Being a coach and a pretty active person myself, I was shocked when the gym closed. We knew it was coming, but it still hit hard. Then, days later, the lockdown was announced. Again, we knew that was coming, but the second slap hurt just as much as the first. Despite all the happenings of the last few weeks “the show must go on”. Many of us struggle with work, finances and/or anxiety, and it’s difficult not knowing when this whole situation will be resolved. Exercising may not be on the top of everyone’s priority list but remaining active is absolutely crucial, fitness enthusiasts and professional athletes alike, not only to stay in shape or minimise performance drop but to support good mental health as well. Luckily the weather is getting better and exercising outdoors (is still accessible (although options are limited), which gives us the chance to escape our homes for an about an hour each day. Hopefully, more and more people will take up exercising and join the fitness community during the lockdown period and perhaps remain part of it after lockdown is lifted. The fitness community is enormous and is, not only made up of the many members who regularly take part in a variety of training methods and sports but also by the people who provide support within the community, both locally or globally. Thanks to digital platforms and the power of social media, the flow and volume of fitness-related information are almost unlimited. So much so, that it can become overwhelming, especially if you are new to exercising.
This article will be helpful for anyone who is at the start of their quarantine fitness journey and/or wants to create a diverse home training routine.
We will look into the importance of goal setting, some different location options, pieces of equipment you may already have, or you should consider getting, and various training methods, including some advanced strategies.
GOAL SETTING
Goal setting is the first step in any programme development process, and it’s critical. We all need some sort of a plan and some targets to aim for when we take on a new challenge or task as it provides structure and helps us to stay on track.
S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym that you might have heard before. It stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-framed. For example, a S.M.A.R.T. goal for someone planning to participate in a Tough Mudder race would be completing one full strict bodyweight pull up within the next eight weeks.
Specific goals are meaningful, direct and detailed. We often meet people who say “I want to get stronger”. Alright, but how strong exactly you want to be? Setting clear goals such as “I want to be able to squat 100kg” ticks all the boxes. We have precise numbers to work with, it’s direct and crushing a personal best is meaningful.
Measurable means that we use exact values to set targets. Saying that “I want to run fast” isn’t enough. By rephrasing that sentence and saying ‘’I want to run 5km sub 30 minutes!” we create specific values. We now have a distance and a time value to compare our performance and track our progression.
Achievable is quite self-explanatory. We all love to dream big, but at the same time, we have to remain a bit realistic. Trying to chase targets that are impossible to reach will only cause disappointment and discouragement. Instead, aim for objectives that are challenging but achievable.
Relevant goals will align with your mission. If your ambition were to compete in the Olympic Games as a pole vault athlete, it wouldn’t make sense to set goals like “Beat your best mate at arm wrestling” or “Swim 100m butterfly in under 1min”. These are excellent targets, but they wouldn’t help you to jump higher. Faster 40m sprint times and strengthening your upper body are the goals you’d have to focus on because those improvements would have an impact on your performance.
Time-framed stands for having a deadline. Planning is more effective, and results are a lot more consistent if there is a specific period allocated for each task. It also makes progress easily trackable, and it presents accountability.
A common strategy used in goal setting is to create long, medium and short-term goals. This way, we can create steps between where you are now and where you want/need to be without worrying about having to take a massive leap from A to Z. Moving towards your mission by achieving smaller incremental goals, one after the other, will keep you motivated, committed and happy.
LOCATIONS
Once you are clear on your mission and your goals are set, you have to figure out what are your options for training locations. Commercial gyms are closed, so let’s think about alternatives.
Home Gym. Probably the best solution. Apart from having their own training ground, home gym owners can visit parks as well, which makes them the absolute winners of this situation. D.I.Y. or professionally installed bespoke gyms are very convenient and most likely well equipped too. Having access to a personal gym is a privilege these days that allows any trainee to carry on with their usual training routine with relatively minor adjustments. If you have the financial resources, maybe you can start thinking about building your own training ground.
The second best place to exercise is your own garden if you have one. Of course, training outdoors is weather dependent, but if the sun is out and the temperature isn’t too low, then everything is set for a good workout. Yoga in the sun or playing some badminton with the family can be just what you need.
Communal gardens and parks are mostly still available to access in the U.K., enabling many to escape the confinement of their homes and remain physically active while getting some fresh air. Jogging, cycling and practising martial art drills are just a few great outdoor exercise options.
