8-Week Home Gym Strength Program

*🔗Click here to download the 8-Week Home Gym Strength Program. 

Why a Home Gym Strength Program?

Ever since I started working full-time after graduate school, I have been obsessed with finding ways to become stronger while working out in my home gym. 

My wife and I relocated regularly in the first years of marriage, which meant I had to have a lean and minimalist home gym. My interest in efficient and minimalist workouts at home first led me to bodyweight training, and then to the kettlebell. 

Kettlebells are a phenomenal training tool, but they can add up quickly in cost. If you are new to kettlebell training and have questions on buying your first kettlebell, I put together this kettlebell buying guide to help you navigate through some of those initial questions. 

 

This home gym strength program blends together bodyweight and kettlebell training, with the primary goal of building strength at home. For best results, I’d recommend using two kettlebells of the same weight, but you can do this program with just one kettlebell. 

The Home Gym Strength Movements

Here’s an overview of the movement selection of this program. 

1. The Kettlebell Thruster

Kettlebell training uses a combination of “ballistics” and “grinds”. Ballistics are your dynamic, explosive, and rhythmic movements, like the swing, clean, and snatch. Grinds are your slower, powerful, and steady movements, like the press, Get-Up, and squat. 

The Kettlebell Thruster is a hybrid between ballistics and grinds. It pieces together components from the one-hand swing, clean, squat, and press, all in one fluid motion. This movement requires both strength and flexibility, and everything from your posterior chain, legs, core, and upper body is engaged with this movement. 

This home gym strength program uses the kettlebell thruster in an interval training structure. You will need two kettlebells of the same weight for the thrusters (for best results), but you can just use one kettlebell. 

2. The Pull-Up

Bodyweight training has a myriad of movements you can pick from. You have your reliable Push-Up and its countless variations, the mighty Burpee, and every core movement you could ask for. But nothing builds strength quite like the Pull-Up.

All you need is a pull-up bar and some brawn, and you can build serious strength with a pull-up. The movement engages just about every muscle in your back, your arms, and even your core. This movement does require strength as a prerequisite, but you can regress the movement down into Inverted Rows or Assisted Pull-Ups (with a chair underneath). 

This home gym strength program uses the pull-up in an interval training system. All you need is a pull-up bar for these. 

3. Double Kettlebell Complexes

Also known as kettlebell flows, kettlebell complexes string together a series of kettlebell movements into a fluid circuit. Kettlebell complexes are a conditioning tool that will elevate your heart rate, test your strength, and build your skill. 

There are endless possibilities with building kettlebell complexes. For this home gym strength program, I strung together the push-up, kettlebell deadlift, kettlebell clean, and kettlebell squat. As tough as kettlebell thrusters are, I found that this kettlebell complex is the hardest part of the program. 

You will need two kettlebells of the same weight for the kettlebell complexes (for best results), but you can just use one kettlebell. 

The 8-Week Home Gym Strength Program 

 

• Goal: Make difficult movements feel easy
• Time: Each session will take 40 minutes to complete
• Skill Level: Intermediate to Advanced
• Frequency: 3 sessions each week
• Duration: This program will last for 8 weeks.
• Modality: This program uses a mixture kettlebell and bodyweight training. 
• Equipment: You will need…
  • Kettlebells: This program is designed for double kettlebell training, but it can be done with just one kettlebell. Here are links to Kettlebells that I have used. 
    • Lifeline – The Budget Buy
    • Kettlebell Kings – The Quality Purchase
  • Pull-Up bar: If at a park, you can use monkey bars. But if you want one at home, here’s a style that I’ve used for years. 
    • Pull-Up Bar 
  • These are affiliate links, and as an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. 
• Exercise Instructions: The program pdf has links to the movements on the “LF HUB” page on the Layman’s Fitness website. 

One last encouragement – accountability is a catalyzing help for building habits. We all benefit from a community of people who encourage and challenge us to keep pressing forward. 

Consider inviting a few of your friends to do this program with you. Doing this program with others will make your experience much more rewarding, and you might find that you will go further with others than you will by yourself. 

Questions?

Please email me at don@laymansfitness.com with any questions on the program. Be strong!

*As always, I’d recommend consulting with a physician prior to starting any exercise plan.