Below are some common questions readers have asked regarding home workouts. Scroll through them in case you need some advice. If you don’t see your question, feel free to pop it into the Love, Live, Lift Facebook group so I can answer you personally.
What size dumbbell should I use?
You want a dumbbell that’s challenging but doable. Since these workouts are a bit more volume-based and not pure strength based, I like women to start with a 15-pound dumbbell. This may be a bit much for upper body work but you can always scale down and use full wine bottles (literally) for upper body (makes you more aware of not dropping them too haha).
Common ways to regress (make easier) an exercise.
If you’re struggling with an exercise, scale back. This may mean performing just the eccentric part of an exercise (learn how to do eccentric push ups), or a modified version. Below are a few ways to scale back:
- If the exercise is on the floor in a plank, elevate the hands on a bench, table, or stair to take the pressure off the low back.
- Take away the weight or use a band instead
- If it’s a single leg exercise, do the bilateral version (instead of a single leg hip thrust do a double leg thrust)
What do I do if I’m sore?
If you’re brand new, chances are you’re going to be sore. You may need to start out performing only 3 five-minute workouts per week and then scale up. Working an excessively sore muscle isn’t worth it. The program does add in mobility days to give you a bit of a rest but still, head to soreness.
Sometimes, you can adapt though. If only your arms are sore, try repeating as leg based workout or eliminating the arm exercise in the workout. Do less weight etc.
Why are the rest times so short?
Since we only have 5 minutes the rest times are short so that your heart rate stays up and you get the best bang for your buck. However, if you need more rest take it! The workouts are generalized and not specific to anyone. You know your body best so if you need thirty seconds, take them so that you can come back stronger.
Variations
There are always multiple ways to perform an exercise. So, if you one variation feels "off" to you, swap it out for another variations. Some great ideas are:
Helpful Tips To Make You Stronger
Below are some great resources for you to understand the exercises and get stronger at home.
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