Possibly the least desirable place for some people to train is in the living room or in the bedroom. Space can be limited, and it might not be the most motivating environment, but that shouldn’t stop you from moving around. We can always put on some good music and get on with some bodyweight movements, mobility drills and stretching.
EQUIPMENT
The fitness industry is booming right now, and as a result, a massive range of home exercise equipment is available in stores and online.
In the list below, you will find a few suggestions that are suitable for home workouts and some that you might want to consider getting. They are in no particular order, and instead of going into a lengthy description of each item, we will look at the most practical/frequent use of each. We will mention the pros and cons as well, to help with your decision making.
Minibands and Resistance Bands
Bands are most commonly used in prehab/rehab and in advanced training strategies, such as band-loaded eccentric back squats. Bands are a great addition to several exercises (squats, push-ups, mobility drills etc.) to create unique stimuli in the muscles as well as to assist with difficult movements (pull-ups, front lever) and stretching.
Pros:
Relatively inexpensive
Can be purchased individually or in a bundle
Variety of resistance levels
Cons:
If the band snaps, while you are exercising and hits you, you are in a whole lot of trouble
Self-Myofascial Release Tools
Foam rollers and similar items like peanut-shaped rubber balls are commonly used in injury prevention and recovery. These tools are designed to release muscle tension and break down adhesions.
Pros:
Relatively inexpensive
Occupies little space
Excellent for prehab and rehab
Cons:
Can be quite uncomfortable/painful
If misused, it can aggravate existing injuries
Dumbbells/Kettlebells
Probably the first items to come to mind any time someone mentions a home workout. Their popularity lies in their diversity. Dumbbells and kettlebells are excellent for strength and conditioning (especially to work on unilateral strength), for H.I.I.T. training, for compound movements, and for isolation exercises. You can use your creativity to build a fun session, or you could check out some of the many workout videos on YouTube or other Socal Media platforms.
Pros:
Diverse tools to have in the box
Very common, therefore easy to get
Various designs are available such as round, hexagon shape and adjustable
Excellent door stoppers
Cons:
Some models can be quite bulky and an odd shape
Good quality dumbbells/kettlebells tend to be pricy
Suspension Training Tools
T.R.X. and gymnastics rings are the most commonly mentioned pieces o
f equipment in this category. Two of my all-time favourites! Suspension training is a fantastic method to build strength using your own bodyweight. T.R.X. and adjustable rings allow the user to play with different settings to match their current strength level, thus making it pretty much the perfect tool for most people.
Pros:
Easy to set up
Requires very little storage space
Fantastic tools to build a variety of skills
Cons:
Not the cheapest equipment
A solid attachment point is a must
Requires more training space than some other home equipment
Parallettes and Pull-Up Bars
Parallettes (parallel bars) and pull-up bars are widely used by gymnasts and by the callisthenics community. Some parallettes models have been specifically designed for home use. They are amazing tools to develop pushing strength and can be used for exercises like incline push-ups, tricep dips and tuck knee L-Sit hold.
Pull up bars are great for improving pulling strength and are most commonly used for pull-up variations and hanging exercises like toes to bar.
Pros:
Parallettes and pull-up bars come in many shapes and sizes so you can definitely find one that works for you
Portable equipment that doesn’t require a lot of space
Perfect for strength and skill training
Can be used as a towel dryer
Cons:
There are some cheap, low-quality models on the market
Pull-up bars can damage door frames
Parallettes tend to be unstable, so extra care should be taken during workouts
B.O.S.U. and Swiss Balls
I love using these pieces of equipment with my clients to build core strength, stability and balance. B.O.S.U. is brilliant to add a bit of spice to a massive range of exercises. Performing leg exercises on the B.O.S.U. will increase ankle, knee and hip stability while pumping out press-ups with your hands on the flat surface will challenge your shoulder blades and core strength.
A Swiss ball can be used for very similar purposes as the B.O.S.U. and as a bonus, it is incredibly helpful with stretching.
Pros:
Very durable equipment (anti-burst technology)
Versatile
Fun
Cons:
They aren’t cheap
Swiss balls require some storage place
Not compatible with large dogs and kids with scissors
Hurdles, Cones and Speed Ladders
If you are planning to maintain or improve your speed/agility and plyometric skills during the lockdown, then you should definitely invest in a few of these items.
