How to Build a Home Workout Plan

A home workout plan that meets the official guidelines has two required parts. The first is at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, spread across the week. The second is muscle-strengthening work for all the major muscle groups on at least 2 days (HHS). Balance training is added for older adults, and stretching is a sensible extra. You can do all of it in a living room with no equipment. Below are the targets, ways to hit each one at home, and a sample week.

What a week needs to include

Part of the plan	Weekly target	Notes
Aerobic (cardio)	150 to 300 minutes moderate, or 75 to 150 minutes vigorous, or a mix	Preferably spread through the week
Muscle-strengthening	2 or more days	All major muscle groups: legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms
Balance	Part of every older adult’s week	Studies of fall prevention programs generally used about 3 sessions a week
Flexibility	Optional but appropriate	Doesn’t count toward the aerobic or strength targets

Every target in the table comes from the U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines (HHS).

The same guidelines include a few rules that make planning easier (HHS). One minute of vigorous activity counts as about two minutes of moderate activity, so 15 minutes of jogging is roughly equal to 30 minutes of brisk walking. Research consistently shows health benefits from activity on at least 3 days a week, and spreading it out may help reduce the risk of injury and fatigue. Short bouts count too: the 2nd edition dropped the old requirement for bouts of at least 10 minutes, so a 10-minute walk after lunch adds to your total. And benefits keep growing beyond 300 minutes a week, with no upper limit found so far.

To check your intensity, use the talk test. During moderate activity you can talk but not sing. During vigorous activity you can’t say more than a few words without stopping for breath (HHS). For the full picture of weekly targets, see how much exercise you need.

Cardio at home

Anything that gets your heart beating faster counts (Move Your Way). HHS lists these examples you can do at home or from your front door (HHS):

• Moderate: brisk walking, ballroom or line dancing, active forms of yoga such as vinyasa or power yoga, and general yard work.
• Vigorous: jogging or running, vigorous dancing, jumping rope, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT).

The National Institute on Aging adds climbing stairs and housework such as mopping or vacuuming to its list of moderate activities (NIA). If you’re short on time, HIIT is one way to get vigorous minutes in. Our guide to what HIIT is explains how it works.

Strength at home

Muscle-strengthening activities make your muscles do more work than they’re used to. Calisthenics that use your body weight, such as push-ups, pull-ups and planks, count, as do resistance bands and carrying heavy loads. Work each exercise to the point where another repetition would be hard. One set of 8 to 12 repetitions is effective, and 2 or 3 sets may be more effective (HHS). The NHS sets the bar a little higher, at least 2 sets with 3 for more benefit (NHS). Starting with one set and building to two or three satisfies both.

You don’t need a gym. The American College of Sports Medicine’s 2026 position stand found that elastic bands, bodyweight exercises and home-based routines yield marked benefits. It also found that training all the way to failure didn’t consistently change results for the average healthy adult (ACSM). For a full routine with easier and harder versions of each move, see our bodyweight workout for beginners.

Leave a day between strength sessions. The National Institute on Aging suggests not working the same muscle group two days in a row (NIA).

Balance and flexibility

HHS makes balance training a key guideline only for older adults, as part of multicomponent activity that also includes aerobic and muscle-strengthening work (HHS). The American College of Sports Medicine’s 2011 position stand goes further and recommends neuromotor exercise, meaning balance, agility and coordination work, on 2 to 3 days a week for adults generally (ACSM, 2011).

The two differ in scope. The HHS guidelines (2018) are the newer document and the U.S. government standard. The ACSM position stand (2011) is guidance for professionals who prescribe exercise to healthy adults of all ages. If you’re an older adult, balance work is part of the guidelines. If you’re younger, ACSM’s advice makes a few minutes of it a worthwhile addition. At home, the NHS suggests sideways walking, the heel-to-toe walk and a one-leg stand, done near a wall or a sturdy chair in case you lose your balance (NHS).

For flexibility, HHS says stretching is an appropriate part of a program even though its health benefits are unknown (HHS). ACSM recommends flexibility exercises for each major muscle-tendon group on at least 2 days a week, totaling 60 seconds per exercise (ACSM, 2011). The NHS cool-down takes about 5 minutes, holding each stretch for 15 to 20 seconds (NHS).

A sample week

This is an example for an adult who is already somewhat active. It’s one way to meet the guidelines, not an official program.

Day	What to do	What it covers
Monday	30-minute brisk walk, then a 5-minute stretch	30 min moderate aerobic, flexibility
Tuesday	Full-body bodyweight circuit, plus 5 minutes of balance moves	Strength (day 1), balance
Wednesday	30 minutes of dancing or stair climbing	30 min moderate aerobic
Thursday	30-minute brisk walk, then a 5-minute stretch	30 min moderate aerobic, flexibility
Friday	Full-body bodyweight circuit, plus 5 minutes of balance moves	Strength (day 2), balance
Saturday	30 minutes of active yoga or yard work	30 min moderate aerobic
Sunday	30 minutes of walking, split into shorter walks if you like, plus 5 minutes of balance moves	30 min moderate aerobic, balance

That adds up to 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity over 5 days, 2 strength days with time between them, 3 short balance sessions and 2 stretching sessions. To save time, swap a 30-minute moderate day for 15 minutes of vigorous activity, such as jumping rope or a HIIT session. The 2-to-1 rule means it counts the same (HHS).

The free Move Your Way Activity Planner from HHS can also help you set goals and print a weekly plan (Move Your Way).

If you’re starting from zero

Don’t try to do the full week on day one. HHS advises inactive people to “start low and go slow,” beginning with lower-intensity activity and gradually increasing how often and how long they’re active (HHS). Its example is someone who starts with 5 minutes of walking several times a day, 5 to 6 days a week, and gradually builds up to 10 minutes, 3 times a day. Strength work can start on just 1 day a week at a light or moderate effort before moving up to 2 (same source).

According to the same source, adding a small amount of light-to-moderate activity, such as 5 to 15 minutes of walking 2 to 3 times a week, carries a low risk of musculoskeletal injury and no known risk of severe cardiac events. Our guide on making exercise a habit has tips for sticking with it.

Healthy adults who increase their activity gradually generally don’t need to check with a health care provider first. People with chronic conditions or symptoms should be under a provider’s care, and anyone who develops new symptoms as they become more active should talk to one. If you do want professional advice, HHS says it’s particularly appropriate before taking up vigorous activity, because its risks are higher than those of moderate activity (HHS).