Home Workouts During the Quarantine? Don’t Sweat It!

With quarantine being our recent life update, one of the biggest outcries that I have seen uniformly throughout all social groups is that gyms are closing across the whole country. While this did allow for a lot of fitness gurus to blossom by posting at-home workouts, a lot of those individuals have equipment at home that normal people do not necessarily own, such as resistance bands, dumbbells, and barbells/weights.

Additionally, many of the workouts that these wonderful people post are loud, which can be problematic for those of us in packed households or apartments. In an attempt to resolve these issues for you, I’ve decided to watch a few (or a lot) of at-home workouts posted on both YouTube and Instagram, and compile movements that are a great combination of equipment-free and on the quieter side. Below you can find a 5 day cycle of workouts, with an additional mobility day and a rest day included. I will also mention the realm of fitness from which this workout comes, such as CrossFit, bodybuilding, HIIT, etc. Finally, I will link a few fitness gurus that post great at-home workouts that may include equipment, or can be body-weight only as well.

• Day 1: Crossfit Workout: Perform these exercises normally, and then in reverse order, performing 10 burpees between each movement

  1. 40 Air Squats (you can make these more challenging by squatting with a heavy object, such as a gallon of water)

     1. 10 burpees

  2. 30 Jump Lunges (you can scale these by doing simple lunges, or, if you would like a challenge, hold a heavy object like a gallon of water)

     1. 10 burpees

  3. 20 Leg Raises

     1. 10 burpees

  4. 10 Push-Ups (you can scale these by either going on your knees or doing push-ups on an elevated surface)

     1. 10 burpees

  5. Now go back to 10 push-ups, then 20 leg lifts…

• Day 2: HIIT Workout: 45 seconds work, 15-second rest, 4-5 rounds

  1. High-knees

  2. Elbows to straight arm plank (you can scale this by simply holding a 45-second plank of your preference)

  3. Air Squats (you can make these more challenging by squatting with a heavy object, such as a gallon of water)

  4. Mountain Climbers (move your legs faster in order to achieve a more cardio-like effect)

• Day 3: Bodybuilding/ Strength Workout- 5 sets of each exercise

  1. 20 Bounce Squats or 12 Jump Squats

     1. Bounce Squat: Get into your squat, and push yourself up a couple of inches, and then back down into the squat. The idea here is to not allow your legs to straighten out until you are done with your set.

  2. 10-12 Push-Ups (you can scale these by either going on your knees or doing push-ups on an elevated surface)

  3. 15 Tricep Dips

  4. 20 Calf Raises

  5. 16 Lunges (8 per leg)

  6. 20 Bicycle Crunches (1=1 knee to elbow contact per side)

• Day 4: Mobility Day

  1. Find a YouTube video, or some other form of yoga or stretching instruction, and perform the exercises and stretches the instructor recommends. Stretching and mobility are crucial for good quality workouts and healthy joints and muscles.

• Day 5: Cardio Workout: You have 3 options here, choose one, perform it, and stretch well afterwards.

  1. 2-3 mile run, or run for 20-30 minutes

  2. 5-6 mile bike ride, or bike at a moderate intensity for 30-45 minutes

  3. 2-3 mile hike with a weighted pack, or a slightly longer hike without the weight

  4. EQUIPMENT NEEDED: you could also do this jump-rope workout if you own a jump-rope. Note that this is fairly challenging, and resembles a HIIT workout

     1. 40 seconds on, 20 seconds rest, for 25 minutes

     2. Alternate every minute: jump-rope and high-knees or running in place

• Day 6: HIIT Workout- 45 seconds on, 15 seconds rest, 4-5 rounds

  1. Burpees 

  2. Suitcase crunches

  3. Jump squats

  4. Jumping jacks

• Day 7: Rest Day or Mobility Day

  1. Either take this day to heal and rest, or, if you feel that your body heals better with stretching and mild exercise, practice some yoga or stretching, roll yourself out using an old tennis ball, or maybe even ask for a massage from a trusted individual. Use this time to allow your body to rest, you’ve had a week of intensive exercise, after all!

…and that’s a week’s worth of exercise! At home, exercise does not have to include fancy equipment, complicated moves, or take forever. Sometimes, short, sweet, and to the point, workouts will make you work harder and give you more benefits than a slower-paced workout at the gym. Exercise is crucial to keep your body moving, your blood flowing, and engage your muscles, heart and lungs so they are ready to get right back to normal workout regimes once this quarantine situation is over.

Also, I cannot stress enough about the mental benefits of exercise. It floods your brain with endorphins that elevate your mood, it helps take your mind off your worries (at least for the time being), and your self-esteem will thank you as well. All of those things and more are essential to keep you happy, healthy, and growing even when confined to your house, apartment, or neighborhood. As a final note, I mentioned that I will link a few YouTube channels or Instagram pages with more at-home workouts, which can be found directly under this article. I hope everybody is staying safe, healthy, and social distancing so we can protect each other as well!

A Few More Fitness Influencers With Great At-Home Workouts:

Boho Beautiful: Video yoga and pilates instruction

MadFit: Quick bodyweight, HIIT, glutes, abs, etc. exercises

Natacha Oceane: HIIT and bodyweight exercises

All images courtesy of the Her Campus Media Library. 

• corona
• physical health
• quarantine
• workout