I miss the gym, as a lot of people do. But there have been a few positives that have come out of isolation: 1) There is a community of people posting at-home workouts and other ways to stay active; 2) Fitness is a priority to me, so I am finally prioritizing at-home workouts as well. Before all of this, I only truly felt motivated in a gym environment, and I would often skip any home workouts that I planned for myself. I think after this is all over, I'll be able to keep up with a more balanced home vs. gym schedule, which will help me with time management.
Some disclaimers: I am not a personal trainer YET. I planned on getting certified this summer, and hopefully I can still do it through all of this. However, I have been teaching myself aspects of fitness for three years now and my father is a certified personal trainer. Once I have my qualifications, I'd like to film myself executing certain moves so people can see proper form. For now I only feel comfortable sharing what I've been doing at home; I don't want to do videos yet due to not having qualifications, so I don't want to accidentally show improper form.
I'm using a lot of moves that are easy to replicate at home, and moves that I repeat because they show the most change for my body. But also keep in mind that everyone is different! While fitness is universal, everyone thrives off of different workout styles. Most routines will get you results if you're CONSISTENT AND PATIENT, but it's important to find a workout routine that you actually enjoy so you can maintain it in your lifestyle.
So let's just jump in. I'm going to show the split that I'm doing every week, and then give a sample of a 4-week workout plan that I've been doing. Typically I'll write out a weekly plan and while the daily focus stays the same, the moves change. But for isolation (and for the purpose of staying consistent with limited equipment), I'm repeating the same moves for two weeks, but alternate weeks. So weeks 1 and 3 are the same, and weeks 2 and 4 are the same. Hopefully that makes sense.
4 WEEK SPLIT
-one full body day
-two lower body days
-one upper body day
-Incorporate core work into each workout; a priority for me is to maintain and build a strong core to help with every other body part that I train, and it also helps with my skill practices (currently I'm working on handstands).
-I don't necessarily follow everything in order throughout the week. For example, there was a day where I was supposed to do upper body, but my shoulder was bothering me from an awkward sleeping position. So I just switched days and did legs instead. As long as I complete the split by the end of the week, it's okay to mix up the order of the days. Listen to your body in this aspect.
WEEK 1
Day 1: Full body HIIT (high intensity interval training)
*How it works: There are two circuits. Each circuit has four moves. You'll repeat those moves 3 times before moving onto circuit 2. You do each move for 30 seconds back-to-back with no rest. After going through the 4 moves once, you get a 30 second break before repeating it again. In between both circuits, you'll have a 1 minute break before moving onto circuit 2. (This is the most complicated one to explain so don't be discouraged moving forward! You can also look up other ways to structure a HIIT workout. This one is only 15 minutes total). So to summarize: do the first 4 moves back-to-back (30 seconds each), then rest for 30 seconds. Do that for a total of 3 rounds. Then take a 60 second break. Now move onto circuit 2, which is a set of 4 new moves.
Circuit 1:
-Jump squats
-Mountain climbers (slow them down and really focus on engaging the core)
-Wide stance heel raises. (Wide legs, toes pointed outward, drop butt into a slight squat stance. Now find your balance and just raise your heels while keeping balls of your feet still on the ground)
-Butterfly kicks (on your back, straighten legs and raise them slightly off the ground while keeping back flat to the ground. Kick your legs in and out, like crossing and uncrossing your ankles, while keeping your legs off the ground and engaging the core. Try to focus on the lower core and keeping the move slow and controlled)
Circuit 2:
-Squats with 3 pulses (do a normal bodyweight squat but when you drop into the squat, pulse your booty up and down 3 times while staying low. These burn)
-Leg raises (on your back, keep ankles together and raise your legs up straight, then lowering them back down to touch the ground briefly. Engage the core. You can make these harder by raising your butt into the air when you bring your legs up)
-Hip thrusts on one leg (still on your back, get into hip thrusting position; feet flat on ground with legs bent so you can drive your hips into the air while still laying down. However, extend one leg straight into the air so all the work goes into the other leg. These are hard)
-Hip thrusts on the other leg
Day 2: Lower Body
*repeat the following circuit 3-5 times
-Jump squats x10
-Weighted hip thrusts x12 (use a dumbbell, or something heavy like a textbook of laundry detergent container, to position on your hips. You're on your back and driving your hips into the air. Squeeze your glutes at the top of each thrust)
-Leg raises x10-15
-Goblet squats x12 (look up proper form! Basically you're holding something heavy close to your chest and squatting so the work is being done by your quads. Also squeeze your glutes when you straighten back up to keep activating them)
