Workout From Home- Weekly Home Workout Routine To Stay Fit During Lockdown

The country is under a 21-day lockdown and we suddenly find ourselves way out of our comfort zones. The activities that we are used to – running, cycling, working out in the gym or just taking a stroll – are no longer advisable. At the same, staying mentally and physically fit remain a priority. In this two-part series, Coach Rahul answers some of our current concerns and guides us through some home workouts.

This is Part 2 of the series:

Seven days of a week can be divided into six days of workouts and one day of rest.  

These six days can be divided as below: 

● Day 1 – Lower Legs Workout 

● Day 2 – Core Workout 

● Day 3 – Upper Body Workout 

● Day 4 – HIIT Workout 

● Day 5 – Balance Workout 

● Day 6 – Mix Workouts 

● Day 7 – Rest 

You can do each workout in 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions each. 

DAY 1

Lower Legs Workouts: Legs day is an important day as it will help in building your lower body which is necessary for any endurance activity.

● SQUATS – (Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Lower Back and Hip Flexors)

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, with your head up and eyes looking forward, bend your knees until your butt is parallel to floor, ensure your knees do not cross your toe line. You weight should be on the heels and not on the toes.

● LUNGES – (Quads and Glutes with a secondary focus on the Hamstrings, the Hip Flexors)

Stand with your feet together and toes pointed straight ahead. Take a big step forward with your left foot, bending your knees and lowering your hips until your trailing right knee almost touches the ground. Both knees should be bent to 90 degrees. Keep your head up and back straight. Come back and repeat with the other leg.

● CALF RAISES – (Calves)

Stand on one leg on the edge of any stair or other stable platform such that only the ball of your foot is on platform the heel is in the air. Grab hold of the wall, keeping your knee only slightly bent throughout the movement, lower yourself down as far as your calf will stretch.  Hold this position for 2 to 3 seconds before pushing yourself up as high as possible onto the ball of your foot. Hold the peak position for 2 to 3 seconds. Repeat with both legs.

●STEP-UP – (Quads and Hamstrings)

Facing a bench, stand with your feet together, step up on the bench with your left foot, ensuring that your heel is not hanging over the edge. Bench should be high enough to allow an angle of 90 degrees at your knee joints. Push down with your left heel and use your left thigh and glute muscles to lift your right foot up on the bench. Drive your body up. Step down of the bench, right leg first while keeping the back straight. Repeat for both legs as per the sets and repetition set by you.

DAY 2

Core Workouts: Core is the core or the main focus in the literal sense. A strong core guarantees a strong performance.

● CRUNCHES – (Abs, Intercostal and Oblique)

Lie flat on your back. Put your hands under your head, bend your knees so that your thighs are 90 degrees to the ground, pull your chest towards your knees. It is important not to put a strain on the neck and make sure you lift yourself up from the shoulders. Hold at the top for a few seconds and then come back down. Repeat.

●FLUTTER KICKS – (Lower Abs and Hip Flexors)

Lie down on your back with your hands under your butt and your head up and eyes looking straight ahead. Keeping your legs straight and together, lift your feet into the air, 6 inches away from the ground. Keeping it straight, raise your right leg up to 3 feet in the air and then bring it down near left leg, which is still 6 inches above the ground. Repeat the movement with your left leg. You can do these movements swiftly and in controlled manner.

●PLANKS – (Shoulders, Calves and the Entire Core)

Lie down onto your stomach, then prop yourself up on your elbows, bent at 90 degrees, shoulder width apart so that your forearms are on the ground. Hold the position for as long as you can. Ensure your pelvis is down and your body is straight from head to heels, keeping your core and glutes engaged.

●V-UPS – (Abs, Hip Flexors)

Lie flat on your back with your arms to your side.  Keeping only your butt on the ground, bring your chest and your knees up toward each other, almost until they touch. Then lean your chest back and straighten your legs out so that both your shoulders and feet are each just a few inches off the ground. Repeat the same.

DAY 3

Upper Body Workouts help you in building your upper body strength.

● CURLS – (Biceps and Forearms)

Curls can be done with dumbbells or just with any weight or a bag or a backpack. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, chest out and your shoulders back and down. Keep your elbow locked in place on the side of your body, just above your hip and curl the weight towards your shoulder. Repeat.

● PUSH-UPS (Pectorals, Triceps, Deltoid and Core)

Lie down on your stomach, feet together, with your hand directly below your shoulders, push yourself up off the ground. Throughout the movement, your body should be in a straight line. Do not drop your pelvis during the movement.

