We’re prepared to provide a safe workout in a clean, sanitized environment at Iron Fit, but realized that there’s a need for workouts you don’t have to do in a gym, whether they’re quarantine workouts or those done when you have to stay at home, or are on the road without gym equipment to use. People who are most susceptible to the virus, may also avoid coming into any gym, not just ours. It’s easy to understand, but those are the same people that need the benefits of exercise the most. There are some exercise techniques you can use at home that will help you get or stay in shape until you can come to the gym.
You don’t need weights; you have the equipment with you all the time with bodyweight workouts.
Calisthenics and bodyweight exercises got people in shape long before there was any fancy equipment. It’s still used by the military for training and the elite special forces. You can do them at home and once you learn the basic moves, vary the basics to increase the difficulty or work other muscle groups. Pull ups, lunges, push-ups, and squats are a few types of bodyweight exercises. You can do knee bent push-ups if you’re a beginner, go to regular ones and advance to fingertip push-ups. Adjust the width of your arms and you’ll work chest muscles harder, but a pike push-up works the shoulders more. The versatility is almost unlimited with bodyweight exercises.
Modify how you do calisthenics or a bodyweight workout by using HIIT—high intensity interval training.
This training technique isn’t necessarily a workout, but a way to do any type of exercise. Whether you’re walking, running, lifting weights, or doing bodyweight exercises, you can use the HIIT technique. It involves giving 100% intensity for a short period and then for an equal amount of time go at a less intense recovery pace. You use your heart rate as a guide, when it’s at anywhere from 70-90% of maximum, it’s at high intensity, at 60-65% it’s at resting. You’ll get more benefit from a HIIT workout in less time and burn a lot of calories.
Use inexpensive, easy to store equipment to add to your workout.
If you’re bored with bodyweight workouts or calisthenics, there are some simple aids you can use to make your workout more interesting. Dumbbells, a door frame pull-up bar, a jump rope, resistance bands and a balance ball can be added to your home gym without costing a fortune, while also taking very little room. You can even use everyday items to substitute as weights, such as soup cans or water bottles filled with sand or water to provide the right amount of weight.
- Get outside and enjoy Mother Nature. If you have a backyard, use it as your gym. The fresh air and sunshine are good for you. If you live in an area with no yard, go to the calisthenics park or fitness station to workout. Just walking can be excellent exercise for beginners.
- You don’t need a stair stepper machine if you have more than one story in your home. Just use the real steps for a stair stepper workout.
- If you’re working from home, take a break every fifty-five minutes and do jumping jacks or other exercise to get you moving. Studies show you could lose all your benefits of working out by sitting for longer than an hour.
- Schedule your workouts if you’re working out at home, just as you would if you weren’t shut in. Consistency is important. Include bedtime and wake-up time, meals, and workouts in your schedule to give you a sense of continuity and make it more likely you’ll stick with your workout.
For more information, contact us today at Iron Fit San Antonio