Week one at home

"I'll start properly when I've got the kit" is the lie that buys you a fortnight of browsing. Kettlebells. Resistance bands in five colours. A pull-up bar for the door frame that will, at some point, pull the door frame off. You'll get three days into reviews of adjustable dumbbells, find a forum argument between two men about knurling, and wake up a month later with nothing done and strong opinions about knurling.

You have a wall. You have a chair. You have the bottom stair and the floor. That's a gym. It's open now. It doesn't have a membership fee and nobody's left a sweaty towel on it.

Next: Ease in. Slowly. Then a bit slower.Back to the contents

The biggest mistake in week one isn't doing too little. It's doing far too much, being sore for four days, and deciding exercise isn't for you. So this week is easy on purpose. If you finish thinking "is that it?", perfect. That's the plan working.

The NHS's own strength routine for people who haven't been active starts with as few as five sit-to-stands and says to build up slowly.¹ You're in good company. Pregnant, or had a baby recently? Read chapter 9 first for the swaps. Aim for two strength sessions this week, building towards the NHS guideline of strength work on at least two days a week.² Leave a day between sessions.³

Next: The movesBack to the contents

About 20 minutes, all in. Rest for about a minute between sets. Do them in this order.

1. March on the spot

Two or three minutes to warm up. Lift your knees, swing your arms, and look like you're leading a very small parade through your own living room.

2. Sit-to-stand

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Start with: 2 sets of 5 to 8. Too hard? Push off your thighs with your hands at first. Too easy? Sit down more slowly, as if the chair has been rude to you and you're in no hurry to forgive it.

3. Press-ups, starting on the wall

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Start with: 2 sets of 8 to 10 on the wall, unless you already know you can do more. Keep your body straight, like a plank, not a banana. The wall press-up is not beneath you. It's in front of you. That's how it works.

4. Glute bridge

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Start with: 2 sets of 8 to 10. Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat. Squeeze your bottom and lift your hips. Your glutes (gluteus maximus, GLOO-tee-us MAK-sih-mus) are the biggest muscles in your body, and they've been sat on for years. This is them waking up and asking what year it is.

5. Step-ups on the bottom stair

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Start with: 2 sets of 6 on each leg. Hold the banister. Step up, stand tall, step down slowly. You've walked past this stair ten thousand times. Today it earns its keep.

6. Wall sit

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Start with: 2 holds of 15 to 20 seconds, only slightly bent. Go a little lower each week. Fifteen seconds will feel like a long time. It'll feel like the length of a Sunday. That's normal.

7. Chair dips (optional)

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Start with: 2 sets of 5, lowering only a short way. Skip these if your shoulders grumble. Press-ups do a similar job without the grumbling.

If any of these makes you leak a little, you're far from alone, and it's fixable. The pelvic floor chapter is next, and it's for everyone.

Next: How hard should it feel?Back to the contents

Moderate: breathing faster, feeling warmer, able to talk but not sing.² On the effort scale, that's about 5 or 6 out of 10. Finish each set with two or three good reps still in the tank. You're not trying to empty it. You're trying to come back on Thursday.

Next: Your week oneBack to the contents

Save week one to my phone

Next: When to move upBack to the contents

When you can do 2 sets of 12 with good form and it feels easy, move up one step: wall to worktop, worktop to knees, no hands on the sit-to-stand, a few more seconds on the wall sit. Doing a little more over time is how you keep improving.³ There's a whole chapter on it: rest, overload and Mike Mentzer.

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