The number of people involved in sports is growing steadily. An active lifestyle is becoming fashionable every day. Morning jogging, skiing in winter, cycling in summer, visiting fitness centers - a person himself chooses a convenient activity according to his taste and wallet.
What about home workouts? Is it possible to train at home? Or is systematicity, efficiency and motivation the destiny of group training? We'll figure out!
Benefits of Fitness at Home
Before proceeding directly to “home fitness”, we will describe its advantages.
- Saving
The effectiveness of classes is determined by their regular basis. At least a couple of days, and ideally three a week, should be devoted to fitness. Not everyone will be able to systematically pay for sports subscriptions! If you were wondering how much it costs to go to the gym, you were probably unpleasantly disappointed by the high cost (especially in big cities). And home classes are absolutely free.
- Independence
The student chooses the time and mode himself. Morning, afternoon, evening, weekdays, weekends, a full training complex, working on a separate problem area - is determined by personal desire and the availability of free time. Here you are your own boss (or mistress:)
- Psychological aspect
Group classes are out of the comfort zone for many. Elementary embarrassment plays a big role. Let's not deceive each other - often, the desire to go in for sports is dictated by dissatisfaction with one's appearance. And home conditions allow you to focus on results without being distracted by imaginary shortcomings.
Tips for training at home
The effectiveness of physical activity depends on a number of factors.
- Systematicity
Regular training will help you achieve the desired result. Without this there will be no result! If you give up, all your achievements will be nullified.
- A smart approach to starting
You need to become an “athlete” wisely. Start small: you don’t need to take on everything at once, increase the load gradually. No one expects records from you, and you should think about your health!
- The correct start and end of self-training
Strength training at home should begin with a warm-up, which includes stretching and cardio exercises. And it’s better to end physical activity with relaxation: a two-minute rest in “shavasana” or “dead man’s pose” will consolidate the result.
- Planning
Develop the most convenient training plan: an hour-long approach several times a week or a fifteen-minute set of exercises every day. Having a chart like this in front of you is stimulating! We recently wrote about how important it is to take the training process seriously in the article “Three pitfalls on the path to an ideal figure,” read it.
Build muscle
Problem
: you are unhappy with your appearance, your body looks weak, unathletic and sluggish, and your figure looks a little blurry.
Goal
: build muscle and strengthen the muscle corset.
Solution
: Strength training combined with agility exercises.
Weight lifting, weight training, wrestling, snowboarding, soccer, basketball and weighted aerobics - whatever your doctor allows. Effect
: due to intense training, excess fat will disappear and be replaced by strong muscles, their volume will increase, the body will become better defined, and you will be stronger. In addition, you will strengthen your bones and joints and begin to feel better about your body. And agility exercises will improve your sense of balance.
A set of exercises at home for different muscle groups
What exercises to do at home? Pay attention to problem areas, which are often the stomach, thighs, buttocks, and arms (in the triceps area). The best effect will be obtained by alternating aerobic and strength exercises. The first ones are effective in the form of aerobics with dance elements, or jumping on a step platform. An exercise bike or ellipse would also be a good option here. The effect can be diversified and enhanced by using additional sports equipment: dumbbells, weights, fitball, weights for arms or legs.
Come out of hibernation
Home fitness
Can't go to the gym?
Study the headings “Where to start” and “Instead of the gym” in the “Movement” section. You will learn how to perform exercises, keep your pulse, warm up and stretch. And our video fitness course will help you stay in good shape - both with and without the use of various equipment. Problem
: you sit in the office a lot, move around the city by car or public transport and don’t go anywhere.
Goal
: start moving more and loosen up.
Solution
: cardio exercises and sports games - tennis, cycling, football, volleyball, basketball.
Effect
: more energy, better sleep. Body tissues receive more oxygen, blood circulation increases, muscles tighten, coordination is restored, reaction speed and complexion improve. Play sports train large muscle groups, and a single game always lasts longer than 20 minutes, the minimum recommended by doctors for cardio exercise. And if during exercise your heart rate is in the fat-burning heart rate zone, you can lose weight and shape your figure.
