5 Ways to Increase the Effectiveness of Your Home Workouts
Okay, so we all are stuck at home, and while that may have thrown a wrench into your workout routine, it doesn’t have to be that way! There’s a common misconception that at home workouts are less effective, but that’s 100% FALSE. After all, the effectiveness of a workout isn’t determined by WHERE you workout but HOW you workout! Hundreds of thousands of people have hit their fitness goals while working out at home — how do you think companies like BeachBody, Peloton, & Daily Burn are so successful?! — & now you can too!
To help you continue reaching your health goals, I’ve complied a list of 5 different ways you can make sure your at home workouts keep you on track & help you INCREASE your workout’s effectiveness while the gyms are closed!
*note that each point is listed in no particular order!
1. Mobility Work
Some of us have now found ourselves with more time on our hands, so let’s use that extra time (a true gift!) to focus on our mobility work! Mobility training is often a second thought, or not even a thought at all but it is SOOOO important and will definitely translate to more effective workouts! The reason being that mobility work increases your joints range of motion (ROM), allowing your muscles & joints to move more throughout their intended range, making them stronger over time!
2. Time Under Tension
This basically means the amount of time it takes you to complete a rep - the how long your muscle is under tension/strain during a set. Change it up, play with it. Slowwwwww your sets down. Not only is this going to increase your effectiveness, but the novelty of going slow is going to help you increase your strength, as well as develop the mind-muscle connection (which will also increase your effectiveness!!)
3. Switch It Up
It’s time for a change! If you are always exercising in the 8-12 rep range, you need a new rep range (try 15-20 reps!). If you find yourself always strength training, try focusing on a different modality, such as Pilates or boxing! The novelty of new modalities, rep ranges, rest periods, etc. are going to do wonders for you, in terms of your effectiveness!
4. Focus on Form
While you should always be focused on your form, it can get ignored. So, again, use this chance to really feel each rep. Do you feel the moment in the targeted muscles? Is your core engaged? Does the rep feel the way it should? Remove the ego (i.e. the heavy weights & commercial equipment we no longer have access to), slow it down, and watch yourself in your mirror. Feel the movement & connect to the target muscles. Form is the KEY to effective workouts, a point I cannot stress this enough!
5. Get Creative with Your “Weights”
If you find yourself at home without any weights (like me), get creative with what could be used at weights. Believe it or not, but your home is filled with weighted objects that you could use as dumbbells, weight plates, or just extra resistance! Plus, using household objects as weights has a great carryover effect with functional training, which we will continue to benefit from as we age!
I’m currently using canned goods, water jugs, and Sam’s Club-sized bags of rice as weights, but you could also use water bottles, book bags or suitcases filled with objects, or even your pets! Get creative & have fun with it!
Now that you have 5 ways to increase the effectiveness of your home workouts, it’s time to put them into action! And if you’re looking for some guided home workouts, check out the YouTube playlist I put together for you!
Chat soon & keep practicing your social distancing!