Did Quarantine Kill Your Workout Routine?

Did quarantine not only kill your social life, but your workout routine as well? You're not alone. With Summertime fast approaching, so many people are wondering how to work on their summer bodies, while staying safe and out of the gym. There is no better time to create an at-home workout plan! Trying to figure out how to create an at-home workout plan sound daunting?

Everyone has been doing their best to adapt to the new "normal", picking up new hobbies or taking advantage of the extra free time to sharpen their current ones. Many fitness beginners have either found a new pastime of working out at-home, while some fitness enthusiasts are trying to figure out how to adapt their old gym plans and create an at-home workout plan to get them through quarantine. Is that even possible to get a great workout at home?

Why There's No Better Time to Start an At-home Workout Plan!

Can you get a workout comparable to your gym from the convenience of your own home? Absolutely! Ask any trainer and 99% of them will tell you that you can get a great workout anywhere. People will say time and lack of equipment is the biggest barrier, but now more than ever is the perfect time to create your at-home workout plan! Many are taking advantage of this quarantine by finally doing that one thing they've been telling themselves .

The Benefits of Making Your Own At-home Workout Plan

Building an at-home workout plan to stick to is at the top of the list for many of us. Research shows that it takes three weeks to form a new hobby, so why not use this downtime to our advantage by getting on that workout routine we've always said we would but never had "time" for? Here are a few reasons why there is no better time to create an at-home workout routine:

  • Endorphins: Quarantine has us all in a bit of blues, and studies correlate regular physical activity with decreased anxiety and depression and increased feeling of happiness and overall wellness. So, why not take a little natural mood-booster when we could all use it these days!
  • Social Distancing: Let's face it, we're all dealing with a bit of uncertainty right now with state guidelines and not knowing how long stay-at-home orders will last. When things will go back to pre-quarantine life, no one knows for sure, but sitting back and waiting for the gym to reopen and letting all your months or years of hard work go down the drain is not worth it- especially when progress can be done from the comfort of your own home!
  • Health: Yes, some states and even some gyms have begun opening up, again, but many don't feel safe to go to a  busy gym just yet. We don't know how long the pandemic will last, but you certainly don't have to put your fitness on hold till it does. Especially when there are countless options for us all to get a good workout at home or outside.
  • Save Money: This Pandemic has many people worrying about finances. Financial experts have said one of the things most people waste their money on are unused (or seldom used) gym memberships. How many of us can relate to getting a brand new gym membership in January, only to not use it to the capacity we hoped we would? With so many fitness influencers and gurus saying they've made the majority of their progress working out at home. Now more than ever, you don't have to break the bank to be in the best shape of your life!
  • Personalized Fitness:  Programs like Beachbody and OpenFit have rendered users great results, while some people struggle with really getting into the gym because of not knowing what to do there or not feeling the most comfortable working out with people around (which is totally okay, and more common than you think). So many people delay getting into fitness because they're not ready to go to the gym "just yet". Fitness looks different for everyone. For some that's 5 days a week at the gym, for some that's mountain biking in nature, and for some that Pilates and yoga at home. The goal is to find what fitness is for you!
  • Regression: Most can probably agree that the last two months have been the most sedentary most of us have ever been. So many of us are aching for things to open back up so we can get moving again (literally). That does not need to happen! Summer is coming and time to implement an-at home workout plan. Why wait till things are "back to normal" to do things for yourself? There's no better time than the present to make decisions to make you feel good about yourself and improve.

Create Your Own At-home Workout Plan in 3 Simple Steps!

Creating your own personalized plan really is not that difficult. It seems like all the big YouTube fitness influencers are all coming with new workout plans they can sell to their followers for a huge profit. The truth is, coming up with a plan that works for your life, gets you progress, and that you can be consistent with does not take an exercise physiologist. What many of the fitness gurus, models, and celebrities we look to for fitness advice won't tell is they do not follow a one-size-fits all plan to get in top shape. They have specified plans for them geared towards their goals, their time convenience, and their current fitness level.

Creating Your Own At-home Workout Plan Can Be Simple!

That is essentially what a fitness trainer's job is, to use their knowledge on exercises and fitness to design us plans tailored to our goals, convenience, and abilities. Nowadays with social media platforms we have access to all the information to strategically design a plan. With videos to follow for fun and fresh exercises, information on how to target the muscle groups and quick workouts for days we're short on time.

