4 exercises you can do anywhere to keep fit

Indoors or outdoors, at home or at the beach, here are 4 exercises to help you keep fit! No equipment needed.

After all your hard work throughout the rest of the year, it would be a real shame to give up now and most likely ruin all the results you have obtained on your dedicated training regime.

Try not to stop working out, whatever routine you are following, particularly if it has produced good results and improved your fitness, helping you feel better. I will give you a few tips for training in this period, so you do not have any excuses for skipping training.

First of all, I would like to point out that the only truly indispensable ingredient in your training plan is you and your determination. For my part, I can, however, suggest a few bodyweight exercises you can do anywhere!

AIR SQUATS:

The squat is an exercise requiring you to bend your legs at the knees supporting your entire bodyweight. It must be performed with a straight back and your feet firmly on the floor, squatting down as far as you can go while maintaining good form. If performed properly, it is the very best exercise you can do for your legs and bottom. The “air squat” variation also includes raising your arms in front of you with your palms facing inwards. Seeing as this movement also involves your upper body, it makes the exercise even harder from a cardiovascular and coordination viewpoint.

PUSH-UPS:

Press-ups mainly work on your chest muscles, but you must also keep the rest of your body straight by tensing all your muscles. This exercise can be performed either on the floor (more difficult) or with your arms resting on some sort of box (easier). You can also vary how wide apart you place your hands, making sure your shoulders are always in the right position: pulled back and relaxed, so that you avoid injury and are forced to lower your chest as far as possible.

CRUNCHES:

The most popular exercise for your stomach muscles: the crunch. It is performed lying with your back on the floor and involves isolating your stomach muscles without activating your hips by raising your head and shoulders off the floor. It can be performed with your knees bent resting on the floor or your legs raised and apart to make it harder. Pay careful attention to your head and neck when performing this exercise: imagine you have a golf ball under your chin that you must not drop or squash. This will ensure your neck keeps in line with the rest of your backbone to avoid any excessive strain.

PLANKS:

The plank is a static exercise: it does not require any movement or contracting/lengthening of muscles. The muscles contract isometrically to the full to maintain your body position. In this case you place your forearms and toes on the floor, using your core to support the rest of your body by contracting your buttocks and abdominals (the areas that work hardest during this exercise) to keep your hips raised.

Of course, this is just a sample of the endless range of body-weight exercises available!

The four I have suggested are excellent for a total-body training circuit: vary the number of sets and repetitions and try the different variations of the exercises to make your workout as hard as you like and keep fit even now.

—————

Sources for the article:

• Michael Boyle “Advances in functional training”

• Andrea Roncari “Project exercise”