ab reps.

STEP #1: LAY DOWN

Lay a yoga mat onto the floor, then lay down flat on your back.

STEP #2: RAISE YOUR HIPS

Plant both of your feet on the floor, then lift your hips, so they form a straight line with your torso.

STEP #3: SQUEEZE AND HOLD

Squeeze your glutes together as you hold the pose for a few minutes. You can start with one, and build your way up to three or more. The longer you hold the pose, the better the workout.

EASY AT-HOME SHOULDER AND BACK WORKOUTS

It’s easy to neglect your back and shoulders when there are other areas you’d rather target, but we promise a little bit of definition can make all the difference.

#12: SHOULDER PRESS

You don’t need to be at the gym for shoulder presses. Grab some dumbbells and let’s get to it.

STEP #1: CHOOSE YOUR POSITION

You can do these sitting down or standing up, just make sure to have the right posture.

STEP #2: GRAB YOUR DUMBBELLS

Grab one dumbbell in each hand. Position your arms as if you were making a muscle on each side. No need to flex.

STEP #3: COMPLETE YOUR PRESS

Extend your arms up and toward each other so that your dumbbells touch. Return to your muscle-making position and repeat.

#13: LATERAL RAISE

These can be a little tricky, so feel free to start without any weights and focus on perfecting the proper form.

STEP #1: GET INTO POSITION

Pick up a dumbbell in each hand and stand with your legs shoulder-width apart.

STEP #2: RAISE YOUR ARMS

Raise your arms to the side so that they’re aligned with your shoulders, forming a parallel line with the ground. Slowly raise your arms back down to your starting position and repeat.

#14: FRONT RAISE

You’ll find this exercise to be very similar to the lateral raise.

STEP #1: GRAB YOUR DUMBBELLS

Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand.

STEP #2: RAISE YOUR ARM

Raise one arm out in front of you until it’s parallel with the ground. Make sure to keep it straight as you do so.

STEP #3: REPEAT

Bring your arm back down to your sides, then repeat the process with your other arm. Continue to alternate your arms as needed.

#15: PLANK

Planks are not only perfect for toning your shoulders and back, but also beneficial in sculpting your abs. Talk about a win-win-win. Here’s what to do.

STEP #1: GET INTO POSITION

Position yourself so that your forearms are flat on the ground, along with your toes. Align your forearms with your shoulders.

STEP #2: PUSH UP

Push yourself up so that your body is parallel with the ground. Congrats—you’re planking!

STEP #3: HOLD

Hold the pose for a minute, focusing on flexing your abdominals to get the most out of your home workout. The more you practice planking, the longer you’ll be able to hold it.

EASY AT-HOME CHEST WORKOUTS

Your chest is another area you may be neglecting. No worries, we’ve got you covered.

#16: CHEST PRESS

Just like a shoulder press, you don’t need a machine to do this well-known exercise.

STEP #1: LAY DOWN

Lay flat on your back with a set of dumbbells nearby. Feel free to keep your legs straight, or you can bend them and have your feet flat on the ground.

STEP #2: GRAB YOUR WEIGHTS

Grab a dumbbell in each hand. Begin by holding them against your chest, making sure not to actually put any weight on your chest. Push the weight up in front of you by extending your arms. Then bring them back down against your chest.

STEP #3: REPEAT

Repeat the process as needed.

#17: CHEST FLYS

We can’t lie—you’ll be looking pretty fly thanks to this exercise.

STEP #1: GET INTO POSITION

Lay flat on your back with a dumbbell in each hand. Position your arms so that they form a straight line with your shoulders.

STEP #2: RAISE YOUR ARMS

Raise your arms to allow your dumbbells to meet in the middle, which should be above your chest. Try to keep your arms as straight as possible. Bring your arms back to the starting position and repeat.

#18: PUSH-UPS

This classic exercise isn’t going anywhere.

STEP #1: GET INTO POSITION

Start with your hands flat on the ground, shoulder-width apart. If you can, extend your legs so that you’re on the balls of your feet. If you find yourself struggling at first, feel free to balance yourself on your knees instead.

STEP #2: PUSH DOWN, THEN UP

Allow your body to be let down towards the ground—but don’t let your chest actually touch it. Then, push your body back up into the starting position. Repeat, repeat, repeat!

EASY AT-HOME ARM WORKOUTS

Toned arms will always have a special place in our hearts. Here are a few simple exercises to help keep your arms in check.

#19: BICEP CURLS

You probably already know how to do this one, but we’ll break it down just in case.

STEP #1: START BY STANDING

Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart. You can also sit for this exercise if you prefer.

STEP #2: CURL YOUR ARMS

Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Focusing on one arm, curl your forearm towards your bicep, then bring it back down again. Alternate arms and repeat the process.

#20: MAKE A MUSCLE

Making a muscle could help you get muscles.

STEP #1: GRAB SOME DUMBBELLS

Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand. Then position your arms, so it looks as if you were making a muscle with each.

STEP #2: CURL YOUR ARMS

Curl your forearms in toward your head. Then, curl them back into your “muscle” position. Repeat, repeat, repeat!

#21: TRICEP EXTENSIONS

Your triceps need some love, too. Here’s what to do.

STEP #1: GET INTO POSITION

Start by standing with your legs shoulder-width apart. Then, grab a single dumbbell and hold it in both hands behind your head, arms bent.

STEP #2: RAISE YOUR DUMBBELL

Bring your dumbbell above your head by fully extending your arms. Then, lower it back to your starting position.

#22: SHOULDER TAPS

This plank modification is everything.

STEP #1: GET INTO A PLANK POSITION

Start by putting your hands flat on the ground and extending your legs, so you’re on the balls of your feet.

STEP #2: TAP YOUR SHOULDERS

Shift your weight to one hand as you raise the other to tap the opposite shoulder. Bring your hand back to the starting position and allow your other hand to tap your other shoulder. Repeat.

#23: CHAIR DIPS

If you have a chair or couch nearby, you can put it to use in your workout.

STEP #1: FIND YOUR SURFACE

Locate a chair or couch that you can use for your exercise. Make sure it’s stable.

STEP #2: GET INTO POSITION

With your back facing the chair, place your hands on the edge of the seat. Keep your legs bent as if you were seated in the chair, but hold yourself in front of the chair instead of actually sitting.

STEP #3: LOWER YOUR BODY

Lower your body by bending your arms. Then, push yourself back up. Keep repeating until you’re ready to switch to another at-home exercise.

Next up: Now that you know how to work out every part of your body in the comfort of your own home, here are 10 Beauty Essentials To Stash In Your Gym Bag for those days where you do plan to make it to the gym.