Back to training: a 15-minute home plan

Who this plan suits

Use this plan after time away from exercise to get familiar with squats, pushing and floor work again. Returning after illness or injury needs a separate decision about what activity you can currently tolerate, with clinical advice where needed.

Where the sessions fit in your week

Start with A on Monday and B on Thursday. Allow 15 to 20 minutes. The small number of sets fits a busy week; walking can fill some of your non-training days.

Warm up for your workout

Take three to five minutes before training. Walk on the spot and move your shoulders and hips. Then rehearse the first movements in the table with a few slow repetitions. Use a wall to prepare for push-ups if that makes them easier. These practice sets help you get comfortable with the movements while leaving energy for the workout.

Clear enough room to extend your arms and legs. Use a dry, non-slip floor and a mat that stays in place when you put weight on it. Keep your timer within reach. The session timings allow for rests: start the next set when you can move calmly and with control again.

How to use the sessions

2 × 8–12 means two sets of eight to twelve repetitions. Complete both sets before moving to the next exercise. A per-side instruction includes both left and right. Times such as 20 seconds describe a hold. Record the repetitions or seconds and the variation, such as wall push-ups or knee push-ups.

How to do each movement

1. Bodyweight Squat: Stand with your feet about hip-width apart and your weight spread across each foot. Bend your hips and knees as if sitting down, then stand up; keep your heels grounded and use a comfortable depth.
2. Wall Push-Up: Place your hands on a solid wall at chest height, slightly wider than your shoulders. Bend your elbows to bring your chest toward the wall, then press away; keep your body straight and step closer to make it easier.
3. Glute Bridge: Lie on your back with bent knees and feet flat about hip-width apart. Press through your feet to lift your hips, squeeze your glutes without arching your lower back, then lower slowly.
4. Dead Bug: Lie on your back with arms upward and hips and knees bent to roughly right angles. Slowly extend one arm and the opposite leg, then return and switch; keep your trunk still and shorten the reach if your lower back lifts.
5. Bird Dog: Start on hands and knees, with hands under shoulders and knees under hips. Reach one arm forward and the opposite leg back without rotating your pelvis; return slowly and alternate sides.
6. Standing Calf Raise: Stand tall with the balls of your feet firmly supported and hold a stable support if needed. Raise your heels by pressing through your forefeet, then lower slowly, keeping your ankles from rolling inward or outward.

Find your starting weight

Leave plenty in reserve at first: around four unhurried repetitions after each set. Stay at the lower end of the ranges for week one. Your first priority is to get familiar with the movements and be ready to return for the next session.

How to progress the plan

Repeat your first week with the same repetitions. Once the movements feel steady, add one repetition per set up to the upper limit. After four consistent weeks, move to the three-day equipment-free plan or keep your two-day routine.

Progress can mean a steadier movement, more repetitions or less breathlessness after the same session. After four weeks, look at your first entries and think about what used to feel unfamiliar. If evening workouts keep getting postponed, try a different time or a shorter session. A plan is most useful when it regularly finds room in your day.

Adjust the plan while keeping its purpose

For wall push-ups, move your feet closer to the wall to reduce the difficulty. Squats can start shallower. If getting onto the floor is difficult, leave out that exercise and spend the time walking gently on the spot.

Without equipment, a pulling movement that you can steadily load is missing for your back and arms. Bird dogs, planks and bridges do different jobs and do not replace rows. Add a long band secured under your feet, dumbbells, or a correctly installed station designed for pulling. Do not attach improvised equipment to a random door or table.

When to end a set

End the set when you clearly shorten the movement, need momentum or lose control of your position. Muscular effort and faster breathing are expected. Sudden sharp pain, dizziness or unusual symptoms are reasons to stop the exercise or session. Have persistent or recurring pain assessed before continuing to load the affected movement.

Know where to start next workout

Record your sessions in LiftPal: exercises, repetitions, weight and, when useful, effort with RPE. Note the variation or band resistance too. At the next workout, you can see what worked last time. You can also make your training schedule an everyday goal.