-V ups x10 (sit on your butt and make yourself into a v-shape. Straighen legs and crunch them back towards body while staying balanced on your butt, so your knees are coming back to your chest. These are hard and I don't have good balance still, so I tend to use my hands on the ground for balance)
Day 3: Upper Body
*Repeat 4 to 5 times
-Pushups x10 (modify if needed)
-Mountain climbers x20
-Front lateral raises x10 each arm (hold something heavy in one hand. Straighten arm and raise the weight straight out in front of you; palms are facing down)
-Bicep curls x10 each arm
Day 4: Lower Body
*repeat 3 to 5 times
-Wall sits x30 seconds(back against the wall, pretend you're sitting on a chair. Engage core and squeeze leg muscles)
-Bodyweight sumo squats x12 (look up proper form! Toes are pointed a little more out than a normal squat. Legs are also slightly wider
-Weighted hip thrusts (you'll see these a lot but for good reason; these have changed the game for my glutes getting bigger)
-Butterfly kicks (remember, we're trying to include core in every workout)
-Heel elevated goblet squats (these are killer. Get something that you can stand on so just your heels are slightly elevated but the balls of your feet are still on the ground. Do a goblet squat but lower yourself SLOWLY, keeping your core strong and engaging your glutes. When you get to the bottom, explode back up to a straight position. You will feel the burn)
Week 2
Day 1: Lower body
*Repeat 3 to 5 times
-Dumbbell sumo squats x12 (look up proper form! And use any weighted item that you have. Keep your lower back stable and toes pointed out)
-Lunge pulses x10 each leg (in lunge position but instead of moving, just pulsing up and down in place. Drive your heel into the ground during the pulse, think about your glutes)
-Mountain climbers x20 (slow it down and really think about your core when bringing the knee to the elbow)
-Dumbbell pick ups x12 (these might have a different name but it's something that can be done as an alternative to the dead lift. Put a dumbbell on its side, or any heavy object, in between your legs. Squat to the ground, keeping your back stable and straight, and pick up the object. Stand up with it and lower it back down)
-Leg lift/chest extension X10 (lie down with legs straight and arms extended above your head, preferably holding a weight. Raise arms, keeping them straight, until above you while doing the same with your legs. Slowly lower back down. This move is awesome because you feel it in your entire core, your shoulders, biceps, and hamstrings)
Day 2: Upper Body
*Repeat 4 to 6 times
-Leg lift/chest extension x10
-Dumbbell shoulder press to squat x10 each arm (or use any weighted item that you can grip securely. Basically stand straight with legs shoulder-width apart. Hold the weight and press it straight to the sky. When you bring it down, bring it all the way to the floor, between your legs, turning it into a squat)
-Butterfly kicks x20
-Side lateral raises x10 each arm (keep arm straight, and while holding weight raise is out to the side of you, and palms stay facing downward)
-Plank toe taps x20 (get into plank position and take turns extending each leg out to the side and back in. Keep your core tight)
Day 3: Lower Body
*repeat 3 to 5 times
-Body weight squats with pulse x12
-Leg raises x15
-Weighted hip thrusts x12
-Weighted goblet squats x10
-Heel raises x12 (standing, preferably holding weight, and simply raising to the balls of your feet. This will work your calves)
-Butterfly kicks x20
Day 4: Full Body
*repeat 4 to 5 times
-pushups x10 (modify if necessary)
-Jump squats x15
-Single leg raises x10 each leg (do leg raises but one leg at a time. Keep the other one straight)
-Slow weighted squats x10 (do a normal squat but as you go down, go as slow as possible and think about your glutes. Explode back up when you stand up)
-Jumping jacks x20
WEEK 3: repeat week 1
Week 4: repeat week 2
*Additional movements: I know that everyone's lockdown situation is different, so this part will be different from person to person. But on days where I don't have a scheduled workout, I try to get movement in. Ideally, I like a 20 minute morning walk, but the weather has been unpredictable. If I can't get a walk or hike in, I try to stretch for just 10 minutes.
*Reminder: I don't always follow the order of one week, depending on how sore certain parts of my body are. My main goal is to complete all 4 workouts by the end of the week, so the order and days they're completed is not important to me.
It's hard to type out descriptions of moves, so please google them if you need a visual. I'm just starting week 3, and I'm considering filming myself for some extra help; my issue is that I know I'm not technically certified yet, and I want to make sure everything is accurate and factual. But I figured this could be a helpful intro into home workouts if you don't know where to start. Even if you don't follow the specific workouts, maybe you can incorporate this 4-week split of 1 full body, 1 upper body, and 2 lower body. (Side note: doing 2 lower body days per week is one element that has helped me grow my glutes the most. It takes time and patience, but the consistency and repetition is what will really speed up your results)
Thank you so much for showing an interest in fitness and wellness during this scary time. I'm passionate about maintaining our health, wellness, and fitness; especially now, but it's important regardless of what's happening in the world.
Contact me if you have any questions or comments. Stay safe!