By now, pretty much everyone is getting in to the habit of social distancing, and while that means there’s an awful lot of time in for us all right now, it doesn’t mean that good habits have to slide.
There are plenty of ways to keep fit, to keep eating healthily, and most importantly, to keep happy.
While many gyms are running online training sessions online, videos and live streams, we’ve got three workouts you can do from the relative comfort of your own home, without the need for weights, equipment or anything that you might need to fork out.
From quick sweat-breakers, to full-on, full-body workouts, courtesy of Abhinav Malhotra, Elite Fitness Trainer at Fitness First Middle East.
We can guarantee it’s free, we can’t guarantee it will be easy.
Workout One: The Quick Sweat-Breaker
Kick start your day with a quick sweat-breaker to boost your energy levels and accelerate your metabolism – which means that you’ll be burning more calories throughout the day (and also that you’ll need to eat more). A short sweat-breaking workout session starting with a few warm-up exercises leading to a circuit can help eliminate oxidative stress and help boost energy levels for the remainder of your day.
For this workout you will only require around 20 minutes and the results are fantastic.
Before you do any workout, always remember to warm up.
A simple warm up session like the below can easily be executed at home. Then, for the quick sweat-breaker choose a lower body, upper body and core exercise and put them into action by performing them back-to-back – and there is your circuit.
It will be a quick but seriously intense workout, so remember to end with some relaxing stretches and breathing exercises to allow your body to cool down and calm the central nervous system.
The warm up
The goal of warm up exercise is to increase body temperature and improve blood flow. Some warm-up exercise options are:
• Jumping jacks x 50
• Spot jumps x 50
• Neck Rotation (clockwise & anti-clockwise) x 5
• Shoulder Rotation (each side) x 10
• Hip rotation (clockwise & anti-clockwise) x 5
• Ankle Rotation (clockwise & anti-clockwise) x 5
• Alternate toe touch (each side) x 10
• Warrior lunge stretch (each leg) x 10
The circuit
After completing the warm up, get started with the circuit routine. To really push yourself, try and repeat the rounds five to seven times with a two-minute breather after each circuit.
• Air Squats x 20
• Normal push-up or elevated push-ups x 15
• Alternating lunges x 10 (each leg)
• Burpees x 10
• Plank x 30 seconds
Workout Two: HIIT session at home
HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout sessions are great for increasing your heart rate, which results in the progression of cardio conditioning and major calorie burning.
Though many might assume HIIT sessions to be difficult to do outside a gym, that is not the case. HIIT workouts can easily be performed within the comfort of your own home or even outside. Before any workout, always remember to start with a simple warm up like the one below.
The warm-up
• Spot jumps x 50
• Mountain Climbers x 50
• Neck Rotation (clockwise & anti-clockwise) x 5
• Shoulder Rotation (each side) x 10
• Hip rotation (clockwise & anti-clockwise) x 5
• Ankle Rotation (clockwise & anti-clockwise) x 5
• Alternate toe touch (each side) x 10
• Warrior lunge stretch (each leg) x 10
The HIIT workout
Try and perform the HIIT workout without a breather or with very short periods of rest between movements to obtain the required outcome.
Remember to end the session with static stretches followed by deep and relaxing breathing to calm the central nervous system and loosen off your muscles.
The below exercises are perfect for any HIIT workout and will ensure that you meet your fitness goals to increase your heart rate and burn calories quickly.
• Jumping push-ups x 10
• Burpees x 20
• Tuck crunches x 30
• Air squats x 40
• Jumping jacks x 50
• Air squats x 40
• Tuck crunches x 30
• Burpees x 20
• Jumping push-ups x 10
Workout Three: The Full Bodyweight Workout
A full bodyweight workout session builds strength without having to invest hours of time in a day.
A short, full bodyweight routine activates muscles and improves the body’s balance and flexibility.
This workout session must include certain combination of exercises to fully achieve your goals. Combining a few of the below exercises and creating your own full bodyweight workout can replicate the same outcomes as workouts with equipment:
• One lower body exercise (quad dominant)
• One lower body exercise (hip dominant)
• One push exercise variation
• One pull exercise variation
• One core exercise
• One conditioning exercise
You can also create what are known as “supersets” to practice the best full bodyweight workout session at home.
Perform four different supersets, each set consisting of two exercises done back-to-back without rest. During this session you can take a 90-second break after each superset and finish the workout with a few relaxing stretches and breathing exercises to allow the body to cool down.
Here are a few of the best exercises to combine to create the perfect superset workout:
Superset One
Slow push-ups 3 x 12 reps
Inverted rows (bodyweight rows) 3 x 12 reps
Superset Two
Bulgarian split squat 3 x 15 reps
One legged deadlift (no weights) 3 x 15 reps
Superset Three
Prisoner lunges 3 x 15 each leg
V-ups 3 x 15 reps
Superset Four
Diamond push-ups 3 x 8 reps
Side planks 3 x 30 seconds
Finisher
Burpees x 50
For more of the best fitness advice for at-home workouts, click here.
