With gyms currently closed, I think it is still really important to be able to get a good workout wherever you may be and whatever equipment you may have. The issue a lot of people seem to have, is the feeling that they have no idea where to start or what to do. I thought I would make a nice and simple guide on how you can create your own workout at home.
I am not going to be giving ideas on exercises to do instead I am going to explain how you can structure sessions at home.
Tip 1
Do a workout you enjoy. This could be as simple as going out for a run or a cycle all the way to a full weighted home workout session in your garden. Exercise should never be a punishment. It should pretty much always be something that you have enjoyed by the time you finish.
Tip 2
Follow a YouTube workout or an online class. If you struggle to motivate yourself in a home workout or you just really enjoy going to classes that benefit from having a teacher, then try to find these online. So many personal trainers and gyms have moved online recently, myself included, that there is a whole load of content you can find online. From yoga classes to bootcamp, you just need to check out your local independent gyms and studios or via recommendations and you will have lots of sessions you can follow along with.
Tip 3
If you are happy working out your own session but maybe are a little bit unsure how to set it out, the easiest way would be to use a timer. Choose exercises you like or want to do, set a timer and complete a few rounds. I often choose 5 exercises, 2 upper body, 2 lower body and 1 core move and complete 5 rounds of 40 seconds work and 20 seconds rest. Thats a really easy way to get a 25 minute circuit in. This is also a great way to manage a workout if you are short on time. I am the worst for procrastinating so setting timers means I have little chance of getting distracted mid workout.
If you want a more structured, programmed workout, then I like to break the session down into sections. If I have an hour, I may split the session into 15 minute blocks. After the warm up and cool down, I will do 15 minutes on upper body, lower body, cardio and core. This way, it makes it seem far more manageable and the session goes really quickly.
Tip 4
Write your workout down. I very rarely start a workout without something written down on a scrap piece of paper or on my phone. It means I know exactly what I want to do during the session and I can have some structure. When I don’t have anything written down, I tend to lose concentration and maybe not do as much as i wanted to. It is also handy to keep for a workout on a different day.
Now all of these are just easy tips to get started. Obviously if, further down the line, you wanted to get more serious, you should look to get progressive overload within your sessions and programme cycles. For this you would need to have more structure within your sessions as well as keeping track of weights used and reps completed. But ultimately, I think we should just be enjoying the new way of working out at the minute with very little pressure upon ourselves.
I am currently working virtually with my clients through FaceTime and Skype as well as offering home workout programmes fully designed for you. If you would like any more information, please send me a message.