Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Staying active at home

Now that it's finally stopped snowing, you can head out to your backyard, or to a local park to do some training!
Caz Park in South Buffalo, photo credit to Ben Tsujimoto

Body-weight exercises:
Location: home
Price: free (!)

Yeah, I know... posts about how to work out at your house are cliched. But this is where it all starts.

I have a gym membership, and I haven't been in over a month and a half. Yup, I'm guilty. Planet Fitness deducts $20 out of my bank account every month, and all I do in return is occasionally go to use an elliptical or an exercise bike (I don't have room for any large machines at my house).

But at this point, I can honestly say that I am in better shape than when I was going to the gym regularly. This is because I have made an honest dedication to doing regular body-weight based work outs every morning, like clockwork at 7:20. Yeah, it's early. And yeah, it's rough dragging my butt out of bed every morning when it's just soooo comfy. But it's worth it. I'm getting arm muscles for the first time in my life, I'm getting definition in my core, and best of all, I'm feeling better throughout the day (less falling asleep after lunch).

So here's the deal on this one:
1. Dedication -  if you want to see results, you have to stick to it
2. Effort - remember when your coach told you that when you cheat, you're only cheating yourself? Well, the same is definitely true here. There's no point in putting 50% effort in.
3. Selection - find the moves that work for you. If you hate it, you're not going to do it. So find some HIIT (high intensity interval training) videos, do some yoga, zumba to the beat, work on your pilates, run up and down your stairs... whatever you have to do, make sure you like it.
4. Music - find something that gets you moving (sorry Dave Matthew's Band, you're not making the cut). Pick something up tempo and with a driving beat to push you through those last few seconds, or those last couple reps.

In the mornings, I use the Stronger series published by Livestrong.com. It's a really solid series of a couple of videos that you switch up throughout the week, and a lot of it is based on plyometrics (explosive movement). This gets your heart rate going, and builds lean muscle.
Here's the calendar of workouts here, if you want to give it a shot.

I figure, though, that if you're anything like me, you want to get outside. And that's hard to do when you're workout is glued to a computer screen. That's why I put this workout together that's perfect for your badckyard, your front yard, your living room, your local park or playground... where ever you are, this one will work. The only equipment you'll need is a jump rope (and that's optional).

- Outdoor Bodyweight Workout- 
Round 1: pick from # 1 or 2
Round 2: pick from # 3, 4, or 5
Between rounds - skip rope to slow heart rate. 

1. Do 3 sets of the following (25 reps during the first set, then 20, then 15)
   a) Box jumps (up onto a step or a bench. Make sure to pick a height that you are comfortable with). 
   b) Push ups (for a challenge, try an inverted push up with your feet up on something higher than your head)

2. Do 1x 4 minute set for each movement (with 20 second on, and then 10 seconds of rest)
   a) Tricep dips (lean back with your hands on a low wall, bench, or stable chair. Dip your body down.)
   b) Sit ups (with your knees leaned out so that your legs look like a diamond)
   c) Lunges (for a challenge, change these to split jumps)

3. Do 3 sets of the following
   a) 200m full out sprint
   b) 15 burpees
   c) 15 plank jacks
   d) 15 squats (for a challenge, hold your hands straight up overhead like you're holding a weight bar)
   e) 15 hand release push-ups (lower all the way to the ground and lift hands off ground. Then, do a pushup)

4. Do 3 sets of the following
   a) 800m run (or jog)
   b) 10 full push-ups
   c) 20 prisoner squats (hands on head)
   d) 30 full sit-ups

5. Do 3 sets of the following
   a) Alternating high knees and butt kicks (4 and 4) - 60 seconds
   b) X- jumps - 30 seconds
   c) Downward dog position push-ups - 10 reps (for a challenge, increase to 20 reps)
   d) Squat variations (narrow squat, step one leg out and do wide squat, then repeat on other leg) - 20 reps
   e) Double crosses (wide arm push-up, then lower down and do a superman [or flying cross - like superman, but with your arms out to the sides]) - 45 seconds


So here's my post on standard home fitness. From here on out, though, it's fun stuff that gets you out of the house.