Covid & Home Training

It’s been a crazy year for me and most of you. The world shut down; some of us started to work at home in our jammies and sweats; and masks became ubiquitous. For me personally, I was forced to try out personal training sessions online that Noonan, my beloved and Chun’s adoring babe of a wife, for a long time suggested that I do for the service to the public. 

Although I saw no value what-so-ever in virtual training, I found out to my dismay that it wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be and, surprisingly, my various clients and I found it exceedingly effective and convenient. In fact, some clients have said to me that they plan to not come back to the gym once all the Covid restrictions are lifted. What made the transition from gym to virtual training so seamless is that the most important fitness equipment needed is you. From beginner level movements like wall push-ups and bridges, to super advanced moves like handstand push-ups to planches, every element from strength, to flexibility, and conditioning can be work at the convenience of home. 

So here are five things that you need for an effective home workout:

1. Your body
2. Door pull-up bar
3. Olympic Rings 
4. Physioball
5. Various colored resistance bands 

Once you have gathered your supplies, you need to think about what to include in your fitness routine. It should include three sections: strength, conditioning, and active or passive stretching.

First is the strength section:

1. Push-ups
2. Rings rows
3. Resistance band over head press
4. Pull-ups
5. Walking lunges
6. Romanian Deadlifts
7. Y-T-O’s on the physioball
8. Straight-legged band forward and lateral walks
9. Shoulder resistance band external rotations

Second is a conditioning section. I like to cluster 3 different bodyweight movements using a Tabata tempo of 20 sec on and 10 sec rest for 3-5 rounds. One go around would be considered one round. Here are few Tabata clusters I often use as a conditioning finisher with my clients:

1. Jumping Jacks + Drop Squats + Mountain Climbers
2. Buttkickers + Lateral Squats w/ground hand touches + Plank Step-outs
3. Overhead Press Jacks + Jumping Lunges + Shoulder Taps

Third is active/passive flexibility. This is generally done at the end of a workout when you are still nice and warm from your strength and conditioning, for 30-45 seconds each. I try to include movements that will counter all the sitting we have done in our homes in 2020. You can either hold or rep them out:

1. Caterpillar (Hamstring)
2. Wall Quad (Quadricep)
3. Pigeons (Glute)
4. Butterfly (Inner Thigh)
5. Scorpions (Hip Flexor)
6. Shoulder Capsule Stretch (Rear Deltoid)
7. Seated Spinal Twist
8. Side-Bending Overhead Tricep Stretch
9. Active Camel