Working Out At Home During COVID-19 Quarantine: 9 Easy Exercises to Add to Your Daily Routine Fitness

Quarantine life have you down? Can't go to the gym? As a personal trainer the first thing I teach clients is how to workout without any equipment at all. Knowing how to workout without weights and machines means you can always work out whether you are traveling, the gym is closed and, well, while you are in quarantine!

I never imagined these extreme circumstances, of course, but now more than ever, the importance of it is clear. There are many classes who have gone to virtual fitness (I am doing ZOOM classes now), but many clients are working out on their own, too, because they know the basics of staying fit. Here is a quick workout that incorporates aerobic exercise and body-weight exercise that you can do with minimal space and not a single piece of equipment.

Home Workout

Warm Up for 5 minutes with jumping jacks, high knees, butt kicks, arm circles, etc.

Do each exercise three times for 20 seconds, resting for 10 seconds between each set. At the end of your third set, rest for a minute before moving to the next exercise. After you complete all exercises, rest for 3 minutes then do another round! I usually do 3 to 4 total rounds.

• squats
• jump rope (No rope needed! Just simulate the movement with your arms close to the hips turning the "rope" while you jump.)
• alternating side lunges
• mountain climbers
• forward to reverse lunges (Alternate, doing one side first then switching.)
• Russian twists
• skater jumps
• pulse squat

Always static stretch after you workout, holding each stretch for at least 30 seconds each stretch.

How to Do Each Exercise

Front/Forward Lunge

1. Stand tall with feet hip-width apart. Engage your core.
2. Take a big step forward with your right leg. Start to shift your weight forward so heel hits the floor first.
3. Lower your body until your right thigh is parallel to the floor and knee is over your ankle. Knee should not go forward, over toes. Tip: if you step forward into the lunge and push your hips and butt back away from your knees, the form should be foolproof.
4. Shoulders should be over your hips so your core remains engaged.
5. If mobility allows, lightly tap your left knee to the floor while keeping weight in your right heel.
6. Press into the right heel to drive back up to the starting position.

Reverse Lunge

1. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, hands at side or on your hips. 
2. With your right foot, step back about one and a half times your normal stride length, landing with the ball of that foot on the ground and your heel up.
3. Lower the back leg straight down until it gently grazes the ground or close to, creating a 90-degree angle in the front leg. 
4. Knee should remain over ankle, and shoulders should be stacked over shoulders. 
5. Push the butt and hips down and back while your legs are in the 90- degree position.
6. Push through the heel and mid foot of the front leg to return to standing, bringing your right foot back in line with your left.

Side/Lateral Lunge

1. Start with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointed straight forward. 
2. Step out with your right foot as wide as possible. 
3. Engage through the right heel as you drop your hips and butt down and back away from the knee, while keeping the left leg straight, stretching the groin on the left leg. 
4. Both feet should be firmly planted on the floor weight loaded onto heels.

Mountain Climbers

1. Start in plank high plank position and "run" from that position bringing knees up toward the chest alternating legs.

Jump Rope

1. Simulate jump ropes with hands turning the imaginary rope in small circles at hip level to stabilize core.

Russian Twists

1. Sit on the floor, lower your back down a little and cross and extend legs out with slightly bent knees a few inches off of the floor.
2. Clasp hands together by the chest and twist your upper body from side to side without moving the lower body. I like to bring my clasped hands and almost tap the floor with each twist, for maximal activation of the core.

Skater Jumps

1. Start standing with your legs hip-width apart. Bend one leg behind the supporting leg at a slight angle, while maintaining weight and balance on the supporting leg.
2. As you exhale, simultaneously swing your arms out and leap over to the opposite side.
3. Shift your weight and land with the opposite leg behind you. Be sure to land on the ball of your foot with your hips and knees bent slightly.
4. Repeat this side-to-side motion, transferring.

Squats

1. Stand with your head facing forward and your chest held up and out.
2. Place your feet shoulder-width apart or slightly wider, feet pointed straight out. A little wider stance is OK.
3. Sit back and down like you're sitting into an imaginary chair. To do this, squeeze and push the butt and hips away from the knees. Knees should never go forward and should remain over the ankles. Weight should be loaded on the heels, with feet planted firmly on the floor.
4. Lower down so your thighs are as parallel to the floor as possible. 

Squat Pulse

1. Start with toes pointed out and lower your butt and hips up and down a little with each squat. 
2. Squeeze while you pulse with each squat.

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