As a health and fitness coach for women, I am here to support you with your goals whether you are a beginner returning to exercise or a more advanced exercise go-er. No matter what your ability home workouts can be just as effective as a gym workout, providing you know what to do and have the right program. Unfortunately, many women think unless they are killing themselves for an hour at a time at a fancy gym then they have not had a ‘good enough’ workout, this is very wrong. All you need is a pair of dumbbells and some space at home to have an effective, safe and fun workout.

As a specialist in pre and postnatal fitness working out at a home can sometimes lead to downloading the wrong program, during pregnancy and early postpartum it is very important you follow an exercise program which has been designed by an expert in this field to avoid injury. Developing a strong and functional core and pelvic floor is essential in pregnancy and more importantly after having a baby if you want to return to exercise safely without further injury. This leads nicely to my first point.

1. Choose the right program. If you are a pregnant or postnatal mother returning to exercise make sure you choose the right program, ideally a program designed by an expert in this field to avoid further injury. It can be very tempting to sign up for the latest fitness challenge, however, this might not be the right program for you right now. I cannot stress the importance of working on a strong and functional core and pelvic floor if you want to return to exercise safely. On the FIT MAMA Powered By Mari Carmen Fitness app, you will find pregnancy workouts from expert trainers and a 6-week postnatal program which is perfect for building back a strong foundation.

2. Add extra reps. If you do not have the luxury of a range of dumbbell sizes but still want to feel challenged then increasing your rep range to 20 will increase the intensity. Of course, you will not be training for strength but rather for endurance which will improve your overall fitness.

3. Slow the tempo down. Increasing time under tension will increase the intensity of the exercise, which can be extremely helpful if the weight you are using no longer challenges you. For example, if you are performing a squat this could be slow on the way down, pausing at the bottom and then driving up slowly. The longer you take to go down the more muscle fibres will be recruited to stabilise the body.

4. Train at different levels. If you are used to doing weighted lunges but do not have dumbbells at home then you could place your foot on an incline or decline to make the move harder or even make the move more dynamic by coming into a plyo lunge. Plyometric moves like jump lunges will work on a different type of strength because you are using a different type of muscle fibre in those fast explosive movements. You will find various workout programs on the FIT MAMA Powered by Mari Carmen Fitness app for all different abilities so you can stay motivated and keep challenging yourself.

5. Track your progress. Keep a record of how many reps, what weight you are using and what workouts you have done. Tracking progress is a great way to stay motivated and work towards a goal. If you can see your physical fitness improving this will give you more motivation to continue. Tracking progress is another great feature of the FIT MAMA Powered by Mari Carmen Fitness app. Click the button below to find out more and start your 7-day free trial.