Most people are more aware than ever how having a wealth of no-equipment workouts can help you stay fit at home. We do plenty of them at 180 Fitness, because they work. Bodyweight exercises are great strength builders. What you’re lifting is the weight of your body, and you have that with you at all times. You can begin immediately with squats, push-ups and planks. There is a lot of variety with each of these. If you’re out of shape, you may want to start with a knee bent push-up until you get stronger. For planks, there are also wide variety of ways to do them, but as you get stronger, hold the plank longer.
You need more than strength training. Flexibility training is also important.
If you aren’t doing exercises for flexibility, you’ll have a smaller range of motion and a bigger potential for injury. When you think of flexibility, you probably immediately think of stretches and you’d be right. A standing hamstrings stretch is an example. However, some tried and true exercises, like lunges and squats, both of which can build strength in the lower body and core strength. Side bends are also good for flexibility.
Combine all three types of workouts into one training session.
Creating a list of exercises and break each up into three minute segments to get cardio, flexibility and strength training. Move quickly from one exercise to another with minimal breaks in between to create your own circuit training that gives a good cardio workout, plus strength and flexibility training, based on the exercises you do. Taking a brisk walk, riding a bike and even running up and down stairs builds cardio strength.
No matter what exercise you do, make sure your form is good.
The key to successfully working out without equipment is making sure your form is right. No matter what exercise you do, start out doing it slowly and doing fewer to make sure your form is correct. Each time you use a modified form of an exercise, such as front planks, side planks and bridges, follow the same rule, focusing on form first before number of reps or intensity.
- Always warm up first. Run in place, jog or walk around the room, for example. If you have a jump rope available, use it as a warm up or do a few jumping jacks.
- You might not have equipment at home, but if there’s a park nearby, you’ll be surprised at how much equipment there is. Monkey bars and jungle gyms are great for pull ups and building upper body strength.
- Who says you need weights when you have furniture? If you want to do heavy lifting, cleaning can be great. Lifting the couch to vacuum, rearranging furniture and even doing outside chores like leaf raking can build strength. Move fast and lift correctly.
- If you want a great workout, burpees will definitely wear you out. Start in squat position, put your hands to the floor between your feet. With your weight on your hands, kick your feet backward to push-up position. Do a push-up then jump to bring your feet back to the position before you kicked back. Stand with your arms overhead.
For more information, contact us today at 180 Fitness