Let’s face it, we’re all stuck at home due to the Coronavirus.  When faced with challenges, I’ve learned to ask myself, “What can I learn from this situation?” Admittedly, I get a little bit giddy when times get tough because I know I’ll bounce back stronger and likely be able to help my clients after gaining new insights and overcoming the obstacle.  So, what can we learn from being quarantined at home for the foreseeable future?  I hope we can all agree that now, more than ever, is a great time to focus on our health.  But how?  The gyms are closed!  Not to worry—today I want to provide you with a couple of at-home workouts to keep you fit, sane, and healthy during your time away from the gym.

There are tons of research articles out there that prove we can both maintain and build muscle with bodyweight training alone. Your body provides all of the resistance you need without having to add weight, though you can if you want, and the best part—just about anybody can do it.  There is no fancy equipment, no trainer or gym routine required to stimulate your cardiovascular system, and working out provides a go-to stress relief practice from the comfort of your home or office.  Not to mention, bodyweight training can burn fat, it’s convenient, fun, and breaks up the time while stuck at home.  Plus, it makes us feel better and boosts our immune systems, making us less susceptible to injury, aging, and sickness.

Personally, I’ve noticed that I feel much better on workout days while stuck at home. I’ve also been able to kill two birds with one stone by exercising outside so that I can ground my body and get sunlight; which both have shown to boost immunity, reduce inflammation, and improve sleep (learn more about Grounding).  I’m much less inclined to focus on what I can’t control and instead focus on what I can control my health and wellness.  Breaking up the day with a workout has been great too and I’m much less inclined to get bored and scroll through the endless doom and gloom currently available on social media.

If I haven’t convinced you that bodyweight exercises are a valid and beneficial way to feel your best and improve your health then you’ll have to try the exercises below yourself and thank me later.  Below you can pick from a list of beginner and intermediate bodyweight workouts to help you maintain or build muscle while staying at home, enjoy!

Beginner Body Weight Workout

Workout #1- Complete 3 sets of each exercise and do as many as you can with good form.

Push Ups

Squats

Mountain Climbers

Lunges

Plank

Workout #2- Go for a 20-30-minute walk in your neighborhood or at a local park.  Stop every 2 minutes and do one of the exercises from Workout #1.

Intermediate Body Weight Workout

Workout #1- Super Slow Training.  Don’t knock it until you try it.  SST does a great job of adding strength and stability.

Using the list below, shoot for 10 seconds up and 10 seconds down. Do as many rounds as you can in 20-30 minutes.

Super Slow Pushups

Super Slow Squats

Super Slow Dips

1-minute Plank

Workout #2- I got this workout from Ben Greenfield’s website and have used it for years as a HIIT workout that is guaranteed to burn fat. Right now, doing this workout 2-3 times per week can be super effective.

The Ultimate Efficient Body Weight Workout (Intermediate)

You can find complete details and science behind this bodyweight routine here. Each exercise is to be performed for 30 seconds with 10 seconds of rest in between exercises.

Technically, one round only takes about 7 minutes, but if time permits, you should attempt to do 2-3 rounds. Use the good form on every exercise, and, because the focus for this workout is power, try to lower yourself slowly, then explode through the work portion of each exercise quickly.

Jumping jacks

Wall sits

Pushups

Crunches

Step-ups

Squats

Dips

Planks

Running in place with high knees

Lunges

Pushups with rotation

Side planks