HOME EXERCISES

5 Exercises You Can Do While Being Stuck At Home

Covid-19 keeping you away from the gym? Do these exercises at home instead

And just like that, the majority of countries are on lockdown or partial lockdown where people are advised (or forced) to stay home, to stay indoors and just isolate themselves for the foreseeable future due to the current situation with the COVID-19 virus running havoc the world over, what with over 200k people infected and deaths closing in on 10k.

This is by no means something that we should take lightly. Yet, there are still so many people ignoring it and still going out to party, holidays, socialising, etc.

I can’t stress how important it is to do social distancing now to try and flatten the curve or the virus spreading. And the best way to do so is by staying home as much as you can, only going out if you really have to like buying essential items like food, etc.

But because of this, we’ve not been able to hit the gym or even to go out for a jog/run. So, the only other option is to do your workouts at home. Although it’s a bit restricted, you can still put in a full-body workout at home.

Here are 5 exercises you can do at home during this time of emergency.

1. Burpees

My most hated exercise is now one of my most trust-worthy and the one I go to the most if I want to feel that burn and sweat it out like crazy.

There are 2 variations of this — one that is done with a pushup, one without (which is recommended for beginners).

It works your legs, chest, arms, legs, and core. It is a full-body workout and really raises your heart rate which in turn makes you sweat like crazy. I’d recommend starting without the pushup first and then when you’re feeling better at it, to do it with the pushup.

It doesn’t require a lot of space and is easy to do. My go-to is usually 5 sets of 10–12 reps for each set and that is enough to get me sweaty all over.

If you’re also short on time, doing burpees is usually enough for me to feel like I’ve put in a good workout within a 20–30 minutes timeframe.

2. Jumping Jacks

I think this is one exercise that we’ve probably been doing since we were kids — at least it was for me. I remember jumping jacks being used as a form of punishment in school when you missed behaved.

Start by standing with your feet just closer than shoulder-width apart. Jump up and raise both your arms up as you do so and when you land, land with both your feet just slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Jump back again to your starting position.

For this, I usually do about 4 sets of 25 reps each. It’s easy to do but raises your heart rate a good bit as well.

3. High Knees Running In Place

If you’re the type who loves running, I’d suggest high knees running in place for you. It’s not as fun as properly running but it comes close enough.

What I like to do is sometimes just run around in whatever small space that I have, like running from my living room to my dining room and back. I understand that sometimes it can get pretty boring just running in one spot so try spicing it up a bit.

For me, I’d usually do 5 minutes of running in one spot, followed by 5 reps of burpees. Then I’d do another 5 minutes of running in one spot, followed again by another 5 reps of burpees. I usually repeat this another 2 times.

4. Planking

Abs workout isn’t really my most favourite. It’s also a reason why I don’t do it as often as I should. But if there’s one that I do like and do quite regularly, it’s planking.

It’s relatively easy to do. You get into a pushup position but instead of resting your weight on your palms like how you would a pushup, you rest it on your elbows instead. Make sure your back is straight and tighten your core.

Keep in that position between 30–60 seconds or for as long as you can manage.

I could only last 15 seconds when I first started out but I usually last up to 90 seconds now. Do 3–4 sets and take a 30–45 seconds rest in between sets.

5. Squats

Now, just because you’re not at the gym doesn’t mean you skip leg day. One of the best leg exercises that you can do doesn’t require any equipment at all. As long as you have your legs, you can do it.

It’s called squats.

Depending on how advance you are, you can do it with or without any assistance. If you’re a beginner, you can use a chair as support. What you do is stand with your legs slightly further than shoulder-width apart. Slowly bend your knees as you bring your hips down to a 90 degrees angle where your butt is parallel to the floor.

If you want, you can go even lower than that where your hips will be slightly lower than your knees. Of course, if you’re using a chair as support, you go as low until your butt touches the chair.

You then slowly bring yourself back up again to your starting position. Ensure your back is straight and use your thigh muscles to push yourself up at all times.

I usually do 5 sets of 20 reps each and rest about 30–45 seconds in between sets.

We’re living in uncertain times and honestly, if you’ve never lived in a war-torn country and face daily curfews and lockdowns, this is a whole new territory for the rest of us.

The best we can do is to try and weather it out and make the most of what we do have — which is time and space.

Despite the lockdown, we can still be healthy so give these 6 exercises a go while you’re at home and keep maintaining your health and fitness. Always remember to keep safe, keep clean, and stay indoors as much as possible.

We will get through this.