5 Garage Gym Workout Drills For Full-Body Training
Creating a garage gym has become far more common these days in light of the pandemic. Having your own workout space is one thing, but creating effective at-home workouts can be difficult for beginners.
Here is a five-drill garage gym workout program that can help you get in shape quickly. All you need is a basic garage gym setup: a couple of mats, dumbbells, and a punching bag (optional).
What Are Garage Gyms?
A garage gym is an at-home exercise space that can be set up, typically in a garage, at your home and serves as a personal fitness area.
Setting up a garage gym requires a few essential items:
- 1-2 mats you can lay down on
- Dumbbells (the more you have, the more drills you can do)
- Enough space to move around comfortably; we recommend a 6’x2’ area
Have some water available and a towel handy for wiping away the sweat. With just these few items you’ll be on your way to garage gym workout training in no time.
How Can I Exercise In My Garage?
All of the equipment above can be used to exercise effectively in your garage.
Note: A punching bag is recommended, but not required for this workout. Shadowboxing can be done as an alternative.
Drill 1: Warm-Up (2 minutes)
This first drill is a warm-up and will loosen your body up for the rest of the workout. You will perform three (3) movements for 30 seconds each.
Exercise 1: Jumping Jacks (30 seconds)
- Stand with your feet together and your arms down by your side
- Jump upwards and spread your legs out, while simultaneously raising your arms above your head
- Jump your feet back together and bring your arms back down to your sides
- Repeat for 30 seconds
Exercise 2: Arm Circles (30 seconds)
- Stand with your feet together and rotate your arms in a wide forward direction
- After 15 seconds, switch directions, rotating your arms backwards
- Continue for 15 seconds
Exercise 3: Lunges (30 seconds)
- Drop down into a lunge, making sure your front knee doesn’t extend past your toes
- Lower your back knee down as close to the ground as you can
- Return to a standing position and switch legs
- Repeat, alternating legs for 30 seconds
Rest for 30 seconds before moving on to the next drill.
Drill 2: Weight Training
After warming up, grab your dumbbells. Rest between sets of each exercise for 30 seconds.
Exercise 1: Bicep Curls - 3 sets, 10 reps per set
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your arms at your sides
- Keep your elbows close to your torso, with your palms facing outwards
- Bend your elbows, curling the weights up towards your shoulders
- Release and bring your arms back down to your side
- Repeat for 10 reps
Exercise 2: Shoulder Press - 3 sets, 10 reps per set
- Stand upright and lift the dumbbells to your shoulders
- Press the weights upward, above your head until there is just a slight bend in your elbows
- Lower the weights back down to your shoulders and repeat for 10 reps
Exercise 3: Bent-Over Row - 3 sets, 10 reps per set
- With your legs shoulder width apart and your knees slightly bent, hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing your body
- Carefully bend at the waist until you are at a 45-degree angle towards the ground
- Keep your back straight and engage your core
- Lift the weights up towards your chest
- Release and repeat for 10 reps
As a bonus, you can consider doing lateral raises or dumbbell chest presses if you’d like to work different areas of the shoulders or your chest.
Drill 3: Bodyweight Training
Now it’s time for a little core work and bodyweight training. Lie down on your garage gym mat. As with the dumbbells, try to do 3 sets of each exercise with 10 repetitions in each set. Rest 30 seconds in between.
Exercise 1: Basic Push-Up
- Start in a plank position with your hands flat on the floor
- Keep your body in a straight line and slowly lower your body down, bending your elbows until your chest is just above the floor
- Exhale as you push back up to a plank
- Repeat for 10 reps
Exercise 2: Superman Punch
- Lay down flat on your stomach with your arms extended above your head
- Simultaneously, lift your chest, arms, and legs from the ground by engaging your core and glutes
- With these parts of your body still off the ground, pull your elbows towards your sides, then extend your arms back out
- Release back down to the ground
- Repeat for 10 reps
Exercise 3: Runner’s Crunch
- Lay down flat on your back and place your hands behind your head with your elbows out wide
- Sit up until your back is off the floor and bring your right knee to your chest, meeting it with your left elbow; your left leg should be horizontally lifted off the ground
- Lower back down and repeat with the opposite leg and arm
- Repeat for 10 reps
Drill 4: Cardio Burnout (Boxing Punch Combos)
It’s time for the burnout portion of this workout. This part of the workout can be done using a punching bag or shadowboxing.
There will be three 3-minute rounds. Rest for 1 minute in between each round.
Round 1: Jab - Cross - Lead Hook
- Start in a fighting stance with your feet shoulder-width apart
- Throw a quick jab, and immediately follow with a power cross and a lead hook
Don’t be afraid to shuffle around and throw an extra jab between sets to pace yourself.
Round 2: Jab - Cross - Lead Hook - Jab (x2) - Rear Uppercut
- Take the same movement from the first round, but add two quick jabs after the lead hook
- Throw a rear uppercut, being sure to pivot on your back leg for maximum power
Round 3: Freestyle
This is the round where you give everything you have. For 3 minutes, freestyle, throwing jabs, crosses, and any punch combinations you choose. Here are some sample punch combos you can try:
Sample Combinations:
- Jab - Cross - Rear Hook
- Cross (x2) - Lead Hook
- Lead Hook - Rear Hook - Lead Hook
Drill 5: Cool Down (3 minutes)
Congratulations, you made it to the end of the workout! Take the next three minutes to bring your heart rate back down and calm your muscles.
Here are a few cool down stretches:
Stretch 1: Lunging Hamstring Stretch
- Start in a lunge position and bring your hands to the floor near your forward leg
- Gently straighten your knee and push your hips back
- Repeat on the other side
Stretch 2: Cross-Body Shoulder Stretch
- Take one arm and pull it tight across your chest with your other arm
- Release after 15 seconds and repeat with the other arm
Stretch 3: Chest Stretch
- Take both arms and interlace your fingers behind your back
- Slowly pull your arms as far back as they go until your shoulder blades are pinching together
- Release and repeat
You absolutely crushed this garage gym workout! You managed to break a sweat and have a full-body workout in the comfort of your own personal workout space. A garage gym is a great alternative to a standard gym, and can be the perfect at-home workout training solution.
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