A home workout program for weight loss can be as follows:
- alternating strength and aerobic exercise during one workout;
- separation of aerobic and strength training by day.
How to remove belly fat?
“I can’t lose weight after giving birth,” “I want a sculpted tummy,” “How to get in shape?” Sound familiar? The stomach and buttocks are two stumbling blocks for many girls. I want to remove the first one, and I want to make the second ones elastic and give them shape. Yes, you can torture yourself with diets and healthy eating, but you can’t do without physical activity. Muscles should always be in good shape. And that's a fact. You will never achieve results on a diet alone!
Physical activity – what is it and for whom?
Physical activity can be divided into the following classification:
- Professional. This category includes all athletes who have chosen a sports career. These are football players, hockey players, champions of various categories, as well as those who are just starting to enter this field, but have been training according to a special system since childhood.
- Amateur. These are physical activities that people prefer as entertainment or to maintain physical fitness and health.
- Periodic. This type can include any movements performed during the day - climbing stairs, long walks, lifting heavy things. They are carried out unsystematically, so sometimes they do more harm than good. For example, if an untrained person unloads and lifts a refrigerator to the 9th floor, this will damage him.
Thus, physical activity occurs daily. But if you have never played sports, then you need to decide where to start accustoming your body to exercise.
First of all, you need to choose the type of activity - professional or amateur:
- The first ones are suitable for young people. Usually athletes are trained from childhood, the child is sent to a section. There, experienced trainers will prescribe a training system, focusing on your level of training and strength. In this matter, it is necessary to rely on the opinion of professionals. You can also do some preliminary preparation. For example, before you send your children skiing, teach them how to ski. You can start with 10-15 minutes, and then cover kilometer distances together.
- Amateur sports for beginners mean signing up for a sports section (dance sports, football, martial arts), purchasing a gym membership or doing independent exercises at home, for example, practicing yoga or morning jogging.
Here's an example of effective training for sculpted abs
It consists of only five simple elements. The complex is designed taking into account the development of all abdominal muscles: upper, lower abs and oblique muscles. We don't need cubes in only one part of the tummy, do we? Everything should be beautiful and symmetrical! It is recommended to do the complex daily.
- Crunches
Twisting can be straight, lateral, or reverse.
- first - from the position “lying down, legs bent at the knees” we raise the upper body - the upper abs work;
- the second - the same thing, but at the same time we bend our knees and reach for it with the opposite elbow - the oblique abdominal muscles are involved;
- third - we pull our knees towards ourselves and lift our buttocks - we work out the lower abs.
- 2 Lower limb raises
We do this lying on our back. If you have a horizontal bar or wall bars at home, we perform lifts hanging on the crossbar, this is much more effective! The lower press is involved. An additional effect will be added by the “scissors” element when raising and lowering the legs or a fitball clamped by the calves of the legs.
- "Half Birch"
We strengthen the previous element by lifting the buttocks and lower back. The upper press is connected to the work. We perform the exercise lying on our back, placing our arms along the body.
- "Boat"
From the “sitting” pose, we tear off the limbs by stretching them. We try to stay on our buttocks.
- "Bike"
We spin the bike while lying on our back. The upper body is in the air, rhythmically tilting the elbows towards the opposite knee. All abdominal muscles are worked. A very effective exercise. Want more effect? Use leg weights.
How to pump up your thighs and butt?
Moving on, let's look at the lower body. Firm buttocks and thighs are the ultimate dream of many girls. The secret is simple - movement. Walking, running, ignoring the elevator - and your butt will become toned. A ten-minute home exercise to pump up your hips and buttocks won’t hurt either.
