By Neal Prokop, Sport Performance Specialist
With gyms and fitness centers closed, and at home equipment becoming harder and harder to find, here are some suggestions to help you get an effective workout with what items or equipment you may already have at home.
If you don’t have equipment:
Dumbbells = Water Filled Jugs
Filling empty milk jugs or water jugs with water is a great way to customize weight for things like upper body presses and rows. Jugs with handles make a great substitution for dumbbells or kettlebells, and are great for exercises like carries that demand full body tension.
Inverted Rows/Cable Rows = Suspension Trainer Rows/Bedsheet Rows
One of the hardest movements to replicate outside of a gym is an upper body pull. If you are willing to invest in at home equipment, a TRX or suspension trainer is one of the best “bang for your buck” purchases you can make. These can be anchored through a sturdy door, or by installing a wall or ceiling anchor into a stud or overhead beam.
If you do not have access to a suspension trainer, a bed sheet knotted in the middle, and anchored into a sturdy door makes a great substitution!
Sandbags/Kettlebells = Loaded Backpack
A backpack loaded with books, cans from your pantry, or a water jug is a great way to add weight to exercises like squats, lunges, and hinge variations. Hold it from the top loop to add weight to your hinge, put it on your back for back loaded exercises, or hold it in a bear hug or front rack position for an additional challenge.
If you have light equipment (light dumbbells, bands, or mini bands):
Go Slower!
Challenging yourself with added tempo – the slower you go the harder it is! You can slow down how you perform each rep (ex. 5 seconds on the way down, 5 seconds on the way up) or pause in the bottom of your movement to increase time under tension (ex. Holding the bottom of your squat).
Up the challenge with mini bands or resistance bands
Adding resistance bands to everyday movements creates increased tension and forces you to move with control to avoid quick recoil from the band.
Check out some video examples below:
Mini Band Deadbug:
Mini Band Squat:
Create Supersets
Pair groups of exercises together to create circuits within your workout. You can pair opposing muscle groups, upper and lower body exercises or strength and power exercises. The possibilities are endless!
Increase the Intensity!
Take shorter breaks between sets, increase your number of reps, sets or both, and push yourself where you can, to increase difficulty within the workout.
At the end of the day, get creative! Use what you have, or what is easily accessible for you to purchase. We’ve linked some other articles below that you may find helpful while training at home. Stay safe and stay healthy everyone, we hope to see you again soon!
Here are a few previous blogs to help with your home training:
Making Sense of Internet Training Programs
Five Tips to Get More Out Of Your Home Workouts
For more information on how to progress these exercises and incorporate them into your workout, contact us at performance@sportmanitoba.ca
