Hope everyone is doing well and getting adjusted to being stuck inside for a while. This situation is proving to be challenging for everyone, whether it means adjusting to classes on a weird schedule due to time zones or simply trying to stay productive while at home. In terms of personal fitness, closed gyms stink for both people who have been lifting for a long time and those of you who have just started getting into the rhythm of integrating physical activity into your daily lives. Whether you're thinking "I'm going to lose all the hard work I've been putting in these past few months" or "Man, I was just about to hit two weeks of consistent workouts", staying in the same place all day can be really demotivating.
Fortunately, staying active at home is one of the best and most productive ways you can pass the time. You're hitting two birds with one stone by scheduling a home workout into your day. Not only are you giving your day a routine structure so you feel productive, but you are actually being productive by working to improve yourself physically and mentally. I'll save the details for a later post since there's plenty to unpack there, but I'll link some interesting articles at the end of this post.
So... I've finally convinced you to change out of your pajamas into workout clothes. But now you're probably standing in your living room or bedroom somewhere, with no equipment. Now what?
Bodyweight exercises, of course.
Here at Trojan Steel, we can't recommend you bench press a chair or leg press your fridge for liability reasons. Plus, we think you might be curious as to how much you can do with just your own bodyweight. There are a ton of videos on youtube being released every day with different routines, as well as a lot of websites and blogs with any variation you can think of. It doesn't have to be strength training every day, just find something that seems enjoyable and feasible to you, whether its jump roping, shadowboxing, or yoga and get at it!
I've attached a sample leg workout below. When training without heavy weights, it's important to still push yourself by doing more reps, going faster, or using intervals rather than repetitions. This is the basis for the way this workout is designed. Everything can be done using your own bodyweight and a chair or bench.
Quarantine Routine: Leg Bodyweight Workout A
Full routine (start with 1 minute of exercise and 30 seconds of rest and repeat for 3 rounds)
1. Jump squats
2. Calf raises
3. Squat pulses
4. Bulgarian split squat
5. Bench pistol squat
6. Reverse lunge
7. Wall sit
8. Jumping lunge
If you can't keep going for the full minute after round one, don't worry! You can switch to 45 seconds of exercise and 45 seconds of rest for rounds two and three. If any exercises are too easy and you have a small pet or pair of dumbbells lying around, feel free to hold onto them during calf raises, split squats, reverse lunges, and wall sits.
This workout looks pretty basic and easy, but I've been sore for three days now and I've only now recovered enough to make this post about it. If you get up and get moving, I can guarantee you will be glad you did. Having goals and making the most of this time is key to getting through this time because not only will you have a sense of purpose, but you'll look good and feel good too!
If you have any questions about this workout or other routines that can be completed at home, you can checkout our home workouts in the Workout Database tab or email us at trojansteel@gmail.com
Until next time, Fight on!
P.S. Don't forget that now that you know of the existence of home workouts, you'll never a have a reason to miss a workout again in the future whether you can make it to the gym or not! ;)
Articles about staying active in quarantine: