Figuring Out Apartment Workouts

 

Years ago, my wife and I lived in a tiny apartment just north of New York City. To say that we didn’t have much space would have been an understatement. 

The apartment complex we lived in did not have a gym, and we had to find ways to do apartment workouts without annoying our neighbors. For the year we lived there, we found several different apartment workouts we could do, using very minimal equipment. 

This article shares five apartment workouts and routines you can do in your apartment. These apartment workouts are ones we have either done in an apartment, or ones we wish we did knowing what we now know. 

 

Apartment Workout Guidelines

 

Your own workout and routine will depend on your preferences and space limitations. If you’re unsure where to start, I’d recommend reading the following resource, where we were named an expert on Apartment Guide. Read the full article here: 7 Guidelines for Building a Home Gym in Your Apartment. 

My preference, based on experience, function, and trying to maximize your limited space, is a combination of both bodyweight and kettlebell training.

 

Apartment Workout Equipment

 

Combining bodyweight and kettlebell training allows you to workout in a tiny space while adding weight resistance. In my opinion, the kettlebell gives you way more movement options than a dumbbell while providing the power and explosiveness of barbell training.

Kettlebell training is an absolute home gym space saver. It’s the most versatile home gym that can fit entirely under your bed. 

With bodyweight, all you’ll need is a pull-up bar*. With kettlebells, you’ll need at minimum one, and maximum three to start. 

• For men
  • For the “already athletic”: one 16kg, one 24kg, and one 32kg
  • For those “just getting started”: one 12kg, one 16kg, and one 24kg
• For women
  • For the “already athletic”: one 12kg, one 16kg, and one 24kg
  • For those “just getting started”: one 8kg, one 12kg, and one 16kg

 

The Case for a Workout Routine

 

Lastly, before getting into the apartment workouts, I want to make the case of why you should move beyond bouncing between random workouts and have an actual workout routine.

To illustrate this, consider how you approach making dinner.

A workout routine is like a recipe. It tells you what ingredients you need, how long you need to prepare the meal for, and the instructions to follow to get your delicious dinner. It’s an organized way to get your desired result. 

Following random workouts without a programmed routine is like throwing a bunch of random ingredients into a pot, mixing them together, and hoping that the meal turns out to be tasty. Pun kind of intended, this approach is a recipe for a disorganized and potentially disastrous dinner.

With that in mind, I want to share with you 5 apartment workout routines that you can follow in your apartment, right now.

 

Apartment Workout Routine 1

➡️ 5-Week Bodyweight Program

This is a bodyweight routine I put together, available to Fit Tip Friday subscribers (it’s free to sign-up). This workout routine increases your strength by focusing on just four basic bodyweight movements, with three weekly sessions, and each workout is 30-40 minutes.

Since you’re in an apartment, you can ditch the jump rope… unless you do want to annoy your neighbors. 

 

Apartment Workout Routine 2

➡️ You are Your Own Gym*

This is an excellent book written by Mark Lauren, who is a Navy Seal and runs a company named after his book.

This book is what my wife and I actually followed when we lived in our NYC apartment. This book teaches you the basic of bodyweight movements, while providing you with detailed routines you can follow.

What I like about Lauren’s routines is that they are scalable depending on your own skill level. If you are a novice, there’s a plan for you. If you are intermediate with your strength, there’s a plan for you. If you are advanced, there’s a plan for you.

 

Apartment Workout Routine 3

➡️ Simple & Sinister*

This is another excellent book, and this one was written by Pavel Tsatsouline, who runs a company named StrongFirst.

This is the book I wish I had when I lived in that NYC apartment. This book teaches you a routine with kettlebells that, true to its name, is both simple and sinister.

This routine is so basic it’s almost laughable, but this program delivers. You will do a combination of both kettlebell swings and kettlebell get-ups, almost everyday, and your strength will absolutely soar.

 

Apartment Workout Routine 4

➡️ 4-Week Kettlebell Program

This is a free workout routine I put together that combines bodyweight movements with the basic kettlebell movements (kettlebell swings, kettlebell goblet squats, etc…). It requires three weekly sessions, and each workout takes 30-40 minutes to complete.

Each workout is simple, easy to follow, and requires only one kettlebell to start.

Apartment Workout Routine 5

➡️ 8-Week Core Program

Maybe you already have a workout routine that you follow. If so, you can add this free 8-week core program on top of what you are already doing.

This is a bodyweight core program that requires only 3 sessions per week, and each session takes less than 10 minutes to do.

 

 

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*These are affiliate links, and as an Amazon associate I do earn on qualifying purchases. These are resources I have actually used, and ones I continue to recommend.