It takes more than the occasional run to stay fit. It requires all types of training, cardio, flexibility, strength, and balance. Most people know how to do cardio and flexibility stretches at home but wonder how to do strength workouts without the gym and all the equipment. It’s easy to do, and we use a virtual approach to show how to turn your home into your own private workout arena. Getting to the gym isn’t always easy, so it’s the perfect way to get fit.
Strength-building exercises use resistance to build muscles.
Strength training uses resistance to tax your muscles and cause microtears. As the microtears heal, they form additional muscle mass that’s stronger. You need strength training to be fit but need to rest the muscles for 48-72 hours between strength workouts, providing time for the muscles to heal. Strength training helps you lose weight in several ways. It burns calories while you do it, continues to burn them after your end, and builds muscles requiring more calories for maintenance than fat tissue.
You have all the equipment you need for bodyweight exercises.
Gravity is your tool when you use the weight of your body for exercises. You’ll build strength and boost your fitness when you use the basics, push-ups, squats, lunges, planks, and sit-ups. These are versatile and can be modified for physical limitations or increased intensity. Modifying them also allows you to target specific muscle groups and work the muscles on different planes. You can combine bodyweight exercises to create a circuit that also provides an endurance workout. Learning the proper form is more important than the number of reps. Work on it first, then challenge yourself by adding reps.
An inexpensive tool for strength-building is the resistance band.
Building strength involves challenging the muscle to move against resistance and resistance bands provide that. They’re inexpensive and can be stored easily. Bands come in a variety of resistance levels, but those with a bigger range are the best. They let you increase the resistance more as you get stronger. Chest presses, rows, bicep curls, and leg extensions are three exercises you can do. You can even use them for stretching exercises.
- If you like dumbbells, but can’t afford them, make your own. Fill plastic screw top water bottles with water or sand. You can adjust the amount of water or sand as you get stronger. Detergent bottles with an offset handle make a good kettlebell.
- Homemade kettlebells make a useful strength-building tool. Detergent jugs and gallon milk jugs can double as kettlebells when filled with water or sand. The offset center is the key.
- Combine weight with bodyweight exercises. Fill a backpack with books or heavy objects. Wear it as you do squats, burpees, or push-ups.
- Some strength-building workouts don’t require a lot of space and you can do them while listening to TV. Television. Combine 30 seconds of a basic plank, 30 seconds of a side plant on each side, and 30 seconds of a reverse plank.
For more information, contact us today at Hawaii Fit Camp!
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