Well lockdown or not we should not excuse or compromise with our health. And in these condition, I think we should focus more on our health via both diet and physical activity. We know diet is an essential ingredient for making a fit and healthy body and we earlier discussed about diet in previous blog, if you have not read that blog go and checkout that, so in this blog I am going to focus on workout .
Since all gyms will stay closed in this lockdown, the only option left with us is home workout and for most of the people out their whose sole goal is to achieve a respectful level of fitness, I don’t think would have home gym stuff`s and so the blog will focus more on equipment free workout and in some case few other things would help like chairs or school bag etc.
Now before I talk about workout and yoga, I would like to give you some suggestions apart from workout to stay healthy in such pandemic.
- Try to avoid going outside and follow the protocol government has asked to.
- Don’t take too much stress, well we all are facing this condition, stay calm.
- Eat healthy food and try avoiding unhealthy food stuffs. Especially green vegetables and citrus fruits are immunity boosters.
- Stay hygienic, keep hand sanitizer and tissues always with you. Even after the gyms are open try to maintain hygiene their too. Keep your gym towel, sanitizer, tissues in your gym bag.
- Have proper sleep and continue to live active life, don’t get lazy.
Workout
We already know doing physical activities increases blood circulation and thereby helping immune cells to move faster throughout the body and hence it strengthens the defence against the viruses and bacteria. when we talk about home workout, it may be an exercise session or shadow boxing or a session of some form of dance. That is solely your choice , if you enjoy dancing just do it for an hour or so. Well workout is not bound to just different exercises, dumbbells and gyms, it has a wide range of physical activities to offer. But dancing and boxing and other martial arts are better done in some expert guidance so exercise is more feasible to all and a little bit of guidance from my blogs and internet itself will help.
Home workout can also be performed in programs like push-pull or push-pull-leg or the popular 1-2 body parts a day, generally without equipment and pull-up bar pull day generally refers to abs-day, whatever the case, here are some of my favorite home workout, so lets get started.
Push ups
Well, nothing is better then this. You can just blow your chest, shoulders and triceps. Remember to keep your arms shoulder-width apart or a bit wider, keep your core tight while lowering and raising your body, don’t let your elbows flare keep an angle of 45 degree with your body, remember to breathe in as you lower your body and to breathe out while raising. For making it more difficult keep the momentum slow. Different basic variations you can try are
Wide-grip push ups
Keep your arms wider than traditional one. Elbows are more prone to flare out in this variation, going in slow and controlled manner would help. This will focus more on your pecs then shoulders and triceps.
Close-grip push-ups/ diamond push ups
The two are different from each other in position but they target same muscles therefore I had placed them together. If you have been through some wrist injuries in the past, it is better to perform close-grip them diamond push ups. In diamond pushups, keep your arms in such a manner that your left-thumbs touches right-thumb and left-index figure touches the right one. In close grip, just place your arms closer than traditional one.
Inclined and declined pushups
Well this variation is as common as the traditional one. Take two chairs, place your left arm on the left chair and right on the right, take your foot back until your body is straight and making an angle of 60 or 45 degree with the floor now start doing pushups like the traditional ones. This will help you improve your lower chest muscles. In the decline push ups just keep the foot on the chair and hands on the floor. This will improve your upper chest.
There are other advanced variations you can perform once mastering the above variations they are 1. Clap push-ups, 2. Staggered push-ups, 3. Spiderman push-ups, 4. One armed push-ups, 5. Archer push-ups. 6. Triple clap push-ups, 7. Crucifix push-ups
These are more advanced and cool variations, will talk about these variations in the next blog.
Squats
Talking about my favorite exercises, nothing can take place of squats. Even without weights it is the most beneficiary exercise when it comes to mobility and number of muscle engaged. Well the position is pretty simple, keep your legs shoulder-width apart, straighten your back, hold your chest up, keep your hands behind neck or just raise them in front of you, and that’s it start moving up and down while remembering to keep your core tight and to inhale while going down and exhale while coming up. You can try different variations like
Side step squat
It is a simple variation in which you begin with your feet hip-width apart, toes pointing forward. Squat down until your thighs are almost parallel to the ground. Keep your chest up and core engaged. Now take a step with the right foot to the side. Make sure to keep your thighs parallel and don’t break your squat form. Now step with the left leg towards you so that you are back in a squat. You can switch sides or do 3 steps in one direction and then 3 in the other. It will help you tone your glutes and quads.
Jump squats
Squat traditionally and when you start coming up from the bottom position exert enough explosive power to jump and as you land perform squat such that all the shock is absorbed by thighs itself. It is best variation to increase explosive strength.
Sumo squats
As the name itself indicates the starting position is similar to that of a sumo wrestler. Keep your legs away from each other, remember not to get in uncomfortable position. Your toe should be 120 to 150 degree outwards. It is good for glutes and hamstrings.
Archer/Cossack squats
Take position a little wider then sumo squats, put all your weight on one leg ang squat while stretching other leg, come up and repeat it on other leg.
There are other advanced variations such as 1. One legged squats, 2. Sissy squats and other such variations are cool but very difficult at the same time.
Well this was all about my favourite squats and push ups that you should must try, I know I missed your favourite part the ABS! the blog is already too long, talking about abdominal exercise would double the content. So looking forward to meet you in the next blog related to abdominal exercises.
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