Scores of simple and effective free workout routines that have stood the test of time!

Garage workouts

12 Total Body Garage Workout Plans

Given that the stress and radical changes we are all going through in these times, it is more important to focus on your physical fitness than ever. You can meet all of your fitness, conditioning and muscle building goals with some simple home workout plans.

Not just paying attention to muscular development but adding and equal focus on performance and conditioning to our approach to overall fitness will benefit us immensely.

What follows is a list of bullet-proof workouts to cover your whole body, burn fat and Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) , all with very little equipment that can be done in your garage, basement or home. 

I've tried and tested all these effective routines myself and on others with great results. The key is that these workouts are all fairly brief, but intense enough to guarantee maximal conditioning while hitting all major muscle groups. For those seeking overall fitness and conditioning, shorter high intensity workouts also seems to come with additional metabolic benefits as well.

I would allow for 20-30 minutes for each session and vary the frequency to 3-6 workouts a week, varying it based on your recovery, energy levels and schedule. 

Cycling through all these workouts in WOD style fashion isn't a bad idea either. This is a good way to train in general, in terms of variability and preventing overuse injuries.

So for example, if you were to train three days a week you have 4 weeks worth of varying workouts going through each of these 12 workout plans one after the other; 6 days a week gives you two weeks of workouts.  

The only additional equipment you will need is a set of moderately weighted dumbbells, some way to do pull-ups and inverted rows and a skipping rope.

12 Workouts For Your Garage, Basement or Home

Workout 1: 

  • Dumbbell Squats 15-20 reps, followed by 10 bodyweight with 10 sec pause and then 5 more reps. 3-4 sets
  • Spiderman Push-ups 4 x 12-15 reps
  • Full Dumbbell Clean 3 x 15 reps
  • Dumbbell Single Stiff-Leg Deadlift 3 x 15 reps

Workout 2: 

  • Dumbbell Swings 25-30 reps
  • Semi-Sumo Dumbbell squats 12-15 reps
  • Push-ups 15 reps
  • Dumbbell Bentover Wide Rows (bilateral) 12-15 reps

Workout 3: 

  • Racked Dumbbell Front Squat 10-12 reps each leg
  • Chinups of Pull-ups 4-6 reps
  • Full Burpees 10 reps
  • Table Bridges 15 reps

Workout 4: 

Superset One:

  • Dumbbell Split Squat 10-12 reps
  • Push-ups 15 reps

(15 seconds rest in between each, one full minute at the end of the cycle. repeat 3-5x)

Superset Two:

  • Chin-ups 3-6 reps
  • One-arm Dumbbell Snatch 8-10 reps each arm

(15 seconds rest in between each, one full minute at the end of the cycle. repeat 3-5x)

Workout 5: 

  • Double Dumbbell Snatch 12-15 reps
  • Dumbbell Crossover Lunge 12-15 reps
  • Push-ups 15-20 reps
  • Jumping Jacks 1 minute

(15 seconds rest in between each, one full minute at the end of the cycle. repeat 3-6x)

Workout 6: 

  • Dumbbell Goblet Squat 12-15 reps
  • Clapping Push-ups 15-20 reps
  • Box Jumps or Jump Squats 10-12 reps
  • Spiderman Crawl 20 Feet

(15 seconds rest in between each, one full minute at the end of the cycle. repeat 3-6x)

Workout 7: 

  • Dumbbell Thrusters 12-15 reps
  • Pull-ups 5-6 reps
  • Mountain climbers 12-15 reps each leg
  • Jump Rope 1 minute

(15 seconds rest in between each, one full minute at the end of the cycle. repeat 3-6x)

Workout 8:

  • Dumbbell Squat-to-curl-to-press 12-15 reps
  • Inverted Rows 10-12 reps
  • Dumbbell Skier Swings 15 reps
  • Diamond Push-ups 15 reps

(15 seconds rest in between each, one full minute at the end of the cycle. repeat 3-6x)

Workout 9: 

  • Single Dumbbell Swings 30 reps 
  • Dumbbell BG Squat 12 reps
  • Push-ups 15 reps
  • Chin-ups or Pull-ups 4-6 reps

(15 seconds rest in between each, one full minute at the end of the cycle. repeat 3-6x)

Workout 10:

  • Dumbbell Side (Lateral) Lunge 12-15 reps
  • Hindu Push-ups 15 reps
  • One-Arm Kettlebell or Dumbbell Snatch 8 reps each arm
  • Dumbbell Glute Bridges 15 reps

(15 seconds rest in between each, one full minute at the end of the cycle. repeat 3-6x)

Workout 11:

  • Reverse Lunge to Bicep Curl 10-12 reps
  • Pike Push-ups 15 reps
  • One-Arm Dumbbell Row 10-12 reps each arm
  • Hollow Body Hold 30-45 seconds

Workout 12:

  • Double Dumbbell Snatch 8-10 reps
  • Racked Dumbbell Front Squats 12-15 reps
  • Push-ups 15 reps
  • Dumbbell Bear Rows 6-8 reps each arm

(15 seconds rest in between each, one full minute at the end of the cycle. repeat 3-6x)

Exercise Descriptions 

The Double Dumbbell Snatch

One Arm Dumbbell Snatch

Racked Dumbbell Front Squats

Dumbbell Bear Rows

Hindu Pushups 

Pike Push Up

Hollow Body Hold 

Single Dumbbell Swings

Dumbbell Squat Curl to Press

Reverse Lunge to Bicep Curl

Dumbbell Glute Bridges

Dumbbell Skier Swings

Side (Lateral) Lunge Technique

Dumbbell Thrusters

Spiderman Crawl 

Diamond Pushups

Semi-Sumo Dumbbell Squats

Full Dumbbell Clean

Dumbbell Single Stiff-Leg Deadlift 

Table Bridges 

Give these workouts a try in your training sessions and let me know what you think!