Heeding the advice to stay home may be a good way to curb the spread of the coronavirus, but it can put a damper on your usual fitness routine. The good news is that there are many ways to re-create your workout at home, and doing so will not only keep your body in shape, it’ll help boost your mood.
Don’t have fancy gym equipment? That’s OK! You can use water bottles, canned goods, laundry detergent, a gallon of milk (even if it’s halfway empty) or dumbbells. I recommend anywhere from 3 lbs. up to 8 lbs. I also suggest putting on your workout clothes and tennis shoes to help get into the mindset for exercising.
Are you ready to step it up with a simple arm and shoulder workout? My clients swear by this routine I devised. It targets the biceps, triceps, deltoids and all of the muscles in the arms and shoulders to give you a sleek and toned look.
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Another reason why I love this routine, especially if you’re a beginner, is because we keep the same grip on the weights for the entire workout. There’s no setting down of the weights or moving from dumbbells to bands to a plank position on the floor. We’re keeping the same hand and wrist position throughout the routine, which is an excellent place to start if you’re new to working out.
If you’re brand new to working out, committing to a shorter interval of time at first can help give you a stronger sense of accomplishment. Instead of feeling intimidated by the workout, it helps you feel confident that you can do it. And instead of being wiped out and exhausted afterward, you're more likely to be energized. You might even feel as though you could go for an additional five minutes. (So why not go for it!)
If you’re normally more physically active, but have been letting fitness slide lately, don’t beat yourself up over it. Now is as good a time as any to recommit to a healthy exercise habit, and remember that five minutes is a huge improvement over zero.
So let’s get ready to step it up — and get those arms and shoulders back in shape.
Bicep Curls
Stand up with your knees softly bent, holding the weights down by your sides. Then, keeping your elbows close to your sides, curl your arms up toward your shoulders. Slowly lower your arms back all the way down. Repeat 10 times.
Tricep Kickbacks
Start by standing with your feet as wide apart as your hips and your knees slightly bent. Grab your weights in each hand, and let your arms hang down toward your knees. Lean forward at your waist so that your chest is tilted down toward the ground. Keep your elbows close to your sides and bring your arms up and back to work the upper back and back of the arms. From this row position, keep the elbows stationary, and then extend the forearms back into the tricep kickback. Come back to the row position and release the arms down. Repeat 10 times.
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Side Extensions
While standing, softly bend your knees and hold the weights down by your sides. Then, raise the weights up just as high as your shoulders out to the side, and then lower them down. Be sure to keep the shoulders pulling away from the ears rather than hiking up and engaging the neck muscles. Repeat 10 times.
Overhead Presses
Hold the weights at your ears and bend your elbows into a 90-degree angle. Make sure your weights are in line with your ears. Pull your navel in toward your spine as you breathe out, and press the weights up overhead in front of your forehead. Extend your arms up, and make sure that you can see the weights with your eyes and that they aren’t too far behind your head. Then inhale as you bring the weights back to the starting position. Repeat 10 times.
Repeat this entire workout three times, so you’ll end up doing a total of 30 bicep curls, 30 tricep kickbacks, etc. This routine can be repeated every other day, allowing for a rest day in between.
