Best Exercises for Weight Loss at Home: 4 Practical Workouts

You don't need a gym membership or a room full of equipment to exercise effectively for weight loss. The best exercises for weight loss at home combine regular cardio with strength training and become progressively more challenging as your fitness improves.

Exercise is only one part of weight management. Your eating habits, overall activity and consistency matter too. If you're trying to work out how to lose weight at home, the aim isn't to find one magical "fat-burning" exercise. It's to build a routine you can actually stick with.

At Orbit Fitness, we've been helping Australians train at home since 1983, and one thing hasn't changed: the best workout isn't necessarily the hardest. It's the one that suits your fitness, space and schedule well enough to keep doing it.

What are the best exercises for weight loss at home?

The best exercises for weight loss at home include squats, lunges, push-ups, dumbbell exercises, brisk walking, cycling and rowing. For most people, combining strength training for weight loss with regular cardio creates a more balanced routine than relying on one type of exercise alone.

You don't need to do all of them. The best at home workouts for weight loss are usually built around exercises that suit your current fitness, can be performed consistently and give you room to progress.

1. Full-Body Weight Loss Exercises at Home Without Equipment

If you want a full-body workout at home without buying equipment, bodyweight training is one of the simplest places to start. These exercises train several major muscle groups and can be adjusted to suit your current fitness. If you're deciding whether to stick with bodyweight movements or eventually add resistance, our guide to bodyweight vs weights explains the differences.

Complete 2 to 4 rounds, resting for 30 to 90 seconds as needed.

Beginner modification: Use a chair for squats, perform push-ups against a wall or bench, and swap mountain climbers for marching on the spot.

2. Dumbbell Strength Workout for Weight Loss

Once bodyweight exercises start feeling easy, dumbbells allow you to add progressive resistance by gradually increasing the weight, repetitions or sets as you become stronger.

That makes resistance training easier to progress without needing a large home gym. If you're new to lifting, our beginner's guide to strength training with free weights is a useful next read.

Complete 2 to 4 sets of each exercise:

Choose a weight that makes the last few repetitions challenging without your technique falling apart.

You don't need a huge rack of weights either. A pair of dumbbells, particularly adjustable dumbbells, can provide plenty of progression without taking over the room.

3. Beginner Home Workout for Weight Loss

If you're looking for a home workout for weight loss but aren't ready for burpees, jumping lunges or all-out intervals, start with a combination of low-impact cardio and basic strength exercises.

Try:

Complete the strength section once or twice depending on your current fitness.

This type of beginner home workout for weight loss can be particularly useful if you're new to exercise or simply prefer lower-impact cardio. An exercise bike also gives you control over pace and resistance without needing to run or jump.

4. Home HIIT Workout Using a Bike or Rower

HIIT can be useful when you're short on time or enjoy harder cardio, but it isn't automatically better for weight loss than other forms of exercise. If intervals suit the way you like to train, you can find more ideas in our guide to HIIT workouts.

After a 5-minute easy warm-up:

1. Work at a challenging pace for 30 seconds.

2. Recover at an easy pace for 60–90 seconds.

3. Repeat 6–10 times.

4. Finish with 5 minutes at an easy pace.

Your harder intervals should feel challenging, but there's no need to push yourself to absolute exhaustion.

An exercise bike or rowing machine works particularly well for intervals because you can quickly adjust your pace or resistance without changing exercises.

Once you're finished, bring your heart rate down gradually rather than stopping abruptly. These post-workout cool-down exercises are a useful place to start.

Can you lose weight with home workouts?

Yes. Home workouts can support weight loss when they increase your overall physical activity and are combined with eating habits that support an appropriate energy balance.

Where you exercise isn't particularly important. What matters more is whether you're active consistently enough for it to make a meaningful difference over time.

That also means you shouldn't judge a workout purely by how sweaty or exhausted you are afterwards.

A better question is: Can I realistically keep doing this every week?

If the answer is yes, you're already building something more useful than a punishing workout you abandon after a fortnight.

Is cardio or strength training better for weight loss?

You don't have to choose between them. Combining cardio and strength training gives you a more balanced approach to weight loss and overall fitness.

