In times of challenge like the Covid-19 pandemic, everyone is concerned about going out, especially to the gym. So, how do you set up an effective home workout? What do you do if you don’t have much space or equipment? Don’t worry, we’ve got your back (and body)!
It is not impossible to stay active and healthy at home especially during the tough time of the Covid-19. The best at-home workouts don’t necessarily require any equipment other than your own bodyweight to sweat out nearly every muscle in your body. Here are some of my favourite!
Push-up
If you are looking a way to increase your muscle strength in your shoulders and arms, pushups are great for developing explosive upper-body power. Start in a plank position. Straighten your arms and legs. Your core should be tight! As you bend your elbows and lower toward the ground, manage your breath and focus on keeping your elbow close to your body during the movement. Do 3 – 5 circuits for as many reps as possible.
HIIT Workouts
Jump into high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts! They are known for its potential to boost up your metabolism, and it can burn maximum calories up to 50 percent than a regular steady-state cardio workout in a minimum amount of time. Some of the HIIT workouts have lower impact moves like side-kick throughs and crab toe touches, while most of them feature heart-rate raising moves such as skater hops, jump squats, burpees, commandos, mountain climbers, planks and tuck jumps.
Abs Workouts
Who doesn’t love abs! As boring as it may sound, crunches and situps are, in fact, an effective way to target your ab muscles. They are plenty of variations you can cooperate in your routine, and my go-to exercises include bicycle crunch and V-ups.
The most obvious benefit of the bicycle crunch is to strengthen your mid and lower abs and obliques all at the same time while you can challenge your balance and coordination. Meanwhile, the V-ups exercise is well-known as a more advanced form of most ab workouts which primarily targets the front abdominal muscle that makes up a define six-pack. Complete 5 – 7 sets of as many reps as you please.
Bench Dips
If those workouts are not enough to make you feeling psyched, try bench dips. It’s a great compound exercise – a solid move to pack on triceps muscle and place the shoulders in a compromising position, inviting a ton of internal rotation at the shoulder joint. For this movement, you should not settle for anything other than perfect form, particularly because of the subtle details with the right hand placement and shoulder position that make it really effective.
Shoulder motion is highly personal, so your depth on the dip will be personal as well. Don’t chase an arbitrary standard. Bear in mind; never net your shoulders lower than your elbows because your shoulders could be at serious injury risk.