Okay, okay… so, you're pumped to incorporate some at-home workout to your quarantine, but where do you begin? We've got you, here are the three simple questions we need to keep in mind to begin designing your own at-home workout plan:

1: Your Goals!

Just like most things in life, in order to get results you need a goal in mind. Do you want to become a faster runner? Looking to burn fat? Want to tone up your abs? Need to increase your upper body strength? No matter the fitness goal, it can fall into one of (or multiple) of these four categories:

  • Muscle Building (Gain Mass)
  • Fat Loss (Get Lean)
  • Muscle maintenance (Build Strength)
  • Endurance Training (Athletic Performance)

Want to Find Out Which Will Work Best for Your Fitness Goals?

Be Smart and Realistic When You Create Your At-home Workout Plan!

In order to begin devising a plan you must first decide where you want to get, physically. Then do the research on the best workout to target that goal. Experiment with the workouts and find out what's fun, effective, and consistently doable for you.

Here is a great video that elaborates more on how to design a plan with your specific goal in mind.

2: Your Schedule- How Often and For How Long Would You Like to Workout on A Consistent Basis?

Let's face it, the sad truth is that no matter how amazing of a workout plan you have mapped out, you'll never get the results you want if you don't do it! That is why trainers CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH, start with something doable for you and your life that you CAN stick to consistently. It's like all things health, any nutritionist will tell you the WORST way to reach your health goal is to go on an unrealistic fad diet. All success is consistently doing the small things, everyday.

A good way to think about it if you are a beginner to working out at-home is, one day on, followed by one rest day. That way you can motivate yourself to work out one day, knowing you won't have to tomorrow if you do! If you're already consistently active then choose the schedule that has worked for you. That is the beauty of at-home fitness CONVENIENCE!

Here are some helpful videos to consider in designing your schedule!

3:  What Will Each of Your Training Days Look Like?

Lastly, you need to think about what a workout or training day will look like for you? This might be the scary part for you, but, DON'T WORRY! We've got you covered. It really is not as complicated as you might think. Simply put, a training day can be anywhere from 2 exercises per muscle group.

What Muscle Groups to Think About When Building Your At-home Workout Plan?

There are 6 main muscle groups: Leg/Glutes, Shoulders, Back, Chest, Biceps, Triceps and Abs.

So, a training day for your at-home workout can be- Legs/Glutes and Chest- 2 exercises each muscle group, 10 sets, 20 reps (just a simplistic example!). If your goal is endurance training or fat loss, you could do HIIT workouts on your training days. Again, MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU, your goals, and the schedule you have laid out for yourself.  But, you get it, it does not have to be complicated.

There are TONS of fun infographic image demonstrations and videos of at-home workouts for endurance training, fat loss, HIIT, and weightlifting  to target those muscle groups with MINIMAL EQUIPMENT that  you can find all over YouTube, Google, Pinterest, and Instagram. Here are a few fun examples:

Let's Talk Reps and Sets!

  • How many exercises per muscle group? REMEMBER, a training day can look anywhere from 2-5 (recommended) exercises per muscle group, depending on you.
  • Last thing to remember is the amount of sets and reps will get you to reach your goals!

How Many Sets Should I Aim for?

Again, this is very personal to you. The simplistic answer is usually (not including a warm-up) 3 to 5 sets per exercise.

How Many Sets Should I Do?

  • It depends on the amount of weight you are working with but usually 1-5 sets are for strength and maintenance. And 6-12 sets are for muscle building, and endurance training/ fat burning is 15+ sets.

How Many Reps Should I Aim For?

  • Again, this depends on your strength and conditioning level (beginner, intermediate, advanced).
    • A good rule of thumb is 8 to 10 reps per set when starting out. You can increment more depending on your comfort level, and goal.
  • Reps can vary, depending on the weight you are lifting and your level of proficiency.

Most Importantly, Personalize It To Yourself!

When you're at home it is easy not to do your workout. So, it is most important to make it something you can and won't be daunted  to do regularly, especially in the beginning of your at-home workout plan!

This video goes into detail and the science behind  engineering the exercises  and calculating the sets and reps for each one!

Now Go Start Your Own Personalized At-home Workout Plan!

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