As our lifestyles evolve, our approach to exercise is shifting. With more people working from home and opting for smaller, more intimate social gatherings, many are rethinking how to stay active in ways that suit modern living.
Remote working often means we’re moving less throughout the day, and recent studies reveal that prolonged sitting can contribute to feelings of anxiety and depression.
This realisation has spurred a growing interest in incorporating regular, low-impact exercise into daily routines.
Exercising at home, especially in flats or shared accommodation, brings its own challenges—chief among them, keeping the noise down.
In response, searches for quiet, flat-friendly workouts have surged, highlighting the demand for routines that maintain both fitness and neighbourly peace.
With this in mind, the team over at Essential Living have put together 10 Best Neighbour-Friendly Exercises for a full-flat workout, to help those who want to blow away the cobwebs with some low-impact exercises.
Perfect for both keeping fit, and keeping the peace!
1. Quiet Burpees
Burpees mean squat jumps, and of course, jumping isn’t going to win you any favours with the neighbours downstairs! So do quiet burpees instead – your neighbours will thank you.
Start like you’re doing a push-up. Step down into a plank one foot at a time, then do the same in reverse, coming back up. Finish by extending your arms overhead to complete one rep.
2. Reverse Lunge into Double Squat
A good mix that targets multiple muscle groups in the legs and thighs – without having you bounce around on the floor and upsetting half of the building in the process!
Step back into a lunge, pulling up the opposite leg and arm parallel to the floor. Repeat twice on each leg.
Hop out, link your fingers together in front of your chest and squat down.
Repeat this as much as you can within thirty seconds, aiming to get a little faster each time.
3. Crab Toe Touch
A great variation exercise with a little more motion than the standard toe-touch.
As well as being quiet, it’s a great way to stretch the body out after weeks of working at the kitchen table.
Start in a crab position, with your palms behind you flat on the floor. Your body should make a V-shape.
Then, bring up one leg as high as you can, and swing the opposite arm up towards your toes as you do so.
4. Slow Motion Mountain Climbers
Mountain climbers target your abs and upper body – and doing them in slow motion will save on a lot of noise too!
Start in a plank position and bring your knee up to your elbow. Aim to have your knee and elbow touch. Go slow, and do as many as you can within twenty seconds.
5. Raised Leg Crunches
Raised leg crunches target your abs, and are low-impact so won’t disturb your flatmates or neighbours.
Lie flat in a sit-up position, but keep your legs up at a right angle, with your calves parallel to the floor. Keep your arms out straight and swing them over, past your hips and to the floor, bringing your head up slightly with it.
6. Plank with T-Open Twist
This is a great way to stretch out your entire upper body, primarily your chest and shoulders, whilst also providing a great challenge for your core.
Get yourself into a press-up position, but keep your legs wide apart. Bring your arm up around and into the arm behind your back, twisting your body and head with it. Pivot your feet on your toes and try to keep the opposing leg straight.
At the top of the exercise, imagine a bar running through your arms and body. Try and keep straight along this bar and stretch those shoulders out.
7. Air Swimming
Don’t let the silly name put you off, this is one of the best pilates workouts for targeting your postural muscles – that’s your back.
Air swimming is a great way to improve posture, prevent back pain, and balance your strength. It’s perfect for anyone who wants to stretch out whilst keeping the noise down.
Lie on your stomach and extend your arms overhead by your ears. Next, lift your chest, arms and legs off the floor and squeeze your glutes as you do so.
Keep your shoulders down and away from your ears and your shoulder blades tucked into your back.
8. March Jacks
These aerobic exercises are great for toning your legs, arms and core, whilst remaining low-impact and quiet for neighbours. Perfect for a morning pre-work workout!
Stand up straight, raise your hands overhead and as you do so, raise a leg too. Ensure your knee is folded to 90 degrees – your thighs should be parallel to the floor.
March jacks should make you look and feel like you’re doing a march. Get into that mindset and rhythm and you’ll be good to go.
9. Push-Ups on Knees
A classic you can’t go wrong with – push-ups are one of the most effective bodyweight exercises around.
But regular push-ups run the risk of making noise. Alleviate this by using your knees as a buffer.
Start in a high plank position with your hands flat on the floor, shoulder-width apart, but keep your knees on the ground too.
Keep your body in one long line, remember to inhale as you bend your arms to lower your chest to the floor.
Imagine an invisible line along your back, from your knees to your head. Keep this straight.
10. Low Lateral Squat Walk with Half Walkout
You’ll need a little more space for this one – make sure you’ve got room on either side and behind you.
Bring your palms together in front of your face, and move down into a squat before stepping sideways – like a crab – twice.
At the end of your two steps, bring your hands down to the ground, and walk your legs out behind you one at a time.
The idea is to stay low for the entire process. Don’t level up till you’re done.