The gym environment can be pretty impressive with all the latest equipment and people pumped on motivation working out on them in full gusto. But it can seem frightening to individuals who are just getting started on their fitness journey and do not have the expertise to navigate the maze of a fully equipped gym.
The excellent news is that you do not need to be a gym rat to achieve the desired effect on your body and fitness levels. Instead, you can have a much effective workout at home with a well-planned exercise protocol created based on your desired outcome. In addition, you save a lot of money, and the time you would have spent traveling to and fro from the gym.
Amanda Russell, a personal trainer from New York City, has created an exercise regimen that increases muscle recruitment through plyometric moves. These exercises increase strength and metabolic activity, helping you keep burning calories even after you are done with your workout.
This regimen needs to be performed 2 to 3 times every week. Each exercise lasts for 30 seconds with rest periods of 60 seconds between them, and each exercise is repeated three times. Each successive workout session expects you to increase the number of repetitions to ensure you get the most benefit out of it.
The following exercises are a part of this regimen:
1. Squat and Kick
- • Stand with feet shoulder-width apart
- • Put your hands behind your head
- • Squat and sit back as far as possible
- • Push back up to starting position
- • Kick with right leg forward with foot flexed
- • Bring it back to starting position
- • Repeat the same process using the left leg
- • Keep alternating between the legs for the next 30 seconds
photo: womenshealthmag.com
2. Jumping Lunge
- • Step forward with the left leg and lower into a lunge position
- • Jump up straight off the ground, swinging arms and alternating legs scissor-like mid-air, before landing back to the ground
- • Land on your right foot and get into a lunge position with the right leg stepping forward
- • This completes the first rep. Complete 4 to 5 reps at a time while increasing the reps in successive sessions.
photo: womenshealthmag.com
3. Stacked-Foot Pushup
- • Start in a push-up position and place one foot over the other such that only the toes of the foot support the weight of the whole body in touch with the ground.
- • Lower your body like you are performing a push-up until your chest is almost touching the floor
- • Hold this position for a few seconds.
- • Push back to starting position completing one rep
- • Keep repeating alternating the legs for the next 30 seconds
photo: womenshealthmag.com
Cross-Body Mountain Climber
- • Start in a push-up position with arms extended
- • Bend your left knee towards the right elbow as far as possible
- • Bring back to the starting position
- • Repeat the same steps for the right leg
- • Keep alternating between the legs at a fast pace for the next 30 seconds
photo: womenshealthmag.com
These are a few exercises that can be performed conveniently at home without the need for any equipment. Ensure you complete the appropriate warm-up before starting the workout to avoid injury and end the exercise with a cooling down period to prevent blood pooling in your legs. The regimen can be quickly completed in 15 to 20 minutes which can easily fit into any busy schedule leaving no room for excuses.
Your body is the only place you have to live in, so make sure you keep it functioning at an optimal level like a well-oiled machine to make the most of what it has to offer.
