I'm sure that home exercises aren't disappearing any time soon.
With social distancing and other limitations due to Covid-19, people are wondering how to work out at home using their bodyweight or the little equipment they have at home. I believe that many people will continue to work out at home due to convenience, and for some people, fear.
I am a huge fan of bodyweight training, and I have been doing it for quite a while. I always say to my clients that the best equipment ever made is our own body because there is so much that we can do using our bodyweight, even if you are looking for strength and muscle mass gains!
However, many people still don't feel they are getting the same benefits from the workout as they would when going to the gym.
So, if you feel like your home workouts don't challenge you enough and you are looking for ways to increase strength, mobility, or speed while at home, here are some ways to challenge yourself!
ADD WEIGHTS
The first thing people think when it comes to increasing the difficulty of an exercise is to add weight!
Dumbbells, a kettlebell, or a heavy medicine ball are all great options, but they are becoming harder and harder to find, and overpriced.
So, let's get creative and make your own.
For example: Fill a bag a bunch of heavy stuff and use it as a sandbag or fill up some bottles to use in place of dumbbells.
Pro Tip: I highly recommend you master the bodyweight version of the exercise before you try adding any weight to avoid injuries.
ADD RESISTANCE BANDS
Resistance Bands are great because they provide constant tension, requiring your muscles to be always engaged! And they also can improve joint mobility.
Pro Tip: You can tell that you are in the proper set-up and execution if you are feeling the continued tension in the band through all range of the movement.
ADD MINI-BANDS
Mini Bands are famous for helping people building especially glutes and leg muscles!
The constant resistance and range of motion that the Mini Bands provide, allows us to activate our glutes, potentializing leg strengthening while working joint stability or mobility.
For example "Mini-Banded" Squats or Mini-Banded Side-Kick Squats are a great way to activate your glutes and abductor muscles, so that your knees don't cave in when squatting (injury prone movement), giving more knee joint stability and proper alignment, so you can Squat injury-free!
Most mini band kits come with 5 levels of resistance, start with light or medium resistance, and then progressively challenging yourself with the “heavy” one.
I definitely recommend Synergee Mini-Bands, they are durable and they ship really fast!
Pro Tip: Keep the Mini-Band always under tension, you can tell that you are doing these effectively by feeling the continued tension in your leg muscles.
ADD JUMPS
One of my favorite ways to make bodyweight exercises more challenging is to add jumping elements to the workout.
Commonly used in a wide range of sports to improve athletic performance, Plyometrics also called jump training or plyos, are exercises in which muscles exert maximum force in short intervals of time to improve power.
By doing plyos you significantly increase the intensity and difficulty level of bodyweight exercises because they are sure to increase your heart rate during the workout.
Pro Tip: Go easy on your landing, so your joints can properly absorb the impact from the jump!
You can know if you are doing it right by trying to make little to no noise when you land.
Your ankles and knees are going to be proud of you!
KEEP CHALLENGING YOURSELF!
Still easy? Here are the main ways to add a challenge to bodyweight workouts:
Increase the intensity by changing the speed of the movements.
Change the work to rest ratio if you are doing HIIT. For example: Instead of Working for 30sec and Resting for 15sec, try Working for 45sec and Resting for 10sec.
Increase the length of your actual workout to burn extra calories (increase endurance).
Try a variation, unilateral movement, or combos for the same exercise! For example: If you want a harder version of a Squat, try doing Jump Squats, Single Leg Squat, or even Burpees with Push-ups!
Conclusion
There are endless ways to make bodyweight and home workouts harder and add variety.
If you ever find that your workout is too easy for you, you must find ways to increase the difficulty so that you can get the best results!
Which strategy you focus on will depend on your individual goals. Ideally, you’ll do a mix of each to keep your workouts challenging for years to come!
Wondering which exercises are fit for your current goals and conditioning levels?
Let us guide you through your fitness journey, with proper movement technique and progressively increasing the challenge of our workouts! We are here for you!
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