Indoor exercise ideas to keep you moving this autumn
As the weather starts to change, our motivation to get outside can dip as we head into autumn. The darker mornings, the colder evenings and the unpredictable rain showers all make it tempting to stay indoors. This time of year is brilliant for refreshing your fitness routine, especially if you’ve got bits of kit lying around the house gathering dust. Most of us have at least one abandoned dumbbell, a resistance band that’s been stuffed in a drawer, or a yoga mat that only sees daylight during a spring clean. The good news is that you don’t need a fully stocked home gym to enjoy a great workout. With a little creativity, you can train your whole body in your living room, spare room or even the hallway.
Here is a simple eight‑exercise plan that covers all major muscle groups, each movement includes a variation if you don’t have any kit! A short warm up of 3-5 minute is worth doing – movements like a nice spinal roll down, a big marching action and some twisting actions are my key moves to prepare for a strength workout.
Squat: Start with a squat to wake up the legs and hips. If you’ve got a dumbbell, hold it at your chest in a goblet position. Sit your hips back as though you’re lowering into a chair, keep your chest lifted and push the floor away as you stand. Without kit, simply use your bodyweight and focus on driving your knees out slightly so they track in line with your toes. The aim is to feel the thighs and glutes working without collapsing through the spine. If a squat is causing knee pain a good alternative exercise to work most of the same muscles would be a wall sit.
Row: Next, move into a bent‑over row to strengthen your upper back. A pair of dumbbells or two decently heavy water bottles works well. Hinge forward from the hips, keep your spine long and pull your elbows back as though you’re trying to tuck them into your back pockets. If you don’t have weights, use a resistance band looped under your feet or perform a dorsal raise row by lying on your stomach, lifting your chest and arms off the floor, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
Chest press: For the chest, a floor laying press is ideal. Lie on your back with dumbbells in hand, elbows at about forty‑five degrees and press the weights towards the ceiling. Keep your ribs down and avoid arching your lower back. Without kit, swap this for a kneeling (or full – if you are strong enough) press‑up. Hands under shoulders, body in a straight line and lower with control so your elbows don’t flare too wide. Even a kneeling press‑up will build great strength if you keep your core tight.
Plank: To challenge the core and shoulders, try a plank with a reach. Set up in a strong plank position, then slowly reach one arm forward without letting your hips sway. The slower you move, the more your deep core muscles have to stabilise you. If you have a light dumbbell, you can add a small shoulder tap or drag a weight from side to side beneath you. Without kit, focus on maintaining a steady breath and keeping your hips level.
Reverse lunge: For the lower body a reverse lunge is brilliant for balance and hip mobility. Step one foot back, lower your back knee towards the floor and keep your front shin vertical. If you’ve got weights, hold them by your sides to increase the challenge. Without kit, concentrate on pushing through the front heel and keeping your torso tall. This move is especially good for building stability around the knees and hips during the colder months when joints can feel a little stiff. If sore knees are an issue it might be worth skipping this one and trying some seated leg lifts instead, sitting either in a high back chair or on the floor and lifting the leg up for a few pulses – keep the leg long bit with a soft knee if you can.
Bridge: Add in a glute bridge to fire up the back of the body. Lie on your back, feet hip‑width apart and press through your heels to lift your hips. If you have a dumbbell, place it on your hips for extra resistance. Without kit, slow the tempo down and squeeze your glutes at the top for a full second before lowering. This is a great antidote to long periods of sitting indoors. If your muscles are not that strong yet, move your feet closer to your bottom.
Overhead press: For the shoulders, try an overhead press. Stand tall, brace your core and press dumbbells overhead without letting your ribs flare. If you don’t have weights, use a resistance band or perform a pike press‑up by lifting your hips high and lowering your head towards the floor. The key is to keep your neck long and avoid shrugging your shoulders up to your ears.
Wood chop: Finish with a rotation‑based core exercise like a standing wood chop. Hold a dumbbell or band, rotate from your ribcage and control the movement as you bring the weight across your body. Without kit, perform a standing twist with your arms extended, focusing on moving from your torso rather than just swinging your arms. This helps keep your spine mobile and your core strong through the colder months.
Alongside indoor training, autumn is one of the best times to start or restart running. The cooler temperatures make it far easier to regulate your body heat, your breathing feels more comfortable and your energy levels tend to stay higher compared to running in the summer heat. Even short, gentle runs can feel more enjoyable at this time of year and combining them with indoor strength work is a brilliant way to stay fit, strong and motivated right through winter.
Strength training is important at every age, but it becomes especially powerful during perimenopause and menopause. As oestrogen levels naturally decline, us women experience a gradual decline in muscle mass and bone density and can unfortunately make joints feel stiffer and everyday movements feel harder. Research shows that resistance training helps with this loss by supporting muscle maintenance, improving bone strength, and boosting overall stability and balance. Exercise can also play a valid a role in managing some symptoms such as disrupted sleep, lower energy, and changes in body composition. We all want to age gracefully but functionally too and it’s worth the effort even when it might be the last thing on our minds.
If you’d like help building a personalised exercise plan this autumn, want guidance on technique or simply someone to keep you accountable to your routine and you’re ready to book a PT session with me, get in touch. I’d love to support you through the colder months and help you feel confident, strong and consistent with your training.
