With the current lockdown in the process, many of us are feeling we are locked-up. Unfree to do as we choose and even our basic health is suffering. If we can’t get to the gym then we can’t train, right? Wrong.
There are many ways to stay fit and even pack on muscle without leaving the confines of your home or even your kitchen.
Burpees
Everyone has heard of burpees, but no one wants to do them. The good news is you actually don’t need to do them to get stronger and also to lose weight if that’s what your goal is. Burpees give lots of people including myself a sore head. It messes with my balance and just makes me feel plain woozy.
No Gym Equipment
One of the best ways to stay in shape is strength training. You don’t need any equipment at all to get going. You don’t even need resistance bands, kettlebells, or any weight training equipment. You can build your strength just by using your own bodyweight. The trick is all with the technique you use.
Pushups
Push-ups are a hard exercise for a lot of people. For some, they are relatively easy. With practice, everyone gets better. Ironically once you can comfortably perform press-ups they tend to work your fitness more than your strength. It gets to a point in time with a standard push up that it works your fitness and stamina, without directly affecting your muscle size.
To counteract this and actually build some muscle and strip off fat from your body you can make this slight adjustment that will transform the basic push up. If you cannot even perform a single push up you can start on your knees and once you add this twist after a week or two you will have built up the strength to perform your very first push-ups.
Technique
Assume the push up position as normal. Only instead of lowering yourself to the ground and pushing up at the same speed, lower slowly, say for 4 seconds, pause at the bottom of the rep without collapsing for a second then explode up. Now repeat this for 10 reps if you can.
If it’s too easy to push into the ground as you lower yourself to the floor. If you can’t do 10 at the start, use fewer reps. Don’t worry, because after a few sessions you will find your body will get stronger and you will be able to add more reps.
Gaining Strength
You don’t always have to be in a gym to gain strength, you don’t always have to add weight in a linear gradual fashion to increase your strength. Instead, focus on making the exercise harder. This technique works so well as research shows most muscle is stimulated during the eccentric (lowering) part of the exercise. Usually, it’s because your body has to fight gravity to stabilize the weight.
When you think of bodybuilders who aim to apply the principle of time under tension, which involves placing the muscles under stress for a length of time, and then when you increase this time but slow down the eccentric portion of the rep, it’s a win-win situation. The muscles get put under more stress and for longer. Perform this exercise 2-3 times a week and your brain will signal to your muscles that they need to get stronger to cope with the excess demand placed on them.
Final Words
Your body is a wonderful blessed creation and will adapt to the stimulus it receives. Hence why sedentary people who eat too much get fat. They aren’t stimulating their body in a healthy manner. By the way with this training approach, you won’t become musclebound overnight. For that, you need a correct nutrition plan and performance-enhancing supplements. Enjoy your new-found strength.
