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In a bid to contain the novel coronavirus outbreak, many countries worldwide have closed borders and put citizens under lockdown, urging them to work from home.
For people living in one of the more than 190 countries affected by COVID-19, it is safe to assume that local fitness studios and gyms have shut their doors. I’m a shop owner, and I love to exercise. I normally go to the gym daily, now I’m keeping myself fit at home.”
The lockdown shouldn’t stop us from continuing with our exercise or workout routines. Instructors around the world are asking people to re-adjust and put aside their concerns with restricted space and make the most out of the available space, even if it’s just their living rooms.
Here are some home workouts you can do under lockdown.
Bodyweight training
A mix of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and bodyweight training is an effective workout especially when you can’t leave the house. Bodyweight HIIT workouts don’t require any equipment, are relatively short and they don’t take up much space.
However, if you had a very sedentary lifestyle even before the lockdown or have underlying health conditions such as high blood pressure or heart disease, High-intensity interval training may not be safe for you.
Bodyweight training gives you a challenging workout by using your body as resistance. This is a great way to build strength and improve your fitness levels indoors and out.
In addition, relying on your body to exercise also improves flexibility and balance by targeting and engaging all important muscle groups with a few exercises like squats, push-ups, and sit-ups.
Interval training is also an excellent way to keep fit, and you don’t require much space. Fast pushups, skipping, burpees or jump squats will have your sweat glands working in no time.
Push-ups
Although this is a no-brainer for fitness enthusiasts, it’s still important to make sure you’re doing them in the correct posture to avoid injury and reap the most benefits.
Your hips, spine, and shoulders should all align and you can do as many reps as you like. You can make them more challenging by extending your hands further to exercise different muscle groups.
Sit-ups
Performing proper sit-ups is a great way to exercise and strengthen your core especially when your usual routine is on hold. You simply need to lay on your back, cross your hands behind your back, bend your knees, and move your chin (upper body from the waist) towards your knees.
Weightless squats
Also known as bodyweight squats, this is an all-round exercise that helps you strengthen all muscle groups below your waist.
Align your knees and shoulders with your toes pointing slightly outwards, look straight ahead, put your hands straight in front of you, and slowly go down. Be sure to relax your shoulders and open your chest.
Keep your heels on the floor and go lower than your knees. If you find the movement or posture challenging, you can use a door frame or chair for upper body support.
Single leg jumps
Jumping on a single leg as opposed to two is an excellent way to correct or even out muscle imbalance. Single leg jumps also help improve acceleration, coordination, and reactivity.
Place one knee slightly ahead of your toes and slightly tilt back before you start. This allows you to gain momentum from the opposite side of your body.
High-tech options
If you have access to high-tech equipment such as a treadmill, rowing machine, or exercise bike, this is the time to take full advantage. If you have space and money, you can set up a home gym with just a few pieces of equipment.
You can use versatile things like an adjustable bench and rack, weight plates, barbells, and dumbbells to do infinite variations of presses, pushes, squats, rows, and deadlifts with these.
Best cardio machines
Although there are plenty of exercises you can try that don’t require any equipment, you can’t pretend you’re not envious of people showing off the spin bikes, rowing machines, treadmills, weight racks, and boxing bags in their home gyms.
A rowing machine is one of the best cardio equipment that gives you a full-body workout and burns calories at home. Rowing is an all-round activity that develops endurance and combines cardiovascular work while strengthening all major muscle groups. It works the calves, thighs, abs, back as well as arms and shoulders.
Stay motivated and Set goals to Keep Fit During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
If you’re not accustomed to spending most of your time indoors, it’s easy to lose motivation from time to time. Therefore, it’s particularly important to set goals, small and big, and create a workout schedule.
Routine is of utmost importance especially during this period in order to avoid distractions. You can set yourself short workout sessions 3 to 4 times a day to make limited resources go further and break the day up.
