Gym Closed? Best 5 Exercises to Do at Home
With the coronavirus keeping everyone indoors from the shelter at home, it’s still important to keep exercising. Physical activity helps maintain physical and mental well-being. Especially in a time of Social Distancing is required. Luckily, there are many simple exercises you can do at home to keep your body moving. Doing two or three reps of about ten to twelve of each of these exercises should keep you happy and healthy.
Subscription Clients: Don’t forget about the Fitness app where you can find all your assigned exercises with or without equipment.
Lunges
Lunges work the muscles of your hips, thighs, and glutes. To do one you need to:
- Stand with your right foot forward and your left foot back about 3 feet apart.
- You can hold some weights in each of your hands if you have any, then bend your knees to lower your body towards the floor. Keep your front knee behind your toes and be sure to lower straight down, not forward.
- Keep your torso straight and your abs in as you push with your front heel and back to the starting position.
- Also, remember to not lock your knees at the top of the movement.
Squats
Squats work the muscles in your lower body, buttocks, and thighs. To do one you need to:
- Stand with your feet about a hip-width apart with your toes pointed slightly outward.
- Bend your knees and squat down, as though you were sitting in a chair. Remember to keep your weight on your heels and your torso upright. Bend your knees down far enough that your glutes touch the back of your calves. As you lower yourself down, you can either raise your arms straight in front of you or keep them bent in front of your chest.
- Finally, straighten your legs and squeeze your butt to come back up and lower your arms to your side.
Push-ups
Push-ups work the muscles in your chest, shoulders, arms, and lower body. To do one you need to:
- Place your hands on the floor about shoulder-width apart with your palms flat. Extend your legs out straight and rest on your toes.
- Stiffen your torso and keep your neck straight in line with your back. Then bend your elbows out to the side.
- Push into the floor to push yourself back to starting position, but don’t lock your elbows at the top of the movement.
Planks
Planks strengthen your abdominal muscles and the muscles that support your back. To do a plank you need to:
- Begin face down, with your forearms and toes on the floor. Your elbows should be directly under your shoulders with your forearms facing forward.
- Keep your body rigid and in a straight line from your ears to your heels. Make sure your shoulders are down.
- Hold the position for ten seconds. Then release.
Sit-ups
Sit-ups work your chest, hip, lower back, and neck muscles. To do one you need to:
- Lie down on your back. Bend your legs and place your feet on the ground to stabilize your lower body.
- You can either place your hands behind your ears without pulling on your neck or place your hands on the ground palms down and slide your hands to your feet as you move up.
- Curl your upper body up toward your knees, then slowly lower yourself down to the starting position.
Workout Videos
Want a video to follow along? These 2 videos can give you a great 20 Minutes a Day Workout. Depending on your level of ability and comfort, we have a Beginner Video for at-home workout & Advanced Video for at-home workout.