Hurdles, cones and speed ladders are very commonly used in team sport training sessions and by track and field athletes to improve reaction time, cardiovascular fitness and jumping skills.
Pros:
Cheap equipment
Straightforward setup
Lightweight
Cons:
Usually made out of cheap plastic, breaks easily
For some reason, they mostly tend to be bright yellow colour so be prepared to attract the bees
TRAINING METHODS
We are going to group training methods in three categories:
1. Resistance training
2. Cardiovascular training
3. Flexibility/mobility training
I’m going to share a couple of tips on how to alter your routine to maximise your results.
Let’s figure out which of these methods could work for you the best!
RESISTANCE TRAINING
Resistance training is a type of exercising where the trainee has to work against some sort of a force/load that resists the trainee’s movement. Examples of resistance training would be bodybuilding, strength training, power training, gymnastics/callisthenics and metabolic conditioning.
Bodybuilding
Also known as hypertrophy training. The number one goal is to increase muscle size and definition. To achieve that sort of a result, a combination of compound (multiple joint actions) and isolation (single joint action) exercises are performed, traditionally targeting one muscle group at a time. It’s relatively high intensity and high volume style of training that is mainly gym-based.
But what about bodybuilding at home? It can get a little bit tricky due to the lack of equipment. As I mentioned it earlier, if you are a home gym owner, chances are that you can carry on your routine with little or no changes. However, if you’ve got limited equipment, then you need to look into advanced strategies such as negative training, supersets/tri-sets and isometric training. Eccentric (negative) training is referred to as a slow contraction of the muscles in the lengthening phase. This approach also increases time under tension. The longer the muscles have to work, the harder the exercise gets. A good example is a five-second eccentric squat, where you lower the weight for five seconds, hold the squat for one second and then stand up.
Another excellent way to turn up the intensity is super-setting exercises. A superset/tri-set will consist of two to three exercises targeting the same muscle group or often opposing muscles. Exercises must be performed back to back with no rest. Isometric training isn’t widespread in bodybuilding, but if your equipment is limited, it can add some heat to your hypertrophy training. When performing an isometric exercise, the muscles are contracted. However, there is no shortening or lengthening of the fibres. The weight(s) are held in a particular position for a set period, anywhere between five seconds to a few minutes.
Strength Training
In strength-training sessions, we tend to use a mixture of machines, free-weights and bodyweight exercises. Strength training mainly focuses on utilising compound and functional movements to build overall strength and robustness. Workouts are generally quite high intensity and low volume to increase physical strength and to promote the development of high-efficiency neuro-muscular pathways. In a home environment with limited equipment available, the following strategies can be helpful to maintain/improve strength.
Start by implementing more unilateral exercises into your plan. Single leg squat variations, single-arm pushups, single-leg deadlifts are just a few of the excellent options to get the best training effects using less weight. Add resistance bands to your setup to hit both the lifting and lowering phase a bit harder. Isometric holds will help you develop positional strength and tolerance. Perform holds in different joint angles to improve across the whole length of the muscle/muscle group.
Power Training
Any type of training where the goal is to produce maximum force in the shortest time possible would qualify as power training. Olympic Weightlifting is undoubtedly the king of power training but without proper equipment concurring one rep maxes is just not possible.
All forms of power training, be it Olympic Weightlifting, prowler drag push, weighted box jumps or slam ball, requires strength, speed and technique. If the load is limited, we need to shift our attention towards tempo, execution and volume. Practice technical drills with a lighter weight to work on lifting skills and speed, especially if you’re new to power training (dumbbells and resistance bands will do if that’s all you’ve got).
Add more repetitions to your sets to improve muscular endurance. Weighted ballistic exercises are fierce and probably more suitable for advanced trainees. Weighted burpees, plyometric push-ups and single leg box jumps are just a few of the vicious moves you can add to your regime.
Callisthenics & Gymnastics
The good news is that for callisthenics and gymnastics training you don’t really need to have any weights lying around as your primary source of resistance is your own body. However, it comes handy if you’ve got a few essential bits of equipment like T.R.X./rings, parallettes and resistance bands.
Personally, I love bodyweight training. Looking at callisthenic athletes and gymnasts, I can see incredible strength, impressive skills and fantastic physique. Another amazing property of this kind of training is that it suits every level.