- Squats
Numerous selfies of pseudo-fit people with endless squat exercises on Instagram are already pretty boring. But the fact remains that this is the main exercise for this purpose. It is effective to squat from the “feet shoulder-width apart” position. To pump up the lower body in a squat, keep your back straight and your toes straight. When lowering, we seem to sit down on a chair. We take our butt back and tense it. Of course, at home you will not have a barbell to throw it over your shoulders, but this is not required. If you need weight, use a fitball or weights.
Under no circumstances should we tilt our body forward when lifting! Otherwise, a lot of stress will fall on your back and lower back, and we don’t need that.
A squat with widely spaced lower limbs, where in addition to the buttocks, the hips work, is effective.
- Lunges
From the “standing” position, bend your leg at the knee and transfer your body weight to it. We take the other leg back. We change sides. You can strengthen the element with additional loads in the form of dumbbells.
- Swing your legs
Different positions are applicable: lying on your side (up), standing (sideways), on all fours (we move the leg as far back as possible and straighten it). It is necessary to cover all sides with swings.
- Butt lift
Lie on your back, bend your legs at the knee joints and lift your lower body. Several variations of the exercise are possible:
- feet shoulder width apart;
- legs together;
- the foot of one leg on the knee of the other.
Doing the training every day will make your butt firm and toned, and your legs beautiful.
How to organize your workout space
Very often, people's sporting impulses are destroyed by an unsettled life. It seems like you want to work out, but when you think that your family will trip over the dumbbells, the desire immediately disappears.
To begin, select a small part of the room. Lay a rubber mat on the floor: it will protect your laminate if something heavy falls.
You should not use special floor coverings in apartments: mobile mats are more convenient, and if necessary, they are easy to hide. To decorate the walls you need to choose a good washable paint.
Tip from Flatplan
There should not be a lot of furniture in the sports corner. Small cabinets or shelves for towels and equipment can be placed on the walls. This will save space for training.
gophersport.com
It would be great if there was a place for a mirror. It will help control the correctness of the exercises and fuel the excitement when the reflection begins to change for the better.
Even if such a sports corner doesn’t fit into your apartment now, perhaps you should look at your usual environment in a new way and change something. And no, we do not suggest painting the walls in the bedroom with anti-vandal paint and installing a treadmill instead of a bed. The guys from Flatplan will help you arrange your apartment so that you can live in it comfortably and spend your free time as you like.
Flatplan is a service where you can get a design project, an estimate and a step-by-step repair plan for a fixed price. First, you take a test on the site, then meet with the designer and discuss the details. You can ask for a non-slip floor or additional sound and heat insulation of the walls: the complexity of the project and the area of the room do not matter. The price of the design project will still be 29,900 rubles.
How to strengthen your back and arms?
Weight loss challenges are not enough. Typically, people who have problems with excess weight suffer from a concomitant illness - osteochondrosis. Only a strong spine is the basis of health. And pumped up triceps and biceps always attract attention. Especially if it concerns males.
To strengthen your back and arms, the next portion of movements is perfect:
- From the “lying on your stomach” pose, we stretch our arms, raise them together with straight legs and make slow swinging movements.
- Push-ups performed both from the knees and on straight legs.
- Rolls on your back in different directions.
- Bending and extension of arms from different positions with weights in the form of dumbbells or weights.
- Reverse push-ups: sit with your back to the support, bend your legs and, resting your hands on the support, raise and lower your body.
The most effective position is the plank, which strengthens all muscle groups. Both plank variations are effective: straight and side. On the Internet you can easily find photos and videos of this seemingly simple, but in fact quite difficult and very effective exercise.
List of programs that you can learn on your own
At home you can:
- Practice yoga. To do this, you need video lessons with detailed descriptions of asanas.
- Learn the dance. Videos on the Internet will help with lesson developments. Go through them step by step in front of the mirror.
- Do push-ups and pull-ups. Suitable for men who want to strengthen their trapezius, deltoids, and arms.
- Run. If there is a park, stadium or forest near your home, then you can go jogging at any time.
