With COVID throwing a wrench into everyone’s Strength Training, I wanted to talk a bit on how we could still build strength right from home without the use of any equipment.
Strength- Is Quality or state of being physically strong.
I know most of you have met someone from “back in the day” that never really worked out but was still strong as an OX. I can bet you that those people worked really hard all their life.
Our bodies were designed to “work”. It actually craves it. I bet you have also noticed when you sit for long periods of time, when you stand up your back is tight, or the entire body feels stiff. That’s our body’s way of telling us “I need to move”.
So even though a lot of gyms are shut down and we probably don’t have much, if any equipment, that doesn’t mean we can’t train (Work) while we wait for things to open back up.
4 Tips on how to build strength without equipment:
Gymnastics- Gymnast are ridiculously strong. They can do un-human-like things with their bodies. Gymnastics will be your best friend if you don’t have any equipment. Learning to control your body through “space” has so many benefits. No. 1 you get really Strong. Balance, flexibility, agility, stability, and our vestibular system all improve from gymnastics.
Slow Things down- If you haven’t heard of “tempo” movements, look into it. “Tempo” just means slowing movement down. Slowing all movement down is not only wonderful for building strength but also gives you a chance to improve technique, balance, and really create that mind muscle connection to zone in on just exactly which muscles you want to fire.
Static Holds- Taking movement to the next step beyond “Tempo” would be pausing. Static holds are also a great tool to use when trying to build strength. Quick example Planks. Planks are great for midline stability, and also full body strength because if done correctly the entire body should be under tension. As you get stronger, you’re able to hold longer. You can do this with ANY movement. Handstand Hold, Bottom of squat, bottom of push up. Just find the most challenging position in a particular movement and hold.
Odd Object Training- If we look very hard, there are probably a lot of household items that could be used to increase Strength. Even if items aren’t very heavy, we can still take the principles we discussed above. A water jug can get really “heavy” in a static hold or tempo movement. Also, the great thing about odd objects, in reality that’s the way we move through life. Rarely out in the real world do we have to pick up a perfectly even barbell and do something with it. But, we may have to lift an oddly shaped couch and move it to another room, or carry an 18 lb 6 month old in a car seat for a long period of time (speaking from experience. 18lbs never felt so heavy) lol
Now, if we implement these 4 tips on strength training without equipment, when we do get on a barbell or dumbbells we will be much more efficient because now we have much more control over our own body, and that will translate over into external loads.
With all this being said we understand this type of training can still be a bit overwhelming:
“Am I doing the movement correctly”,
“Which muscle groups am I working”
“Where do I start”
We are here to help if anyone needs a little guidance. Just Click HERE to talk to a fitness professional today.
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