Nowadays, there may be several reasons that prevent us from going to the gym: lack of motivation, not having a training partner, being afraid to train with strangers, the high monthly fees, issues related to hygiene and security measures and many others of a more personal or logistical nature. Often we can only be available to train at the end of a long day at work, which means training at night, with some accumulated tiredness and little disposition. This provision worsens even more on rainy and cold winter days.
What can you do to get around these less available situations and make sure you have your daily training session? In this article we will give you some training tips and exercises that you can do easily and comfortably in the comfort of your home.
Tips and exercises for training at home
1. 10-minute workouts
A good strategy for training at home is to start by preparing short workouts, which you can perform in about 10 minutes, either in the morning or when you return home after work. Focus on the area of your body that you want to work on (legs, abs, arms, etc.) and perform a specific and localized workout that recruits the muscles you want to tone.
The abdominals are a multi-muscular exercise that, although they do not specifically target visceral / abdominal fat, they exercise the abdominal muscles and other muscle groups, including the pectorals, thigh flexors, lumbar and neck muscles. There are several variations of this exercise that you can alternate, to ensure that you work all the core muscles. We leave you with an example of intensive and effective abdominal training:
– 1min butterfly sit-ups (abdominals with butterfly legs)
– 1min of bicycle crunch (crunches or on a bicycle)
– 1min reverse crunch (inverted abs)
– 1min of russian twist
– 1min V-Ups (“V” sit-ups)
Rest for 1 minute between sets. Choose some of your favorite songs for extra motivation.
2. High Knees (alternating knee elevation)
Training at home conditions, to a certain extent, the opportunity and the pleasure of enjoying a run outdoors, with the versatility that allows us to choose our preferred route and the ideal pace. Running is undoubtedly an excellent exercise for the body and mind, so being able to adapt it at home would be perfect.
One form of adaptation is the high knees or alternate knee elevation. It is a practical exercise to be carried out in 10 minutes and which effectively manages to release endorphins, which give us the feeling of well-being that we need so much.
– Starts standing, in a full extension position, with your arms resting against your torso but bent to ninety degrees;
– Alternately, raise your knees to the waist, as if you were running without leaving the same place; assist movement by raising the arm opposite the leg you are raising.
– Only support your toes on the floor with each step, keep your back straight and avoid leaning back.
Do 3 sets of 50 high knees, with a 1 minute rest between each.
3. Sumo Jumping Squats (squats with jump in juice position)
A barbell squat is irreplaceable, but as they say: “who doesn’t have a dog hunts with a cat”. And in reality, it is possible to do a squat session at home quite easily and effectively.
Juice jumping squats or squats with a jump in the juice position are an excellent combination for cardiovascular and toning work for the glutes, quadriceps, femoris and twins, and can be done in the comfort of your home.
– Stand with your feet slightly apart than your shoulders and with the points pointing outwards.
– Do a squat until your legs are bent 90 degrees, causing your thighs to be parallel to the floor;
– From this position, explode with your legs, pushing the ground with your feet and jumping as high as you can;
– Land softly, immediately staying in a squat position and repeating the movement.
You can start by doing the exercise in front of a mirror, to control its correct execution.
Makes 3 sets of 20 sumo jumping squats, with 1 minute rest between each set.
4. Invest in some equipment
It is not because you don’t go to a gym that you need to avoid training with external weight completely. It is relatively affordable to invest in a pair of dumbbells, even if they are light, on elastic resistance bands, on a jump rope, etc. Try using these accessories in 15-minute workouts, combining exercises that allow you to work biceps, triceps, shoulders and legs.
5. Lunges
When thinking about effective exercises to work the legs, there is nothing better than lunges. They are a great exercise to help you develop strength and endurance in muscles such as the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, twins, abs and back muscles (which act as stabilizers during exercise). When performed correctly, lunges work the muscles without overloading the joints.
There are several variations of this movement, which you can perform only with body weight or with some external weight to increase the difficulty:
– Forward Lunges (lunges ahead)
– Reverse Lunges (back lunges)
– Walking Lunges (moving lunges)
– Lateral Lunges (lateral lunges)
– Jumping Lunges (jumping lunges)
Start by including, in your training, one of the simplest versions, like forward lunges,
– Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your arms at your sides;
– Activates the core and takes a step forward, advancing the right foot and flexing the legs until the knee of the supporting leg (left leg) touches the ground;
– Ensures that both legs are bent 90 degrees;
– Keep your torso straight, not letting you lean forward, and ensure that the knee of your front leg does not cross the line of your foot;
– In this position, press the right heel against the floor and rise until you return to the starting position;
– Repeat, moving forward with your left leg.
Complete 3 sets of 20 repetitions, with 1 minute rest between sets. Increase the difficulty as you gain strength and master the movement.
