The world is a teeny-weeny bit messed up at the moment with Covid-19. As understatements go, that\’s a pretty impressive specimen.
However, there is one habit that always makes life a lot easier to live and that is, of course, exercise.Â
Want to stop having those night-time crying sessions when you ponder the gaping void that is tomorrow? Want to stop feeling like getting out of bed to wee is just too much effort? The closing of gyms has hit some people hard, and people are asking \”How am I supposed to get my pump on without all that equipment?\” Not to worry, dear reader, all you need is a little room and a little inventiveness.
Below will be a few suggestions on how to keep moving during the Coronavirus pandemic and defeat the blues. Â
Get That Prison Build
Most prisons are no longer equipped with weights in the yard, and so prisoners now have to rely on what they can do in their rooms.
However, breaking the law is not required–you can still do similar workouts and see some real results. The 5 basic exercises that you need to focus on are: Push Ups, Squats, Pull Ups, Crunches and Bridges.
If you complete all of these exercises, you will be hitting most of the muscles in your body, and you will see real gains.
When it comes to repetitions of these bodyweight exercises, it is really dependent on your goals, but if you really want to tax the muscles and increase the amount of hypertrophy (essentially, muscle growth), then it might be a good idea to complete the exercises to failure. For example, you do as many push ups as you can with proper form.
This is very stressful on the body, so you will need to take rest into account. You can split the exercises throughout the week as you like, but it is recommended to give a muscle group two days rest after working out.
A good way to do this would be to focus on one exercise per day, and make sure you leave everything on the floor of the cell (or, you know, the fluffy carpet).
Get Down and Give Me 20!
If you\’re not as interested in getting those big veiny muscles and care more about the most important muscle (spoiler alert, it\’s the heart), then this workout will be more up your street.
You can incorporate the exercises mentioned earlier, but you\’ll need about ten in total.
You\’ll want some more cardio-impacting moves in there like a jump squat, burpee, jumping jacks and running on the spot.
Once you have that list of ten, you\’ll work them into a circuit, which should look something like this:Â
- 15 Push Ups
- 15 Squats
- 100 Jumping Jacks
- 15 Burpees
- 40 Crunches
- 15 Jump Squats
- 10 Pull Ups
- 25 Bridge Raises
- 15 LungesÂ
- 1 minute of running on the spot
Then you would rest for 2-3 minutes and repeat that circuit as many times as you could. Remember, you\’re not actually in the military, so if you get dizzy or nauseous, stop immediately and take a rest.
Adjust the rest times and the reps to best suit your level of fitness–nothing puts you off exercise like regurgitation.Â
Namaste
Bodybuilding? Check. Cardiovascular Workout? Check. You\’re done, right? WRONG.
The final suggestion will be the group of exercises that are unfortunately neglected by the aching masses.
Stretching is massively important for your overall health and recovery. For some reason, the problem of avoiding stretching is primarily a male issue.
Perhaps they are embarrassed about the poses you have to take, or the erroneous notion that there\’s no real benefit.
Whatever the reason is that you don\’t take the time to stretch, what you can do is try it out.
Try it for 30 days, and see how your body feels. You will find that you\’re stronger, better able to recover and less likely to injure yourself. Also, you feel much more comfortable in general life, as the aches and pains start to disappear.
It is advised to watch somebody with experience as they stretch and follow along–there are numerous apps and videos on YouTube that will give you that for free.
Yoga is also an amazing activity that blends elements of stretching and mindfulness, it might just make you happier.Â
So there it is, a few ways to stay active during these dark days. You owe it to yourself to exercise, it is generally accepted as the closest thing we have to a wonder drug.
It will possibly make you feel a little less gloomy about everything, and if that was the only benefit, then it would make it worth the effort.Â
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