Feature: Workouts you can do at home with limited space and equipment

12/11/2020 12:25:00 PM Media Center 0 Comments

During this pandemic, many of us have stopped doing physical activity and workouts that help us stay fit and healthy. It is usually because, at home, we lack the space and equipment to perform the workouts that we’re used to doing during training and in gyms. 

In this article, we are going to discuss workouts that will help you stay fit even when staying indoors. These workouts are effective because they make major muscle groups work at the same time and you can do them almost anywhere. 

Before you start working out, don’t forget to warm up to avoid injuries. For warm-up stretches, you may do knee hugs, arm circles, leg swings, and the inchworm. Once you're done with these, you can start your workout! 

Squats are a simple workout, but many of us sacrifice our bodies’ form for speed and repetitions. Having the wrong form may result in ineffectiveness and might cause injury. 

To do squats properly, first, you need to stand up straight, placing your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes facing forward. Then, bend your knees, engage your core, and push your butt backwards, like you're going to sit on an imaginary chair. Hold this for a second, then push yourself back to your starting position. 

Make sure your knees don’t go over your toes and keep your back straight while squatting. Avoid letting your heels or toes lift off the floor and avoid turning your feet and knees inwards or outwards; they should always be facing directly forward. Lastly make sure they’re planted on the ground. Do at least 10 repetitions for 3 sets. This will help you to strengthen your quadriceps, or quads, hamstrings, glutes, abdominals, and calves. Squats are indeed simple but trust me, they will help you a lot.

Lunges are like squats, but this time, one of your legs is positioned in front and the other one is positioned in the back. 

To do lunges, first, you must get into the starting position: stand up straight, place your feet shoulder-width apart, and have your toes face forward. Second, have one of your legs take a big step forward. Your foot in the front must be planted on the ground while your back foot's heel should not be touching the ground. Bend your knees until your front knee and ankle form a straight, vertical line and your back leg forms a 90-degree angle, then go back to your starting position. 

Make sure your front knee doesn’t go beyond your toes. Also, avoid leaning backwards or forward and keep your body upright. Do at least 10 repetitions per leg for 3 sets. This helps to strengthen your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.

Push-ups are hard and a killer workout but they are effective. 

To do push-ups, you need to put your hands and toes on the ground. Slowly bend your elbows to lower your chest to the ground. When you reach the lowest your body can go, you need to push against the floor to bring yourself up and go back to your original position. Make sure your body forms a straight line from your knees to your neck, keep your back straight, and activate your core. 

Remember to engage your core. Don’t drop your belly or hips; don’t rush and don’t forget to breathe. If you’re a beginner, you can start by doing the push-ups on your knees instead of your toes, or you can place your hands on a bench. If you are already comfortable doing normal push-ups you can do modified push-ups that target and strengthen specific muscles. Do at least 10 repetitions for 3 sets. This workout helps to strengthen your pectorals, deltoids, triceps, abdominals, and serratus anterior (side of the chest).

To do pull-ups, you need a bar that is at least over your head, if you don’t have a bar at home, don’t worry, you can use your door. Before you start, you must make sure it is stable and it can support your weight. When you have a bar, you need to stand under the bar then reach for it. If you plan to do these with your door, stand in front of it and reach for the top. You can also try using a door stopper so that the door won’t swing. Make sure you place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.

Keep in mind to fully extend your arms when you lift your legs off the ground and try to hang from the bar or door. After this, you pull your weight up slowly until your chin reaches the bar or the top of the door. Then, slowly lower yourself down and repeat this until you achieve your desired number of repetitions. 

Avoid standing or letting your feet touch the ground unless you are finished with 1 set and also avoid swinging and jumping when pulling up. Start with as much as you can for 2 sets and increase as you progress. This workout strengthens your arms, shoulders, and back muscles such as the latissimus dorsi, trapezius, thoracic erector spinae, and the infraspinatus.

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These are an alternative for pull-ups. To do these, you need a sturdy table. Get in your starting position by lying down under the table. Your hands should be perpendicular to the edge of it. Grip the edge of the table while your hands are positioned slightly wider than shoulder-width. Only your heels must touch the ground. After you secure your position, you can pull yourself up until your chest touches the table, hold for a few seconds, and slowly lower your body. Make your body form a straight line. Do the same repetitions and sets as the pull-ups. 

Planks are a silent-killer workout but also one of the most effective exercises. 

To do planks, you need to go into your push-up position and hold until you reach your desired time. If having your arms extended is too easy for you, you can level it up: instead of using your hands, you use your forearms, which should be parallel to each other and shoulder-width apart. While doing planks, make sure to keep your body straight and focus on your core. You should not forget to breathe and keep your abs, shoulder, triceps, glutes, and quadriceps engaged. Make sure you don't raise your butt too much, don't arch your back, and don't let your hips drop. Do this for 30 seconds for 2-3 sets. This will strengthen your spine, rhomboids and trapezius, and your abdominal muscles.

You can also add some cardio workouts, like jumping rope, as a finisher, or if you don't have a jump rope, jumping jacks will do. 

If you find these workouts easy, you can challenge yourself by adding repetitions and sets or even adding weights. It’s important that in doing so, you should still observe proper form. Don’t sacrifice your form for extra weight and repetitions. 

After your workout, don’t forget to cool down. Cooling down will help your heart rate to return close to normal and will also help you lessen the risk of getting injured. A sample cool-down would be a 3-to-5-minute walk, the seated forward bend, the knee to chest pose, the cat-cow stretch, and the core abdominal stretch. 

Of course, make sure you have proper rest so this can all be effective. Doing these exercises twice or thrice a week will help you stay fit and healthy. We hope that you find this helpful. Even though we can’t go outside or visit the gym, there are alternatives like these which are easy to recreate with a small amount of space. Don’t forget that results may vary depending on your diet and how regularly you do these. Working out during these times will help us to lighten our moods, strengthen our bones and muscles, and avoid any other health complications. //by Miggy Castro