So here it is, all the gyms, fitness centers are closed for at least 30 days. Which I think is a pretty optimistic thought. So we have no choice but to deal with it somehow.
If you're like me, the first thing that comes to mind is where the hell do I get my workouts, how do I keepso that in a month's time, it's not like an extended Christmas holiday. Apparently, none of us want that. It is certain that this will be a very challenging period and we will hope that things will improve soon and something positive will eventually blossom from 2020.
Here are at least a few tips for you to potentially stay in shape and not give up on all your fitness endeavors.
- Be active, go for regular walks, do cardio
- On the workout court, you'll work other muscles than you're used to.
- At home, you can exercise with your own weight
- Even simple stretching will help
- You really don't have to worry about muscle loss
- Rest is more important than you think
- Less exercise also means less food
- Final summary
Be active, go for regular walks, do cardio
The most important thing of all will be to stay active in some way. It doesn't matter what kind of shape it is, just make sure you go for regular walks every day.
If you're one of the lucky ones among us, you'll have some of that cardio equipment at home that you can move around on for several hours a day. You can watch your favourite movie or TV show and this situation will not affect you in any way.
You can even spice up your cardio by doing various interval exercises that weighget you out of the built-in stereotype and boost fat burning on a whole other level. Yes, I'm talking about HIIT training.You can actually practice HIIT at home. If you have a treadmill, rowing machine or even a stationary bike, you canyou can rejoice, because this equipment is perfect for home HIIT. But you don't have to be disappointed even if you don't have any such equipment at home.
For example, a jump rope or a combination of some challenging exercises will do the trick.such as jumping jacks , running in place and other options.
On the workout court, you'll work other muscles than you're used to.
Have you ever tried a proper workout on an outdoor workout court? Haven't you? Well, that's a mistake. I definitely recommend you to at least go there during this time of the year and try out how you will react to such a workout.
If you're not used to using a trapeze during your workout, trust that you 'll feel muscles you didn't even know you had.
Few people can appreciate the possibilities that such a workout course offers. It can improve your fitness, strength and even muscle mass tremendously. For example, try different variations of push-ups, pull-ups, you can effectively exercise your abs, biceps, back and your whole body at the same time.
Don't hesitate to look online for the nearest workout playground near you and run to try it out. You won't regret it.
At home, you can exercise with your own weight
When creating a quality home workout, we can't leave out something like just exercises with your own weight. Build a full body workout from basic exercises such as push-ups, crunches, squats or lunges. It is a great advantage if you have a built-in trapeze bar at home as well, this opens up a lot more exercises to exercise your whole body. In fact, with all of the exercises mentioned , you can engage a whole bunch of muscles all over your body.
Home gym: 21 handy tools and equipment
If you're a more experienced exerciser, bodybuilder or competitor, this workout probably won't do you any good, I I'm not a fan of self weight exercises myself, but it's still definitely better than doing nothing at all.
Plus, if you're not that fit and are more of a beginner, this will be like a found treasure for you. It will improve your fitness, strength, and you will have more muscles. But of course, you still can't forget about eating well and resting.
Even simple stretching will help
Be honest with yourself and ask yourself, how many times have you done a good, quality stretch this year? If you answered that not even once, it's a big mistake.
Experienced, advanced athletes know how beneficial stretching can beI myself do it regularly after every workout on the areas I've just worked out. It's also great to incorporate stretching on days off when you have plenty of time and can do it from the comfort of home. This time is absolutely perfect for stretching, I recommend incorporating it after either cardio or self weight training or you can even just do the so called "bodyweight" workout. Stretching day, where you will stretch for 30 minutes.
If you take stretching really honestly and focus on maximizing muscle sensation, you canyou can keep your muscles alert, they'll be full, hard, beautifully rested even in this long period. After regular stretching, you'll see how you'll have more strength, you'll be able to give the muscle enoughto engage the muscle during exercise, which will lead to better muscle gains. It's definitely worth a try.
You really don't have to worry about muscle loss
A perfectly common thing I hear from people is that they are afraid of losing muscle. Even if they haven't worked out in just 7 days, they think they've lost all their muscle and their efforts have come to nothing. That is, of course, complete nonsense.
The only thing that will happen to your muscles is that they will look smaller due to the depletion of glycogen stores, in short they will not be needed in your muscles. But that doesn't mean we lose those muscles. As soon as you start exercising again after a long period of time and eat a proper carbohydrate meal, the muscles will fill up again and it will be practically the same as before.
30 days is a long time, and in that time you can actually lose someof muscle mass, but that's only if you do absolutely nothing at all. If you try to load the muscles in different ways, in short, improvise, you don't have to worry about any losses. And even if you do, health is much more important, and that is the main thing in this time of crisis.
Moreover, it is well known that there is a so-called muscle memory. Thanks to this muscle memory, you can regain lost muscles (due to illness or a long break) many times faster than the first time.
Rest is more important than you think
Don't be afraid to rest. It is rest that is more important than you think. I'm sure someone has had the experience of being so tired from training in the gym that they want to quit everything.
So you can think of these 30 days as a kind of unplanned but desirable rest during which you' ll be mentally and physically rested and able to hit the ground running again, leading to a new wave of motivation and energy.
Do the improvisational exercises, the regular movement mentioned above, and get enough rest to reboot. Fitness centers and gyms aren't going anywhere.
Less exercise also means less food
It is important to consider whether you are achieving the same amount of physical activity as before in this time of emergency. For most people, this will mean much less exercise, which is logical, of course. But in doing so, your body doesn't need as much energy, so you should at least reduce by a littleyour caloric intake so that you don't gain unnecessary extra fat in 30 days.
Unfortunately, I can't tell you here how much you should reduce your caloric intake or if at all. This is a completely individual matter, but for most people it should be enough to eat so called "by feel" mainly good quality and healthy foods. See how your body reacts to certain food intake and you can add or remove food accordingly. This is where our article on how to set up the best weight loss diet might help you.
Final summary
Extraordinary times call for extraordinary changes in our behavior. However, it is important to understand why these measures are necessary and it is important to respect and follow them. We only have one health and that is the most important thing.
If you follow these simple tips, you don't have to worry about losing fitness, strength or muscle mass within 30 days. On the contrary, this break may even help us. At the very least, it will force us to think in a different way and come up with different improvisational techniques that will help us in the future.
Remember that rest is important, respect all precautions and when everything passes, we will again rush to the gyms completely full of energy and new motivation.
More articles like this:
Why can you trust us?
Bodybuilding competitor, editor of the online magazine SvětFitness.cz, member of the Police of the Czech Republic. These are all words you could use to describe me. But most of all I consider myself a bodybuilder, bodybuilding is a life path for me, a life dream.
I've been working out in the gym since I was 14 years old, the beginnings were very difficult and I've heard a lot of thingsI did it wrong at first, I prepared myself, I ate myself and I also invented my own workouts, all for many years. As time went on, I improved my knowledge of nutrition, training and supplementation, tried what worked best for me and kept finding out new information.