Get to it! No gym required...
Lots of us have nixed the gym membership in lieu of learning at-home exercises with no equipment required. Not only because it’s safer (STILL with the COVID), but many people find they can get the same sweat from their living room without paying for a gym membership.
We’ve posted some blogs about working out from home already, including using therabands, and some resources for finding the right web-based workout program for you, but if you’ve ever tried a Bootcamp or CrossFit class, you probably already know sometimes the most difficult (and impactful) workouts are done using nothing but your body and gravity.
We wanted to share a few of our faves with you, so grab your water, a towel, and some clear floor space and prepare to be punished! (In the best way, of course…)
1. Squats
We know, squats are pretty ubiquitous, and it seems unnecessary to include them here because everyone knows how to do them. (If not, here’s how to execute a proper squat.)
We would, however, like to present a variation on the theme that you may not have tried yet:
The Pistol Squat
- Stand straight, feet parallel and together
- Raise one leg straight out in front of you with your heel hovering a couple of inches from the floor. Raise your arms straight out, shoulder height.
- Keep your belly tight and you back straight, then bend your standing knee, lowering yourself toward the ground. Keep your arms straight out in front.
- Get as low as you can without hunching your back, the key is to keep your balance by staying strong in your core. If you can get your extended leg parallel to the floor, congrats!
- Repeat with the other leg.
Want a demonstration? Check this out…
2. Push-Ups
Again, we know how to do a push-up right? (If not, here’s how to do one correctly.) Pretty standard. Unless you want to ramp it up a few notches…
The SpiderMan Push Up
- Begin as you would a regular push up, make sure your body is straight and the core engaged.
- Lower your body to the floor while lifting your foot (doesn’t matter which you’d rather begin with), swing the leg out sideways and bend the knee. The goal is to touch your knee to your elbow.
- Repeat, alternating legs.
3. Sit-Ups/Crunches
See a pattern emerging? Yep, it’s good old fashioned P.E. class sit-ups or crunches (whichever you prefer). A proper sit up looks like this, while a crunch done correctly looks like this.
Want something extra? Try this:
V-Ups
- Lie flat on the floor, arms outstretched over your head
- Lift your feet slowly toward the ceiling. Keep them straight and together as you raise them.
- While raising your feet, lift your arms toward the ceiling, keeping them straight and shoulder-width apart.
- Pull yourself into a “V” using your abs.
- Hold for five seconds (or longer, if you can), then repeat.
Raised Leg Crunches
- Lie flat on your back, legs straight, and extended toward the ceiling.
- Engage your abdominal muscles and crunch to reach your hands to your feet.
- Lower carefully back to the starting position, take care not to put any strain on the neck.
- Repeat
4. Burpees
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, burpees are an integral part of a balanced workout. As you may have guessed, there are harder variations on the basic burpee…
Burpee Tuck Jumps
- Start by standing straight, feet hip-distance apart.
- Jump vertically in the air, then lower to a plank position
- From the plank, jump your feet forward underneath your chest, putting you in a crouching position
- Jump straight up, and bring your knees up as high as you can.
- Try to stick the landing softly.
5. Lunges
Whether you’re doing walking lunges or standing lunges, they’re great for all things lower body and abs. Properly executing a basic lunge isn’t hard to learn, but of course you know we’re gonna ramp it up a little just for you!
Lunge Split Jumps
- Stand with feet together, knees bent softly.
- Hop up, then land in a lunge with your right leg forward (or left if you prefer, you’ll be alternating anyway)
- From the lunge position, hop up again by pushing off with both feet, and alternate to a lunge with your opposite leg.
- Jump back to step one, then repeat
Whatever you choose to do, whether it’s daily walks or an outdoor socially-distanced CrossFit class, we enthusiastically encourage you to get some kind of exercise every day. With so many at-home exercise options, there’s no time like the present to get moving!