3 Simple At-Home Workouts

With the coronavirus forcing everyone to quarantine at home, you might find yourself falling into a rut and going stir crazy. Gyms are closed, parks are off limits, and strict social distancing measures are being enforced in some areas. This disruption in routine means you may not be getting the CDC’s recommendation of 30 minutes of exercise per day. To get your heart rate up and build some muscle, we’ve compiled a list of simple workouts you can do from the comfort of your own home.

1. Street or driveway sprints

Getting into an exercise routine is one way to make your quarantine fun. If you’re looking to leave the house and get some fresh air without getting in contact with anyone, lace up a pair of your best running shoes and pound some pavement! If you have a long driveway, consider doing some spring repeats. Or, if you have a short driveway or no driveway at all, you can do some springs on your street (just watch out for cars, bikers, and pedestrians).

Doing short sprints has many proven health benefits, including:

  • The ability to lower your blood pressure
  • Helps build fast-twitch muscles that improve speed
  • Improves heart health and blood circulation
  • Increases human growth hormone production, which assists in weight loss and helps you appear younger
  • Boosts metabolism
  • Builds muscle

Some sprinting workouts you can do include:

  • 10-second sprint followed by a 30-second jog for 15 minutes
  • Sprinting between streetlights, then jogging between the next streetlight, for 20 minutes
  • 30-second sprint followed by a 30 second jog for 5 minutes, repeat 3 times

Getting out the door, catching some vitamin D, and boosting your heart rate is a great way to improve fitness and get active during quarantine. However, there are plenty of workouts you can do inside your home, too.

2. Ab circuit

Along with boosting your cardio, it’s important to build core strength as well. Your core helps you stay balanced, improves your posture, and boosts endurance. If you have access to gym equipment, such as a kettlebell, consider some of these exercises:

  • Russian twists
  • Kettlebell swings
  • Kettlebell clean and press
  • Kettlebell snatch
  • Kettlebell squats
  • Alternating shoulder press

You can turn these kettlebell exercises into a circuit, where you can do 3 sets of 10 reps of each exercise. However, you may not have access to gym equipment at home if you’re used to going to a gym in-person. If so, try the following ab circuit that doesn’t require any equipment (however, a yoga mat might help to reduce pressure on your spine, shoulders, and neck):

  • 30 seconds of ab V-ups
  • 30 seconds of bicycle kicks
  • 30 seconds of hip thrusts
  • 30 seconds of flutter kicks
  • 1-minute plank
  • 30 seconds of plank shoulder touches
  • 30 seconds of mountain climbers
  • 30 seconds of penguins
  • 30 seconds of scissor kicks
  • 1-minute plank

This six-minute ab workout is a great way to strengthen your core without the need for equipment. Plus, it’s quick and easy, and you can easily switch any ab exercise to one you prefer.

3. HIIT workout

High-intensity interval training, also known as HIIT, is a form of interval training where you complete short periods of intense anaerobic activity with light recovery periods. There are many benefits of interval training, such as increased metabolism, no need for gym equipment, and the fact that it can be performed anywhere.

There are a variety of HIIT workouts you can do, such as running, biking, and bodyweight workouts. If you’re a runner, you can do a 5-minute warm-up jog, followed by 20 seconds of all-out sprinting, followed by a 1-minute recovery jog. For bikers, you can set up a stationary bike inside your home with a bike trainer and pedal as hard as you can for 45 seconds, followed by a 1-minute and 15-second relaxed pedal, for 25 rounds.

For those looking to increase strength, you can do a bodyweight HIIT workout, such as the one below:

  • 20 pushups
  • 30 burpees
  • 50 sit-ups
  • 25 jumping jacks
  • 15 tricep dips
  • 45 jump squats
  • 20 mountain climbers

You can then repeat this activity until you’ve reached 20-minutes. To make the time go by fast, set up a Bluetooth speaker, and curate an energetic playlist that will get your blood pumping. Follow by making yourself a protein shake that helps your muscles grow and repair.

Getting to work

With these 3 at-home workouts, you’ll be able to come out of this quarantine without losing any of that fitness you’ve built. Even better, exercising is a great way to cope with anxiety that may be building up as this global pandemic continues to strengthen. From intense sprints to shredding your core, these simple at-home workouts will become your new best friend.

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