We’re in tricky times but you’ve got this! You may have got used to the classes and workouts at the gym but as they say, a change is as good as a rest. The ability to adapt your workouts during these times is essential for you to maintain your progress and to help keep you sane when staying indoors (please stay at home as much as possible to help this all blow over quicker!)
The internet is full of no equipment workouts and they’re great but I get it, sometimes you want to add a few extra bits and pieces. Here’s a list of equipment that you should be able to find about the house that can help you with adding a bit more to your workouts.
Stairs
Pretty self explanatory really. Stair climbing is a fantastic cardio workout, try taking 2 steps at a time to increase your resistance. Also, you can add in some box jumps to your workout (both feet, jump up 2 steps and step back down). I’ve put together a quick staircase workout for you to try here.
Bed/Sofa 🛏️🛋️
Use like you would a gym bench – for tricep dips, leg raises, donkey kicks, an elevation for some push-ups, or as an incline for your push-ups (put your feet on!) if you’re ready to kick it up a notch! If you’ve got a garden bench and you know how to dead lift safely, give it a go!
Chairs/Step ladder/pile of hardback books 🪑 📚
Use as you would a gym step, for step-ups, hop overs, to squat onto. Books are also great for adding weight to a workout – as are dining chairs if you want to hold them, perhaps while performing squats.
Food tins 🥫
Use in place of light dumbbells, great for low weight:high rep workouts, think bicep curls, shoulder presses and thrusters, or just carry then around a bit to increase your NEAT (non exercise activity thermogenesis – the energy you burn by living your normal everyday life).
Laundry liquid bottles/large water bottles
Use as you would kettle bells or heavier dumbbells, think high pulls, wood chops and swings.
Buckets (or filled shopping bags) 🛍️
Get them filled and practice your dead lifts, farmer carries and walking lunges (if you only have one that’s fine, it’ll help your core stability!)
Backpacks 🎒
Fill it up with heavy stuff and put it on while going about your everyday tasks.
Socks on a hard floor or paper plates 🧦
These work great as sliders! Working on the paper plate version, put one under each foot and perform your mountain climbers, knee tucks, or plank taps. Put one under each hand and they act as an ab roller (move alternate hands forward initially to ensure you have the correct form!)
Walls
Use for push ups and wall sits! – Also great for resting your legs up on (bum right against the wall while laying on the floor!)
Children 👧👦👶
Copy them! Children are intuitive movers (particularly when they’re really small), copy what they do and you’re in for a challenging workout. If you’ve got some slightly bigger ones at home, use them as weights (safely!) or get them to come up with a workout plan – sure to be a little crazy and a whole bunch of fun!
Let me know if you give any of these ideas a try, or what other workouts you’ve been trying at home.