Exercise Advice on Lockdown

Being inside clearly limits the number of steps you can achieve in a day

Closure of gyms means home exercise is a must

We can change this situation into one where we come out fitter, leaner and stronger after the lock down

So how do we go about doing this?

If you and family are symptom free then it makes 100% sense to get out for a daily walk or run – we don’t know if this privilege will continue as in Italy, Spain and other countries this has stopped for now

Tip 1. Get outside for a good walk or run once per day. Maintain a proper distance when running even if you have to stop or slow down.

Staying fit indoors;

This will depend on what exercise equipment you have. However, if you don’t’ have anything you can have a great workout just with your body weight.

Some great resources for this include;

  • Insanity fitness
  • Convict conditioning
  • Pilates
  • Youtube – plenty on here, almost too much this guy's a great motivator

It’s vital to make a weekly plan and stick to it if you get 80% done then you are winning.

Your exercise choices will depend on your goals. If you want to get ripped in the next 10-12 weeks then you can adopt some of the eating principles outlined here.

Don’t train too hard if you are feeling unwell.

Here’s an example planner for someone newer to exercise;

  • MON = Online yoga + walk
  • TUES = Bodyweight circuits or you can opt for something more low key, but challenging. Like Pilates. Mix one day hard with one day lower intensity).
  • WEDS = Pilates + walk / jog
  • THURSDAY = Walk/rest day
  • FRIDAY = Bodyweight circuits + walk
  • SAT = Yoga / pilates (or both)
  • SUN = Random session = challenge yourself

If you are already fit, have home exercise equipment, or fancy an advanced style of training your week might look like this:

These options are also good if you are not currently allowed out due to self-isolating;

  • MONDAY = Max cardio conditioning (Insanity version 1) PM: back and biceps
  • TUESDAY = Max interval plyo (Insanity version 1) PM: convict conditioning bridge practice
  • WEDNESDAY = Max interval circuit (Insanity version 1) PM: old school abs circuit
  • THURSDAY = Rest, foam roller and walking
  • FRIDAY = Pure strength convict conditioning style working on handstands
  • SATURDAY = Body weight circuit
  • SUNDAY = Walk, yoga, pilates

So, the key things to remember;

  • Try to do something planned and harder work along with something which involves movement or stretching later on in the day.
  • Get the 1st session in the bank cause then the rest of your day will go well on the back of the refreshing experience and endorphin lift which exercise gives to us.
  • Keep it simple
  • Map out your week
  • Stick to the routine (getting 80% success is great)!

If you want a more mono style of workout you can do something like the following;

  • Download a timer, e.g. Gym Boss.
  • Set for 1 minute cycles.
  • Jog on the spot for 5 mins to warm up.
  • Then each minute on the minute do 1 minute of burpies.
  • Then to ‘rest’ jog for 1 minute between sets.

If you want to dig deeper you can read this exercise chapter which dives right down into exercise theory, more detailed routines and so on.

Look after yourselves

Matt