Home Workouts

Due to COVID-19 working out at home is becoming more common everyday. Not that gym owners want you to know this, but you can achieve your dream body without stepping in the gym. If you believe that the gym is the only place where you can work out, then we are here to tell you that you couldn't be more wrong. With a bit of creativity and motivation, you can work out at home without any trouble.

Here are a few basic workouts you can try out to keep yourself fit and active at home. 

Warm Up 

Ask any athlete or even a fitness enthusiast and they'll tell you how crucial it is to warming up before a workout. Warming up dilates your blood vessels and ensures that your muscles are well supplied with oxygen. It also raises the temperature of your muscles to maximize flexibility and efficiency. By slowly raising your heart rate, you minimize stress on your heart. The list of benefits is almost infinite and the supporting scientific research more than abundant so simply put just warm up.

The type of warmup you do heavily depends on the type of workout you are planning on having. For example if you plan to do resistance training focusing on your shoulders the warmup would be very different than if you were to do some type of cardio. Whatever you may be doing your goal is to maximize blood flow in the region you will be working out. You can do that in any way your body feels comfortable in (comfortable does not mean easy). Here are some common warm ups you can try out: 

• Walking/Slow Jogging
• Yoga
• Jumping Rope
• Pushups
• Lunges
• Squats
• Side Lunges
• Planks
• Leg Raises
• Jumping Jacks
• Lateral Shuffle
• Knee Bends
• Ankle Circles
• Dynamic Stretching
• Static Stretching

When doing any warmups try to go slowly and try to "get into the muscle" and really get a feel of it. When you get a good mind-muscle connection that is when you will see a spike in any activity you may be doing. 

 

Cardio

 

The minimum recommended amount of cardiovascular exercise is 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic exercise, or a combination of both. Try to spread you sessions throughout the week instead of cramming it into a certain time frame. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends cardiovascular exercise three to five days a week for most. 

How long should you exercise in each exercise session? For cardiovascular benefits, aim for 20 to 60 minutes in your target heart rate zone(see points below), apart from the time you spend in warm-up and cool-down. At this duration, your body burns through its available glycogen energy and begins to burn stored fat.

Healthy heart rate zone: 50–60% MHR

Fitness heart rate zone: 60–70% MHR

Aerobic heart rate zone: 70–80% MHR

Anaerobic heart rate zone: 80–90% MHR

Red-line zone: 90–100% MHR

 

There are many forms of cardio, but coming from an experienced trainer most peoples favourite is HIIT cardio. What is HIIT cardio?

HIIT Cardio 

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a form of interval training, the cardiovascular exercise strategy of alternating short periods of intense anaerobic exercise(going 100% and putting everything you got into it) with less intense recovery periods(going 50% to catch your breath for the next cycle)until exhaustion is achieved. There is no universal duration of a HIIT session, but are typically under 30 minutes, with time varying with your athletic prowess. Even though there is no specific formula to HIIT. Depending on your level of cardiovascular development, the moderate-level intensity can be as slow as walking. A common formula involves a 2:1 ratio of work to recovery periods, for example, 30–40 seconds of hard sprinting alternated with 15–20 seconds of jogging or walking, repeated to failure.

 

Yoga 

Yoga is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India. One of the many gifts of India to the world, Yoga has many benefits. Considered by many as a unison between mental and physical consciousness, Yoga reduces stress, boosts immunity, improves posture, and increases flexibility.

Bhadrasana, Tadasan, Trikonasana, and Vakrasana improve the functions of the nervous system, spinal cord, and digestive system. While meditative asanas like Vajrasana, child's pose, Shavasana, etc, improve our mental well-being. Whatever type of Yoga you may be doing you will be sure to see improvements in more than one area of your life. 

 

Resistance Training 

Resistance training can include anything from pushups & squats to deadlifts & curls. Benefits include increase in muscle strength by making your muscles work against a weight/force. Some types of weight training you can try are: 

• Using Free Weights 
• Weight Machines 
• Resistance Bands 
• Your Own Body Weight

For maximal benefits it is suggested that beginners train 2-3 times per week, but the with higher experience you can approach the 6 days a week mark.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Resistance training is the best from our list for increasing raw power & muscle size. Note beginners add muscle and strength at a much faster rate than those who are experienced. 

  

DIY Workouts 

At the end of the day any kind of physical activity constitutes as a workout, from dancing in your kitchen to powerlifting in the gym. If you own a pair of dumbbells or resistance bands you can always do exercises like shoulder press, dumbbell flies squats, lunges to build your size, strength, or endurance. However if you don't own any equipment, there is countless things you can do. Remember only you know what your body is telling you, so make sure your workout suits your needs.

Finally don't be too hard on yourself just make a schedule you will be happy maintaining in the long term, then adjust it based on what your body is telling you because not even experts get fitness routines right on the first try. Stick to it and you will soon be seeing results that will shock both you and those around you. Biggest problem with most is their consistency, so even if you are busy and only have time to workout a couple times a week, just stick to it and with time you will see changes that you will thank your past self for.