EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT AT HOME TRAINING
BY COACH FIONA KENNEDY AND CECILE CARSTEN
Many people use the excuse for not having access to a gym as a reason why they can not exercise.
Well friends that is not a valid excuse anymore. Luckily there are so many great (and not so great) exercise tools to use at home and even to travel with.
Yes depending on your goal and fitness level, at some point you might need more than these bits and bobs but it's perfect for getting you started and if really needed, a good substitute from your regular training.
When shopping for fitness equipment, just as with clothing, there are so many brands. More expensive does not mean it's going to make you stronger or lose fat faster. At the end of the day you have to use it, REGULARLY!
GO-TO AT HOME TRAINING EQUIPMENT
This equipment is from the point of view for people who want to improve their strength, build a little bit of muscle, shed some body fat, give them a ‘toned’ look and improve their overall fitness. A combination of these 5 pieces of equipment (or some of them) would give you endless options to train for the aforementioned goals. Each of them definitely compliments the other.
TRX or Suspension Trainer
There are many models/brands. It consists of a sturdy anchor point with two straps and a handle at each end of these straps. The length of the straps is adjustable. Be aware that you get 2 types of anchors. One which you will be able to hook on a door or even a tree (probably best for at home training/travel with) and one which you will have to anchor on a wall. The suspension trainer is strong enough to hold your own body weight as you will be working against your own body weight.Suspension trainers are very versatile. The exercise selection is endless for the upper body, lower body and core. Most of the exercises can be adapted for any fitness level. Because of the design, the muscle recruitment is high and it allows you to work more than one muscle group at a time with a big emphasis on core and balance.
Depending how you structure the workout (amount of repetitions, rest periods and exercise selection), you should notice improvement in strength, some muscle gains and overall endurance
Before buying:
Make sure you know how you will anchor it and if you are going to anchor it against the wall that it will support your weight and wear and tear. Also check the maximum weight it can handle.
Adjustable dumbbell set
Dumbbells are also very versatile and depending on the weight of dumbbells you use, you can make some serious strength and muscle gains. Our advice would be to go for an adjustable dumbbell set which means instead of having 2 x 5 kg and 2 x 10 kg and 2 x 20 kg (6 different pieces), you would have 2 dumbbells which you would be able to adjust the weight to. When your goal is to get stronger and to build some muscle, you have to remember our bodies adapt to any stimulus we place on it. One way of progressing is to increase the weight you use. Therefore instead of having to buy a new set of dumbbells every time you get stronger it would be handy and less expensive to have an adjustable set.
Before buying:
Check the maximum amount of weight you would be able to adjust it to. I would suggest to go for at least 20 kg
Kettlebells
A ball of steel with a handle. Again, very versatile in the sense that you can use them to improve your strength and cardio endurance depending on how you structure the workouts. Adding one or two heavy kettlebells to your home gym with the set of adjustable dumbbells will give you enough options to increase to weights which will challenge especially your lower body to become stronger and build some muscles. Because our lower body muscles are bigger and naturally stronger, the weights we use to train our lower body should (normally) be heavier compared to our upper body.
Before buying:
They tend to be pricier. Therefore if you are a beginner with strength training, you will be ok with just a set of dumbbells or 1 heavier kettlebell. For women we would suggest at least 12 kg and for men at least 16 kg.
Your own body
The human body is this amazing structure of different systems working together. Some of these are the respiratory (lungs)-; cardiovascular (heart)-; skeletal (bones)-; muscular (muscles) systems. Although these systems are used daily, exercise can make these structures work optimally if we put extra stimuli in a controlled and progressive manner, leading them to adapt to these new stressors such as exercising. In many cases, especially with a beginner, by trying to move your own body weight is enough of a stressor to start with.
Before buying:
Oh wait, you can’t buy these! You already have one! Better take good care of it!
Elastic Bands
Bands are very versatile and perfect to travel with. Elastic bands are available in various lengths. Longer bands are normally used for upper body or full body exercises and the shorter bands for leg or glute exercises. Bands are also available in different resistance levels
Before buying:
Ensure you know the bands length and resistance and for which exercises you will mostly use it
WHAT TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN TRAINING AT HOME?
A key principle of training and especially strength training is the principle of progressive overload. This refers to the gradual increase of stress placed upon the body which forces the body to adapt to a tension that is above and beyond what it has previously experienced.
One of the methods to apply progressive overload is to increase the weight you use for a specific exercise. With at home training that might not always be possible as you will not have access to heavier weights at home.
So in order to keep your at home workouts as effective as possible, you have to know how to allow for progressive overload without having access to heavy weights.
4 WAYS TO PROGRESS AT HOME WORKOUTS / MAKE AT HOME WORKOUTS HARDER?
1. Using volume
Increase the reps / sets / duration of each exercise
For example:
Instead of doing 12 repetitions increase your reps to 15 or even 20
Instead of doing 3 rounds of exercises you can do 4 or 5
Instead of doing an exercise for 30 s, increase it to 45 s or 60 s
2. Decrease the rest time between exercises /sets
For example
Instead of resting 60-90 s between exercises you can rest only 30 s between exercises or keep the rest to an minimum
3. Increasing the time under tension
Normally one way of increasing the intensity of an exercise would be to increase the weight that you are using - but if you are training at home you might not have access to heavier weights.
However by increasing the time a muscles is under tension, it will also make the exercise a bit harder. There are a few techniques to increase the time the muscles is under tension and we have outline them below in video format
a) Increasing tempo
b) Rest Pause
c) Pause 3 - 5s
d) 1 1/2 reps
e) Iso holds 30 - 60s
f) Increasing the range of motion
Note that these methods can also be used when you are training in a gym
Watch the videos to see a demonstration of each.
We used a split squat in all the demonstrations, however you can apply these methods with various other exercises such as lunges, squats, glute bridges and even some upper body exercises such as push ups and chest presses. You can use these methods with own body exercises as well as with the weights you have available
4. Plyometrics
Plyometrics used to be called jump training. If you think back of being a kid and having fun skipping, jumping and hoping - plyometric exercises mimic those dynamic and power movements
CONCLUSION
In summary, training at home can be a good alternative if you do not have access to a gym. We have highlighted ways in which you can progress an at home workout to challenge yourself more. However, with this in mind, with every training program whether its a gym based exercise schedule or an at home plan there will come a point whereby your body will have adapted to changes you have made and you will reach a plateau. Having a coach or trainer either online or in person is always a great option if feasible as they will have the knowledge and expertise in which to alter and adapt your schedule so that you continue to make progress. In light of recent times we encourage you to stay active, keep moving your body whether it's at home, outside or at the gym. It is extremely important that we try to maintain and preserve good health as much as we possibly can.