●PULL-UPS – (Lats, Biceps and Forearms)

On the top of your door, put a towel to do the pull-up. Ensure that the door does not close while doing the pull-ups. Face the door, place your hands shoulder width apart on the towel on top of door, bend your knees, let your body hang from the door, pull yourself up against the door until your chin is over the top. Repeat.

● BENCH DIPS – (Triceps)

Find a chair, place it behind you and place your palms on the edge of the surface behind you and your knuckles pointing forward. Walk your legs forward until they are straight out in front of you and your butt is a couple of inches away from the surface. Lower your body straight down bending only at the elbows and shoulders, until your upper arm is parallel to the ground, stretching your triceps. Come back and repeat.

DAY 4

HIIT Workouts: High-Intensity Interval Training is a great workout that you can choose between a 5-minute, 7-minute or a 10-minute routine. What we are sharing is a 5-minute routine, 30 seconds workout with 10 seconds rest.

● WALL SITS (30 Secs) + 10-Sec Rest
● PLANKS (30 Secs) + 10-Sec Rest
● ABS CRUNCHES (30 Secs) + 10-Sec Rest
● STEP-UPS (30 Secs) + 10-Sec Rest
● SQUATS (30 Secs) + 10-Sec Rest
● BENCH DIPS (30 Secs) + 10-Sec Rest
● PUSH-UPS (30 Secs) + 10-Sec Rest
● HIGH KNEES (30 Secs) + 10-Sec Rest
● LUNGES (30 Secs) + 10-Sec Rest
● SKIPPING (30 Secs) + 10-Sec Rest

DAY 5

Balance Workouts: Balance workouts help you in improving your balance and strengthening specific muscles.

● SINGLE LEG SQUATS – (Quads and Glutes)

Stand on one foot with the other foot slightly lifted, do the squat with single leg, return to the standing position. Repeat with the other leg.

● SINGLE LEG GLUTE BRIDGES – (Glutes and Core)

Lie with your face up and keep your feet near your butt, now extend one leg towards the ceiling with foot flexed and squeeze the glutes and lift the hips as high as you can. Hold the position for 2 to 3 seconds and then lower it until it is hovering just above the floor. Repeat 10 to 12 times on both sides.

●SIDE LYING LEG LIFTS – (Core, Hips and Glutes)

Lie on one side with the legs stacked one above the other. Keep your arm under your head to rest. Squeeze thighs together and lift the legs several inches above the ground. Hold for 2 to 3 seconds and then lower the legs until it is hovering just above the floor. Repeat 10 to 12 times both sides.

● COMPOUND BIRD DOG – (Core)

Get on all fours with neutral spine, extend alternate leg and arm; for example: right arm and left leg. Bend the right elbow and the left knee and touch under the torso. Repeat 10 to 12 times on both sides.

DAY 6

Mix Workouts: PLABS is a mixed workout which is an all-time favourite for many. If you do 2 sets per day, you will be working on all the key muscles. PLABS (Planks, Lunges, Abs, Burpees and Squats).

● PLANKS – (Shoulders, Calves the Entire Core)

Lie down onto your stomach, then prop yourself up on your elbows, bent at 90 degrees, shoulder width apart so that your forearms are on the ground. Hold the position for as long as you can. Ensure your pelvis is down and your body is straight from head to heels, keeping your core and glutes engaged.

● LUNGES – (Quads and Glutes with a secondary focus on the Hamstrings, the Hip Flexors)

Stand with your feet together and toes pointed straight ahead. Take a big step forward with your left foot, bending your knees and lowering your hips until your trailing right knee almost touches the ground. Both knees should be bent to 90 degrees. Keep your head up  and back straight. Come back and repeat with the other leg.

●ABS – (Abs, Intercostal and Oblique)

Lie flat on your back. Put your hands under your head, bend your knees so that your thighs are 90 degrees to the ground, pull your chest towards your knees. It is important not to put a strain on the neck and make sure you lift yourself up from the shoulders. Hold at the top for a few seconds and then come back down. Repeat.

● BURPEES – (Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Biceps)

Begin with a sitting frog position and do high jump, come back to original position, push back your legs through jump in a manner that you will be in full plank position, do one push up and again jump forward your legs to end in the frog position. Repeat.

● SQUATS – (Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Lower Back and Hip Flexors)

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, with your head up and eyes looking forward, bend your knees until
your butt is parallel to floor, ensure your knees do not cross your toe line. You weight should be on the heels and not on the toes.

DAY 7

REST

There are many more workouts you can do but the above workouts are designed keeping in mind the specific requirement of the runners/cyclists and the muscles engaged during these activities. Nevertheless, you can keep adding drills or some other workouts.

Keep working out and be the best version of yourself!!!