For those who love hitting the gym but are currently in self-isolation or simply working from home, creating your own workout domestic regime is the answer. Before you start adding up how much it’s going to cost for all the equipment you’ll need, consider putting together one using items you already own for free. Most fitness fanatics know you can do nearly a full work-out with just a wall, and with a few basic additions you’ll be giving each and every muscle group the attention it deserves. So, here are 5 IDEAL tips for creating a free home gym during self isolation with items you already own.
CHAIR SQUATS AND DIPS
A solid dining room or kitchen chair is often the optimum height for doing squats, depending on your size. Begin by sitting on the chair with a straight back and arms out in front before slowly standing and lowering yourself back down, but just hovering above the seat; and there you have it, a simple squat. Alternatively, to work those triceps, use the seat as you would a bench at the gym, lowering your body but not letting your elbows bend more than 90 degrees.
GROCERY WEIGHTS
If you only intend to do dumbbell workouts or are just starting out on the road to building up your strength, find something that weighs a couple of kilograms. It could be full washing power bottles, large cans of beans or big, empty bottles that you fill with water. Ensure that you’ve got two of them for balance and that they can be held comfortably. Then these can be used for all sorts of high-rep exercises, such as lunges, bicep curls, squats and more.
LADDER EXERCISES
Ladder drills are a great way to improve agility and burn plenty of calories when done at high intensity. It’s best if you have a garden (though you’ll probably only own a ladder if that’s the case anyway). Lay down your ladder and run or jump through each individual square, mixing it up to test different muscles. A quality step ladder that’s properly secured can also be used for step exercises, again, best done outside.
HOMEMADE FOAM ROLLERS
Foam rollers have become a trendy piece of fitness equipment in recent years and they do their uses, particularly for stretching and yoga exercises. Rather than splash out for something that’s essentially a tube of foam, roll a thick dry towel up well and tightly insert a rolling pin into the centre. This should work just as well as the foam version if you’ve secured it tightly, and you can still use both the items later when needed. Two birds, one stone springs to mind.
TV FITNESS GAMES
For this last idea, all you need is a working TV, your favourite programme and enough space to do a press up. We’ve all heard of TV and film drinking games and this is the same, but replacing taking a shot with doing a set of exercise turns it from harmful to healthy in no time. For example, with the Big Bang Theory drinking game simply swap any time Raj whispers or Penny says ‘sweetie’ from taking a sip of your drink to doing ten press-ups, sit-ups or burpees. The possibilities are endless.