AT-HOME WORKOUTS

Due to the current COVID-19 outbreak, millions of people now find themselves stuck at home with no access to a gym or fitness facility.

This has caused many to question whether their fitness goals and current progress will now be rendered null and void.

The answer: No, this doesn’t have to be the case! Staying fit and healthy while quarantined is totally doable! Even if you have a small space, no equipment or minimal time, there are many great options to help you stay active during quarantine. Not only will exercising during isolation help you stay in shape but it will also help ease any stress and anxiety related to coping with the pandemic.

If you’re worried that working out at home won’t be sufficient, think again! By using several powerful methods, results from a home workout can be just as efficient as a gym routine.

Equipment

When performed correctly, bodyweight exercises are extremely beneficial. However, having a small amount of equipment for home workouts can be an asset. The key is to select equipment that is versatile and that can be used for multiple exercises and variations. We recommend the following equipment:

• A pair of dumbbells or a dumbbell set
• Resistance/recovery bands
• An exercise mat

By using any one of these pieces of equipment, either together or alone, you will be able to accomplish a fun and challenging workout!

Adding Intensity

Intensity can be added to your home workouts in a variety of ways:

• Increased number of reps – Perform more reps of a specific exercise. For example, if you usually do 10 reps of squats in a set and you find that this isn’t challenging your body anymore, try increasing the reps to 12 for your next workout (and so on… as your body adapts).
• Increased number of sets – Complete more sets of a specific exercise (e.g. if you usually perform 3 sets of 10 squats, now you will do 4 sets of 10 squats).
• Time under tension (TUT) – This is done by slowing down the concentric phase (muscle shortens), eccentric phase (muscle lengthens) or both phases of an exercise. This places the muscles under more tension for a longer amount of time.
• Paused reps – This is when you come to a complete stop during the part of an exercise when the muscles are under the most tension (e.g. at the bottom of a squat or lunge). This is a great way to quickly fatigue the major muscles being used.
• 1 and ¼ reps – For this method, you will perform one full rep plus an extra ¼ rep at the most difficult part of an exercise (e.g. the bottom of a squat).
• Decreased rest period – Another great way to increase the intensity of your workout is to reduce your rest period. So if you are resting for 60 seconds between sets, try lowering your rest time to 30 seconds.
• Variation difficulty – You can add intensity to an exercise by using a more difficult alternative. For example, instead of performing normal lunges, try jump or rebound lunges.

Use any of these methods, either combined or on their own, to ramp up your workout intensity and advance your abilities.

Now that you understand how home workouts can be just as powerful as gym routines, give this at home abs & core scorcher a go!

[Click the arrows on the video below to watch each exercise]

ABS + CORE AT HOME

• Ensure that you warm up before you begin.
• Rest 30 to 90 seconds between the circuit and superset section of the workout.

Circuit – 3 to 4 rounds

• Perform each exercise one after the other with little to no rest period in-between.
• Rest 30 to 90 seconds between circuits.
• Repeat the circuit 3 – 4 times.
• Choose a weight that you can comfortably perform the set amount of reps with. This weight should be challenging but never compromise your form throughout the set. For fun, I have used a 2-litre milk bottle in the place of regular weights in this video. This is to show you that you can use just about anything around your house to enhance your workouts. This is just an example so please feel free to use the equipment that is currently available to you. 

1. Alternating toe touches x 20 reps (10 per side)
2. Crunch x 15 reps
3. Russian Twist x 20 reps (10 per side)
4. Flutter Kicks x 24 reps (12 per side)

Superset – 3 to 4 rounds

• Perform each exercise one after the other with little to no rest period in-between.
• Rest 30 to 90 seconds between supersets.
• Repeat the superset 3 – 4 times.

1. Mountain Climbers x 30 reps (15 per side)
2. Lying Bent-knee Heel Taps x 16 reps (8 per side)

Music from: www.bensound.com

What’s your take on home workouts? Let me know in the comments below!