Cardio such as walking, cycling and rowing increases physical activity and improves aerobic fitness, while resistance training for weight loss helps build or maintain muscle and gives you a clear way to progress as you get stronger.

HIIT can be useful when you're short on time, but it isn't automatically better for fat loss than steady cardio. For a deeper comparison, read our guide to cardio vs weight training for weight loss.

The practical approach? Strength train regularly, choose cardio you enjoy and keep moving throughout the week.

How often should you work out at home to lose weight?

A good starting point is to include strength training at least twice per week and build regular cardio and general movement across the rest of the week.

For example:

If you're just getting started, you don't need to jump straight into this entire schedule. Some of the best workouts for home are the ones you can fit into your week consistently, even if that means starting with two or three sessions rather than six.

Build the frequency, duration or resistance gradually as your fitness improves.

Do You Need Equipment to Lose Weight at Home?

No. You can absolutely lose weight at home using bodyweight exercises such as squats, lunges, push-ups and regular walking.

That said, equipment can make it easier to stay consistent, add variety and continue challenging yourself as your fitness improves.

Many people start with bodyweight workouts and eventually reach a point where they need more resistance or want more convenient ways to do cardio at home. That's where equipment can help.

For example:

• A pair of dumbbells can add resistance to exercises such as squats, lunges, presses and rows, helping you build strength without needing a full gym setup.

• An exercise bike is a practical option if you want low-impact cardio that isn't affected by Perth's winter weather or a busy schedule.

• A rowing machine combines upper and lower-body training, making it a popular choice for people who want an efficient full-body cardio workout.

• A workout bench can expand the number of strength exercises you can perform with dumbbells while providing better support and stability.

• A home gym can be a good investment if you want multiple strength-training exercises in a single machine and prefer having a dedicated training space at home.

Orbit Tip: One of the most common mistakes we see is people buying equipment based on what looks impressive rather than what they'll actually use. A simple setup that fits your space, goals and training style will usually deliver better results than a room full of equipment gathering dust.

The best equipment for weight loss isn't necessarily the machine that burns the most calories. It's the one that helps you stay active consistently, week after week.

Build a Home Workout Routine You Can Stick With

The best exercises for weight loss at home aren't necessarily the ones that leave you lying on the floor afterwards. They're the exercises you can perform safely, progress over time and repeat consistently.

If you're working out how to lose weight at home, start with the basics. Train your major muscle groups, include regular cardio and keep moving throughout the day. If weight loss is your goal, combine exercise with eating habits that support an appropriate overall energy balance.

You don't need a complete home gym on day one. When you do decide to add equipment, choose something that fits your space, goals and the way you genuinely like to train.

Orbit Fitness has been helping Australians choose home fitness equipment since 1983. Explore our dumbbells, exercise bikes, rowing machines and home gyms to build a setup you'll actually use.

Frequently Asked Questions

What exercise burns the most fat at home?

There isn't one exercise that burns the most fat for everyone. Walking, cycling, rowing, interval training and full-body exercises can all increase energy expenditure, while resistance training helps build or maintain muscle. The better choice is an exercise you can perform regularly and progress over time.

Is 30 minutes of exercise a day enough to lose weight?

Thirty minutes of activity on most days is a useful target, but weight loss depends on your total activity, eating habits, starting point and consistency. If you're currently inactive, even shorter workouts can be a good place to start.

Can I lose weight at home without equipment?

Yes. Walking, squats, lunges, push-ups, glute bridges and other bodyweight movements can form an effective home routine. As you get stronger, dumbbells or resistance bands can help you keep progressing.

Can home workouts reduce belly fat?

Home workouts can contribute to overall fat loss, but you can't choose exactly where your body loses fat. Ab exercises can strengthen your core, but doing hundreds of crunches won't specifically remove belly fat.

Should beginners do HIIT for weight loss?

Beginners don't need HIIT to start improving fitness or supporting weight loss. Walking, cycling and basic strength training are perfectly good starting points. Harder intervals can be introduced gradually as your fitness improves.

What's the best home workout for beginners trying to lose weight?

Start simple: combine low-impact cardio such as walking or cycling with basic strength exercises including squats, supported lunges, wall push-ups and glute bridges. Gradually increase the duration, repetitions or resistance as you become fitter.