While making it to the gym is ideal it isn’t always practical. Life gets in the way and exercise gets put on the back burner. But that doesn’t mean you can’t stay active! Instead of looking for the perfect environment to workout use these five exercises to stay fit, active and healthy.
Most people believe that in order to stay fit you’ve got to join a gym or take up running. While those are both great forms of activity, they’re not the only ones. With life, work and travel more often than not keeping fit gets sidelined.
Which is why bodyweight training is ideal. Not only are you using your own bodyweight as leverage but these exercises can be done anywhere! Use them individually to get the blood flowing to your muscles or pair them together to make a quick, mini circuit.
Exercise #1 Paused Squats
Squatting is a movement we use each and every day- and thus it should be trained! Squats help improve lower body strength as well as maintain a good range of motion.
Paused squats are even more challenging as at the bottom of the squat (the hardest position) you’re going to hold for three full seconds, driving the knees out, and then pushing back up to standing. This helps train your glutes which are an under-active muscle.
Exercise #2 Push Ups
Push ups are a classic exercise and a staple for anyone training using just their bodyweight. They target the entire upper body and core musculature when done correctly. They’re an ideal exercise because there are so many variations. Branch out from performing standard push ups and opt for close grip, staggered stance or inclined. Each adjustment gives your body a new stimulus.
Exercise # 3 Walking Lunges
Walking lunges are a great way to target the lower body while increasing your heart rate. If you’ve no room to walk, stick to reverse lunges making sure that you’re pulling up through the front foot.
Depending on what you’d like to target, if you lean forward slightly from your hips you’ll notice more muscle activation in the back of the legs versus staying upright and feeling the front.
Exercise # 4 Planks With Shoulder Taps
Most people are familiar with planks but this variations increases the difficulty. It requires you body to stabilize and counter the removal or a supporting limb while maintaining its position. When done properly, planks are an amazing full body exercise. Ensure you’re focusing on activating all the necessary muscles though instead of just locking the elbows and hanging out, you’ll get more bang for your buck.
Exercise #5 Glute Bridge
This exercise is crucial for anyone looking to improve their back side! The glutes are provide aid in a multitude of functions (athletic performance, preventing injury, improving posture etc) that it is key to train them. Make sure you come into a full hip extension at the top of the movement and really “squeeze the bum” in order to fully target them.
Staying active doesn’t have to be rigid or planned. If you’re busy, traveling or just can’t make it to the gym, these bodyweight exercises are perfect. Don’t opt out of being active, instead use these exercises anywhere you find yourself with a few spare minutes!
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