Now that we're all spending lots of time at home during lockdown, it's important to be mindful of your neighbours if you live in a flat. Some of them might work odd hours, have a newborn baby or they may want to just enjoy some peace and quiet in their home.

So when it comes to exercising, stomping, and jumping around to a thrilling Zumba workout might not be the most mindful decision to make. But that doesn't mean you should throw in the towel completely. We've put together a few silent workout ideas that will make you sweat, whilst also keeping your neighbours happy.

Overall, exercises that tend to make the biggest noise are ones that involve jumping, slamming weights, or even medicine balls on the ground. Even loud workout music isn't always ideal if you're in a flat. With that in mind, here are a few quiet exercises and a couple of top tips you can use to keep up a regular fitness routine in your flat during lockdown:

Don't forget it's important to warm up before any workout. Make sure your muscles are ready for every sweat session!

1. Wear Headphones

A little tip to make your workouts extra quiet. Wearing headphones (much like if you were at the gym), is an easy way to keep the noise down. So you can blast your favourite tracks, or an online fitness class as loud as you wish without sparking a neighbourly feud.

2. Low-Impact Cardio Exercises

The trick for flat-friendly cardio is to choose low-impact exercises that don't involve any jumping. Some of our favourites are:

1. Squat kicks - Tone your glutes and get your heart racing with squat kicks. As you bend and sit back into your squat push up and extend one leg out to the side, and then back to your standing position for the next squat.
2. Kettlebell swings - You don't need a kettlebell to feel the effects of a kettlebell swing. Use a large water bottle or a small backpack filled with books as an alternative. Kettlebell swings will get your heart pumping without disturbing your downstairs neighbours - give them a try!
3. Kickboxing drills - Practice your jabs and hooks at home with a few fast-paced boxing drills. Also known as shadowboxing, kickboxing without a partner is a great way to increase your heart rate and get your body moving. We also offer live online Body Combat classes on Instagram every week - click here to see how to join in.
4. Walking lunges - Get moving in your flat with walking lunges! An easy way to avoid running on the spot is to take your lunges for a walk - you can do this up and down a hallway or even in the garden to take your static lunges to the next level.

5. Step jacks - A variation of star jumps, step jacks remove the jumping aspect from star jumps and focus on just stepping side-to-side instead. Whilst this exercise is less explosive than the traditional star jump, it's still a really effective way of moving your whole body.

6. Front kick toe touches - This exercise is effective at stretching your hamstrings, as well as, muscles in your lower back. Kick your leg out in front of you until it's parallel with the ground and try to touch your toes - then repeat on the other side.

3. Strength Training

Maintain muscle strength during lockdown with strength exercises that don't require you to jump or drop any weights on the ground. Perfect for keeping the peace with your wall-neighbours!

1. Body squats - Using only your body weight, there are many different types of squats you can do to build your strength. Have a go at incorporating some of these into your home-fitness routine: narrow squats, sumo squats, pulsing squats or even single-leg squats.
2. Lunges - Lunges are great for building strength in your back, legs and hips. Here are a few variations to try out: standing lunges, pulsing lunges, and side lunges.
3. Push-Ups - A workout staple! Don't forget you can also use your knees to assist you if you require.

4. Quiet burpees - Eliminate the jumping in your burpees, and still benefit from this great body conditioning exercise.
5. Planks - What's great about a plank is that all you need to do to increase difficulty is to either stay in a plank position for longer. Or, simply move your feet wider apart and (if you can manage) lift one leg for an extra burn!

6. Russian twists - Engage your obliques with Russian Twists! You can do these with your bodyweight, lifting your feet off the ground to increase difficulty. Alternatively, you can hold a dumbbell or weight alternative (water bottles, cans, books etc.) to make each abdominal twist more intense.

4. Yoga/Stretching

Another flat-friendly workout is Yoga. Most Yoga poses don't involve any sudden movements or jumping, so it's perfect for those of you living in apartments with close-by neighbours. Yoga is also great for your mind and works as a powerful stress reliever.

Join our live online Yoga classes every week on Instagram. Click here to see our step-by-step guide on getting involved: https://www.welcomegym.co.uk/blog/13860054/


We hope some of these flat-friendly exercises spark some inspiration for your home workouts. Fire up those muscles and move your body - you've got this!