by: Maria Graft, Nutrition and Healthy Living Coach
Strength training may conjure up visions of body building gyms. The fact is there are many more options for where to work out including your home, hotel rooms, and parks.
So ditch the excuses and tonne your muscles and build up your bones anytime and anywhere!
Select weights you can use at home.
- ✴ Gyms full of fancy equipment offer variety, but you can get an adequate workout on a much more modest scale.
- ✴ Shop for all-in-one weight stations that take up little space. Even just a bench and an adjustable barbell or dumbbell will give you a full workout.
Make your own weights.
- ✴ Substitute ordinary household objects for store-bought weights.
- ✴ Fill empty water bottles with sand, unused kitty litter, or any liquid, and use them for shoulder presses.
- ✴ Do bicep curls using books.
Designate an exercise area in your home.
- ✴ Whatever equipment you pick, set aside an area for your workout.
- ✴ You’ll soon find that just being there will condition you to getting down to business.
Warm up and cool down.
- ✴ Remember to take time to prepare yourself for your workout and cool off afterwards.
- ✴ This will help prevent injuries.
- ✴ Walking or performing your usual exercises minus the weights are two good options.
Increase your load gradually.
- ✴ You may not have anyone available to spot you when you’re at home.
- ✴ Stick to weights that you can handle easily on your own.
Use good form.
- ✴ Proper form is another essential for avoiding accidents.
- ✴ Imagine you’re pressing your navel against your back and take full breaths while you move.
Schedule rest time
- ✴ Muscles repair and grow in the interval between workouts.
- ✴ Make sure to schedule days of rest. You may want to engage in other activities or target a different body part during those times.
Consult a personal trainer.
- ✴ Working with a personal trainer may help you stay on track.
- ✴ You could make it an ongoing arrangement or a limited consultation to design an appropriate program.
Strength Training Without Weights
Perform exercises that use your own body weight.
✴ Some of the toughest exercises depend on your body weight alone. See how challenging push-ups, pull-ups, and dips can be.
Discover the strength-training benefits of ordinary activities.
• ✴ You may be strength-training without realizing it. Taking a walk and pushing a vacuum add up.
Engage your mind.
• ✴ Mental concentration makes any exercise more effective. Think of how well-toned the average yoga teacher looks.
Try These Types of Strength Training Without Weights
YOGA
PILATES
TAI CHI
Many poses require you to support your own body weight. Pilates has many similar effects as Yoga. Visit a studio or teach yourself at home with a book or video. Tai chi is yet another activity that builds strength and coordination. Your balance will also improve as underused muscles get called into action. As an added benefit, it’s particularly well- suited to older people or if you’re recovering from injuries. You can get a robust workout without placing any great strain on your joints.
Visit your local park
Enjoy the great outdoors. Many facilities have workout circuits where you can pause in your walk to do some push- ups. You may also be able to do dips using the bars in the children’s playground. Look around and be creative.
maria graft 