A couple of things to keep in mind when planning your workout: Do NOT forget the legs! If you are just starting your journey, stick to basic lower body exercises like squats, lunges and glute bridges. If you are more on an intermediate/advanced level, try to work on single leg skills like the pistol squat or dragon squat.
Isometric exercises are a big part of any callisthenic routine, so make sure you include them in your plan. Slowing down your sets by performing each repetition for three seconds or more will increase time under tension and promote hypertrophy and increased strength. Resistance bands are awesome to assist with the harder exercises like pull-ups or muscle-ups and make the easier ones more challenging.
METCON
METCON stands for metabolic conditioning. METCON is a high-intensity training style that uses a mixture of weight training, callisthenics and cardio.
Generally speaking, the workouts are designed to hit the whole body and fire up all three energy systems, which are the ATP-PC, the Lactic Acid and the Aerobic systems. With a basic understanding of functional movements and some creativity, killer routines can be created that will leave anybody (even the fittest) dripping with sweat.
Let me give you a few examples of popular setups. In option one, you’re going to choose two exercises (one weight lifting exercise and one cardio) and perform them back to back like a superset. Push-ups and vertical jumps would be a great combo. Word of advice, when you choose your weight lifting exercise, you should select something that is really challenging to perform for 6-10 repetitions. Complete five to six rounds, limiting your rest period to what is absolutely necessary between supersets.
In option two, you could set up a circuit. Pick three exercises that complement each other and work the body slightly differently. Here is an example of a pretty challenging but not too advanced circuit: Single arm alternating dumbbell snatch for 20 reps, downward facing dog to cobra for 15 reps and high knee sprint on the spot for 20 seconds. Now perform these exercises one after the other with minimal to no rest for 30 minutes. I promise your heart is going to race like a V12 engine and your whole body will be on fire.
CARDIOVASCULAR (CV) TRAINING
Cardio training is trendy because it’s very accessible. You can easily carry on with your running and cycling routine while we are still allowed to be outdoors. If your training heavily relied on machines like the rower or elliptical trainer, then you’ve only really got two options. Either you buy one of those machines, which isn’t going to be cheap, or you rethink and redesign your existing routine, maybe try new things like dancing or V.R. gaming.
To see how you can adapt your plan, let’s take a swimmer as an example. Swimming without a body of water is pretty challenging, right? To maintain effective training while in quarantine, we are going to break down the movement into smaller components and train them separately.
With strength and conditioning training, we can take care of the upper and lower body strength. Squat and squat variations like Bulgarian split squat will strengthen the quads and glutes, sumo squats and lateral lunges will work the inner thighs. Weighted shoulder circles, lateral raises, pike push-ups and traditional push-ups will improve upper body strength and muscular endurance.
We want to make sure that the heart is conditioned as well. Lower intensity, steady-state cardio such as a 5km run is beneficial in building CV endurance. At the same time, H.I.I.T. (High-Intensity-Interval-Training) and speed drills are excellent to build explosiveness and speed endurance.
This recipe can be used for most sports. You just need to analyse your chosen activity, break it apart, train the components separately, and later put it back together.
FLEXIBILITY/MOBILITY
Flexibility and mobility exercises generally require very minimal equipment and aren’t very gym dependent activities. These are the type of workouts that you can keep doing with very little or no change at all.
The single biggest tip I can give regarding flexibility and mobility training is: DON’T forget about them! Do them regularly to release tension that has built up either as a result of your workouts or through increased stress. Use props like yoga blocks, a bolster, a trap or a stick to ease/intensify the poses.
A common practice during and after these type of sessions is meditation. Give it a try, let the mind calm itself and allow the body to return to homeostasis.
SUMMARY
Training right now can be a little bit more challenging as gyms are closed, but it’s definitely not impossible. All you need is motivation and creativity.
If you struggle to motivate yourself or you’re unsure about how to adjust your routine try one or more of the following:
· Reach out to friends and talk to them about what they’re doing
· Get in touch with fitness professionals for some advice
· Join online fitness communities
· Have a look at different YouTube, Instagram or other Social Media channels
· Experiment a little bit and try something new
Remember to try to stay physically active to keep your body and mind healthy!
If you’re interested in a bespoke training programme or should you require any advice regarding home workouts, feel free to get in touch directly with Szilard!
Written by Szilard Jakab
Edited by Bev Dee
26.04.2020
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