At-home strength and plyo workouts for triathletes
If your gym is closed or restricted, or you simply don't have time to get there, check out these tips for strength conditioning:
You don't need to drag yourself to the gym to get a full-body workout. You don't even need weights.
Here are some tips to get a powerful workout without spending hours in a crowded gym.
Choose exercises that work your entire body
This is one of the best tips to get a great workout. Rather than spend time doing 20 different exercises, focus on the powerful, full-body ones so that you get more rewards for the time you're spending exercising.
Here's a list of the best full-body exercises you can try:
Burpees
Burpees are very powerful, and you can burn a lot of calories with these! To do burpees:
Start by standing up straight.
Then put both of your hands on the floor in front of you while you get into a squat.
Next, kick back your feet so that you're in a push-up position.
Lower your body to do a push-up.
Jump up to return to the squat.
Now, jump up into the air as high as you can. That's one!
Pull-ups
Pull-ups work your upper body like crazy, and you can do them using a pull-up band to help you get started.
If you choose to use a band:
Loop it around the pull-up bar and then around your knees or feet to help you pull yourself up.
Hang from the pull-up bar with your palms facing out. Squeeze your glutes while keeping your shoulders back and your chest up, and pull yourself up till your chin comes just over the bar.
Lower yourself back down slowly.
Repeat as needed.
Push-ups
Push-ups are one of the best exercises because you can do them just about anywhere.
Start in a plank position.
Lower yourself down while tightening your core. You want your chest to come as close to the floor as possible. Keep your elbows close to your body.
Push yourself back up and repeat.
Step-ups
Step-ups get your heart rate up while you're working your legs and core muscles.
Stand in front of a chair, bench, box, or another elevated surface.
Step on top of it and then step back down, using the same leg.
Then repeat with the other leg.
Note: You can use the same surface to do some box jumps, which will burn lots of calories and increase your aerobic fitness.
Remember the five elements of fitness
Here they are, and you need to incorporate all of them into your full-body workout:
A warmup. This is not negotiable - you want to get your blood flowing before you start doing more challenging moves.
A cardiovascular (aerobic) workout. You can do something simple, like jumping jacks or light running.
Resistance (strength-building) exercises. This is the heart of your workout, using some of the moves that we suggest above.
Flexibility moves. These are static stretches that will gradually build your flexibility over time. You don't want to force any of these - the best way to become more flexible is to go at your own speed and not force anything. You could also use yoga poses to improve your flexibility.
A cooldown. Your muscles need time to recover, so finish with some very gentle stretching, perhaps combined with breathing exercises.
Have some fun outside
You can do any of the exercises that we recommend outside. Parks are great places to do push-ups using a bench, burpees on the grass, pull-ups on monkey bars - the only limits here are your imagination.
Working out in the outdoors has many benefits, including better air (so better sleep), lower blood pressure, reduced stress, sunshine, and a welcome diversion from staying at home!
Set a goal
It's a good idea to have a goal in mind for your workouts. Will you train for a race? Are you looking to lose a certain amount of weight?
Having a goal will keep you focused. Choose something that isn't entirely within your reach yet, but that you know you can accomplish.
Get a buddy
Research shows that we exercise more when we do it with an exercise buddy. You are more likely to follow your schedule since you won't want to let your buddy down. And working out with a buddy is more fun, so you are more apt to continue your workouts once you start. You and your buddy can also encourage each other. Look for someone who has similar goals and a similar fitness level, and get going!
Enjoy your full-body workouts!
Article provided by sports writers on behalf of Victorem resistance bands.
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Full-body strength workouts, no gym required
At-home strength and plyo workouts for triathletes
If your gym is closed or restricted, or you simply don't have time to get there, check out these tips for strength conditioning:
You don't need to drag yourself to the gym to get a full-body workout. You don't even need weights.
Here are some tips to get a powerful workout without spending hours in a crowded gym.
Choose exercises that work your entire body
This is one of the best tips to get a great workout. Rather than spend time doing 20 different exercises, focus on the powerful, full-body ones so that you get more rewards for the time you're spending exercising.
Here's a list of the best full-body exercises you can try:
Burpees
Burpees are very powerful, and you can burn a lot of calories with these! To do burpees:
Pull-ups
Pull-ups work your upper body like crazy, and you can do them using a pull-up band to help you get started.
If you choose to use a band:
Push-ups
Push-ups are one of the best exercises because you can do them just about anywhere.
Step-ups
Step-ups get your heart rate up while you're working your legs and core muscles.
Note: You can use the same surface to do some box jumps, which will burn lots of calories and increase your aerobic fitness.
Remember the five elements of fitness
Here they are, and you need to incorporate all of them into your full-body workout:
A cooldown. Your muscles need time to recover, so finish with some very gentle stretching, perhaps combined with breathing exercises.
Have some fun outside
You can do any of the exercises that we recommend outside. Parks are great places to do push-ups using a bench, burpees on the grass, pull-ups on monkey bars - the only limits here are your imagination.
Working out in the outdoors has many benefits, including better air (so better sleep), lower blood pressure, reduced stress, sunshine, and a welcome diversion from staying at home!
Set a goal
It's a good idea to have a goal in mind for your workouts. Will you train for a race? Are you looking to lose a certain amount of weight?
Having a goal will keep you focused. Choose something that isn't entirely within your reach yet, but that you know you can accomplish.
Get a buddy
Research shows that we exercise more when we do it with an exercise buddy. You are more likely to follow your schedule since you won't want to let your buddy down. And working out with a buddy is more fun, so you are more apt to continue your workouts once you start. You and your buddy can also encourage each other. Look for someone who has similar goals and a similar fitness level, and get going!
Enjoy your full-body workouts!
Article provided by sports writers on behalf of Victorem resistance bands.
Click on star to vote