Tricks To Working Out Without A Gym (+ Free Exercise List)
Exercise. Regularly. Get vital benefits. I’m sure you already know that. You are also well aware of how unexpected events can easily disrupt your exercise routine. Even if you have a regular schedule and access to the gym. There is a number of events that can send you into a tailspin. Traveling to a different city or country takes away your habitual routine. Pandemics necessitate gym closures for indefinite periods. Mounting chores at home prevent you from walking (or jogging) to your gym that can be as near as several minutes away.
If you are anything like me, you just want to have your exercise schedule on auto-pilot. Choose a time, a place, a set of exercises, and stick to them.
You Should Not Let The Inconveniences Stop You From Working Out
It’s important to keep your body and mind in tip-top shape, especially during volatile times. Living at a stable place with a gym located inside your building sure is nice. With my lifestyle, however, I often don’t have such a convenience.
In the year 2020, additional limitations appeared, and, for many of us, exercising at home or a nearby park became the most viable option.
Here Are Some Workout Options You Can Start Using Today
Luckily for us, there are alternative methods to keep our bodies in shape. I invited my friend Alex Pavlovskih, a fitness and nutrition trainer based in Brooklyn, NY, to help me compile a list of effective exercises that you can do:
- at home
- outside
- while traveling
The three basic categories are:
- Bodyweight
- Resistance band
- Reflex ball
How To Do A Full-Body Workout At Home
Here we got three simple full-body workout routines. You will need a resistance band for some of them.
Glossary for beginners: reps, short for repetitions, are the action of one complete strength training exercise, like one biceps curl. Sets are how many reps you do in a row between periods of rest.
Each exercise is a set of 3 with 8-12 reps. Rest 1 minute between each set.
Workout A
Workout B
- Inverted Wrist Push-Ups
- Single-Leg Squat
- Biceps Curls Seated
- Plank (30 secs to 1 min)
- One-Arm Push-Downs
- Wood Chopper
Workout C
- Overhead Band Extension
- Biceps Curls Standing
- Tricep Bench Dips
- Shoulder Shrug
- Crunches
- Plank (30 secs to 1 min)
Tie the band into a knot and jam it in the door for some exercises.
You should do all exercises in a controlled manner, with at minimum a 1.5 sec of contraction, positive and negative. If you aren’t familiar with the terminology, to explain it simply, think of a dumbbell curl. A positive contraction is your arm’s effort on the way up; a negative one is on the way down. During a positive contraction, your muscle fibers shorten. During a negative contraction, your muscle fibers lengthen.
Front Squats With A Shoulder-Width Stance
Push Ups, Shoulder-Width
One-Arm Push-Downs
Biceps Curls Seated
Crunches
Biceps Curls Standing
Face Pull
Inverted Wrist Push-Ups
Overhead Band Extension
Plank
Shoulder Shrug
Single-Leg Squat
Lunges
Tricep Bench Dips
Wood Chopper
Punch The Reflex Ball
Here are the benefits of training with a reflex ball:
- Improves your hand-eye coordination
- Increases focus and concentration
- Burns calories, a great tool for weight loss
- Trains your punching accuracy
- Great for cardio and arm stamina
- Help you get rid of the flinch reflex
- Upgrades your balance & footwork
- Super fun workout session
- Improves your defense skills
- Low barrier to entry – virtually anyone can get on with it
Reflex Ball Tutorial Videos
"Boxing Reflex Ball must learn tricks!" from Champs MMA
"Quick Tips on How to Use a Reflex Ball for Boxing/ Striking" from csquaredboxing
In Conclusion
There you have it, a bunch of ideas on what you can do to get your body moving. You can come up with your own routine by picking 3-5 exercises from this list for each session. Repeat them for 3 or 4 rounds.
If you have anything to add or spotted a type, let me know by email or on social media. Your thoughts are always appreciated!
