If you love hitting the gym for the natural high that only an intense workout can bring, a gym membership will feel like funding a hobby. However, if you’re not really a fitness buff and just want to benefit from the health impacts of exercising for one hour 3 to 4 times weekly, a gym membership is a privilege that you can otherwise just save and spend on other more important things: an overseas trip or, a skills class to pursue your personal interests. So, check out 5 ways to have your gym workout at home and go and train yourself.
Working In
You don’t have to move far away from your bed to give your body a much-needed jolt and pump several days a week. That saves you time, money, effort and energy — precious resources that most people generally run short in supply these days. If this comes as a breaking news to you then, read on to find out the 5 things you can do at home that will give you gym-quality workout:
Resistance Training
You’ve probably noticed how considerable gym space is allocated to heavy equipment made for isolating muscles all over the body. If you’re not really aiming to see bulges in the mirror but only to give your muscles a nicely toned and firm structure, you may find resistance training more appropriate for your fitness objectives.
Exercises that make use of your own body weight will help you achieve improved resistance. Planking, squats, and yoga are all viable options for resistance exercise. A study published in the journal, Complementary Therapies in Medicine, in 2014 confirmed that hatha yoga improved the body image, health and mental well-being of sedentary adults.
Below are three poses to start you off on yoga:
- Ustrasana (Camel Pose). Kneel with your thighs, legs, and toes slightly apart. Bend backward so you are facing the ceiling. Let your shoulders and nape drop as you reach to touch your toes, palms down. Hold the pose for several minutes.
- Uttasana (Standing Forward Bend). Stand up straight with your legs slightly apart. Bend vertically to face your knees. Try not to bend your knees as you do. Touch the floor or your heels with your palms. Hold the pose for several minutes.
- Halasana (Plough Pose). Lie flat on the floor. Place your arms to your sides, palms down. Without moving your arms and palms, bring up the lower part of your body over your head so that your toes are touching the floor. Try to keep your shoulders pressed against the floor. Hold the pose for several minutes.
In case yoga is not to your liking, you may instead stick to weight training. Use dumbbells and kettlebells or, anything you can find in your home that you can substitute safely for weights. Do as you would perform your weight training exercises in the gym without the fancy equipment: bench press, bicep curl, tricep kickbacks, shoulder press, and chest press, to name a few. If you’d still rather just use your body weight, you can always do glute and side leg raises, and arm raises.
Jump And Run
Whether you’re doing jumping jacks, hopping around, jumping up and down a trampoline or, using a skipping rope or pogo stick, jumping is one of the best exercises to burn calories, most especially if you only have a few minutes a day to get intense physical activity. And run a lot. Buy a treadmill and you can log miles within the safety of your own home, customize your “track,” and even help your running form
Perform Squats
There are several ways you can do this exercise. Try these squat exercises:
- Squat. Start with your legs and feet slightly apart. Bend both knees forward, arms and palms across your chest. Hold the pose for several minutes. To add a handicap to this routine, tiptoe. Another way is by squeezing an exercise ball between your legs which also forces you to squeeze your thighs, glutes, and buttocks tighter as you perform this exercise.
- Jump squats. There are several variations to this. You can stay in place. From a regular squat position, stretch out your arms to your back as you thrust your body upwards towards the ceiling. One way to add more handicap to this squat exercise is by using a ladder drill or, just imagine a ladder lying flat on the floor. While in a squat position, move your legs in and out of the ladder until you reach the other end. Go back to do the drill again.
- Lunges. Start from an upright position. Hold dumbbells on both hands and just let it drop to your sides. Step your right foot forward. As you bend your right knee, bend your left knee so that it is in a kneeling position. Bring your body up back to standing position. Bring your left leg forward and bend both knees in the same way. This time your right knee should be kneeling. Walk from one corner of your living room towards the opposite corner then, go back several times.
Burpees
This is guaranteed to make you lose your breath and will make your heart pump wildly and it does not even require you to run a mile. All you need is a small space to move around.
Start on all fours, toes, and palms against the floor. Skip bringing your legs up, toes against the floor. Rapidly release your hold against the floor. Raise up your arms towards the ceiling then, jump. As you land on the floor, reach for the floor, palms downwards and knees bent. Skip back so that your legs are stretched back with your toes pressed against the floor. Keep repeating the routine for as long as you can.
Stair Stepper
If you are planning to get a gym equipment, the stair master or adjustable dumbbells will be one of the most valuable purchases you’ll make for your health. However, there are other ways that you can obtain the benefits without necessarily spending a single cent.
Of course, if you have stairs at home or, have access to your work stairway or, a stairway in your apartment building then, that will work even better than a stair master. Another option would be to get a stepper or, find an inclined area in your home which is about the same height as the sidewalk. Step up and down the incline for several minutes.
Conclusion
Even when you absolutely like to maintain your gym membership, you can use these five exercises for a quick pump at home and on days when your hectic schedule simply wouldn’t permit you the time or energy to squeeze in a visit to the gym. The best part about it is: it’s FREE.
