By Gabe Sanders Ph.D., NSCA-CSCS
At this point, most of us are feeling the anxiety and frustration of being quarantined. The monotony of day-to-day life and the inability to go to an exercise facility might have brought your exercise regimen to a halt. Hopefully, you can see the light at the end of the tunnel, or at least be optimistic about how you can improve your home workout, even if you find yourself in a bit of a rut.
Try these 4 ways to boost your at-home workout
Dedicate a small amount of time
The first way to increase your overall daily activity is to dedicate a small amount of time to complete a morning and evening walk. Since the weather is warming and the daylight is lasting a little longer; take advantage of this opportunity.
While morning and evening walks are not specifically designed to ramp up your workouts, these walks are a great start and finish to your day that can make your workout results even better!
Increase your tempo and move faster
Second, increase your tempo and move faster during your workout. Improving your tempo can really help you boost your intensity.
To do this, try moving faster, lifting a heavier weight, or maybe just try to complete your normal workout in less time. Regardless of your strategy, ramping up your tempo can significantly increase your calorie burn!
Hold a position
Third, try exercises that require you to hold a position. For example, if you are doing bodyweight squats, squat down in position, and hold your squat for 5-10 seconds for each repetition.
Or try exercises like wall sits and hold the wall sits for 5-10 seconds. Adding exercises that require you to hold a position can strengthen your muscles and boost the intensity of your workout even though you are not technically moving!
Complete a leg exercise
Lastly, walk and carry weight around the room for a total of 50-60 feet or 15-20 seconds and then complete a leg exercise. Your leg exercise can be bodyweight, (or weight) squat, or a bodyweight (or weighted) lunge.
If you have dumbbells, carry the dumbbells, holding one dumbbell in each hand, around your exercise room. Slowly carrying weight is a great way to safely increase the load in which you place on your skeletal structure while also fatiguing your leg muscles prior to a multi-joint leg exercise. Complete 3-5 rounds of this combination and you will certainly feel the effects the next morning!
For more examples of other variations/exercises look under Multimedia-VDF Exercise Tips
**Consult with a physician and/or medical healthcare provider before starting any exercise regimen
Article’s Sources
Hindle, Benjamin R., et al. “The Biomechanics and Applications of Strongman Exercises: a Systematic Review.” Sports Medicine-Open 5.1 (2019): 49.
de Oliveira Tavares, Vagner Deuel, et al. “The Effect of Resistance Exercise Movement Tempo on Psychophysiological Responses in Novice Men.” The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 34.5 (2020): 1264-1273.
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