Keeping in line with a fitness routine whilst at university or college can be a challenge due to the fast-paced environment and heavy course load. For those of you in first year, it can be especially difficult to get into the swing of things, as you’re adjusting to starting a new phase of your life. Staying in residence on campus is one of the best parts of first year post-secondary education; res life is a hell of a good time as you’re surrounded by other people in the same “newbie” boat. Starting this new chapter and hurdling through new obstacles is easier when experienced together. Many residence buildings come equipped with amenities to help enhance your experience and facilitate your transition such as study rooms, laundry units, eateries, in-house gyms and student lounges. Utilize these spaces to your advantage as they are there, and are free to use as you please.
The best and most cherished part of residence life is your dorm room. You spend most of your time in this space: studying, bonding with your roommates and floormates, sleeping, pre-gaming, and much more.
If the campus recreation centre is too crowded or so far away that it diminishes your motivation, your dorm room can be the perfect space to fit in a good workout, despite its size. I lived in a 16ft x 11ft box called Saugeen traditional style in my first year at Western. With the right exercises and tips, I made it work by incorporating my surroundings into my fitness routine.
Depending on the size of your dorm area, whether you are an arm’s length away from your roomie’s bed, or living in a multi-room suite, chances are there’s very little space for any exercise machines or room to move and jump around effectively. There are still a multiplicity of moves you can do without moving from your spot while utilizing the cramped space to your advantage. Having a thin full length mirror hanging somewhere in your room is especially handy for checking your form. There is not much else you need aside from your own bodyweight in order to perform an effective workout from the comforts of your personalized box.
UPPER BODY
Arm exercises can be done from standing or sitting in one spot and simply moving your arms, especially those using dumbbells and weights: bicep curls, shoulder raises, triceps extension, pushups, dumbbell bench press, lateral raises, upright rows, flies… the list goes on. Storing a few sets of small weights under your bed or in a small section of your closet will not take up any otherwise useful space, and this way they are easily accessible to perform a few sets during your free time.
ABS
Bringing a yoga mat to school is beneficial in many ways, including performing ab circuits on the floor to avoid the 100-year-old stained carpet. My mat was about the size of the space between mine and my roommates’ beds in my room, so I would place it on the floor space and do my ab workout hassle-free. Crunches, bicycles, scissor kicks, reverse crunches, plank, mountain climbers, Russian twists, and other similar moves that require lying or sitting down in one spot are perfect for the amount of space given. Because your ab circuit is all done on the floor by simply moving your body, arms and legs, you can get a good core burn with ease.
LOWER BODY
When thinking about working your legs and glutes, spastic, sizeable movements usually make up the majority of lower body circuits such as HIIT and cardio related moves. These are not ideal for any small space, but that doesn’t mean you can’t also target this area performing different sequences. Squats, Bulgarian lunges with one foot placed on your desk chair and the other on the ground, and bridges are all legs and butt focused exercises that allow you to take full advantage of the space. If you want to get a little more creative, you can take a portion of your workout into your residence hallway. I lived on the health sciences floor in Saugeen, so I was surrounded by many fitness lovers and experts. We would sometimes get together and perform circuits down our hallway as we had enough space to move freely. We would do walking lunges with dumbbells from one end of the hall to the other, frog jump forward squats, jumping jacks, wall push-ups and more. The opportunities are endless.
Your university gym can be extremely intimidating and hard to navigate. It will most likely be crowded for the majority of the time and is maybe not the most convenient place to get to. Dragging our butts to the gym is hard enough in the first place, but something about college life makes the trek to go and exercise a little more difficult. If your residence has an in-house gym, then your path is already facilitated. However, these spaces tend to be quite small or lack a variety of equipment. Working out in your dorm room saves you the time and hassle of walking across campus and also allows you the comfort of your own space. With the right area-targeting and space-saving moves incorporated into your circuit, your cramped box of a room can prove to be a sufficient space to break a sweat.