Looks like Mother Nature wanted to ring in the New Year in style! Not sure about you, but we just got a whopping 9 inches of snow dropped on us. To top it off, it got down to 20 degrees below zero, and that was before wind chill! With the state shutting down the transportation routes, all of us Fitters were left with one option, workout at home (you'll notice I did not include "not working out" which was absolutely not an option!).
Many of us (myself sometimes included) can get bogged down on the fitness trends, fancy equipment, beautiful facilities, and forget that movement itself is the greatest exercise we can have, and that requires absolutely NO equipment. And to add to that, life never hands us a perfectly straight barbell, or has us sit down and manipulate a set of pads to perform work, so any object life throws your way is in essence workout equipment! So here are some ideas for you the next time you are stuck in your house, to get the most out of your body with the limited resources available:
- High Intensity Calisthenics: Calisthenics (or bodyweight exercises) require no equipment. So here's what you do. Pick 3 movements from the following: Situps, pushups, lunges, squats, or burpees. Let's say you pick Squats, pushups, and burpees. Begin by doing 1 squat, 1 pushup, and 1 burpee. Then 2 squats, 2 pushups, and 2 burpees. 3, 3, and 3, then 4, 4, and 4, etc......Do this for 20 minutes and see what round you can make it to.
- Stairs: Start by running up the first step, then back down. Then to the second step and back down, then the third, and so on to the top step. Then go in reverse, from the top down, then the second to the top and down, etc. If you have less than 10 steps do this 3 times, 10 or more, just twice. Time yourself, and try it again in a month to see if you've improved!
- Dog Food Bag Workout: This can also be done with a backpack or hiking bag filled with clothes or heavier objects. Do 5 rounds of the follow three movements: 10 Back squats (bag on your back), 10 deadlifts (bag in front, picking it up from ground and back down, and 10 burpee jump overs (do a burpee, jump over the bag to the other side, that's one). Note: Make sure you know how to properly do these movements before attempting. Don't know how? Ask a trainer. ;)
If worst comes to worst and you just can't pull yourself together to workout (remember, there people out there that physically can't do these things, so give it your all), every day is a good day to mobilize and stretch. Work on becoming more flexible and mobile in the areas of the body that are lacking (hips and shoulders are a good place to start).
Stay Fit
Below is a video of part of my workout on this winter day. It took a while for that garage to feel warm, but it was worth it.
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