Tired of pushups and air squats?
April 21, 2020 by Charlie Eisenhood in Opinion with 0 comments
Tuesday Tips are presented by Spin Ultimate; all opinions are those of the author. Please support the brands that make Ultiworld possible and shop at Spin Ultimate!
This article was originally published on the Breakside Strength & Conditioning blog. Breakside S&C is owned by Ultiworld Inc.
If you’re like me, you are really sick of not being able to go to the gym.
I’ve always been a gym workout person. I prefer a gym session to most other workout options except maybe playing ultimate (or disc golf, if that counts as a workout). So being blocked from the gym has been a real bummer.
Even though I have plenty of training implements at home to get workouts in, at some point, I just want to do some squats and deadlifts with a barbell.
But we have to face the fact that we may not have gym access for a few more weeks or even months. So let’s push beyond the basics and talk about some ways to optimize workouts without getting bored.
Focus on Injury Prevention
A lot of ‘bulletproofing’ movements are doable at home and don’t require any equipment. You can do nordic hamstring curls, jumping and landing drills where you land as quietly as possible to work on absorbing force, and face pulls with a band.
Prioritize Single Leg Strength
Have you worked on your pistol squats? They’re hard! If you can’t do them straight away, try doing them from a stepstool or other platform. Adding some weight in your hands can also reduce their difficulty.
And don’t be afraid to grab a wall or doorknob to help you balance as you improve.
Skater squats, lunges, and other single leg movements are also great to work on, as you need less loading for them to be effective.
Run Hills
You want some quality conditioning? Find a hill, sprint up it, walk or jog back down, repeat. You’ll be gassed in no time. It’s a great lower body exercise, too, and it develops power and good sprinting mechanics.
Use What You Have Available
Couldn’t get a kettlebell before the world ran out of them? Use what you have around the house.
A suitcase or backpack filled with books, sandbags, and cinderblocks are all viable implements for doing workouts. Honestly, the weirder, the better. It’s a great time to practice strongman type workouts with odd objects. Don’t have a tire to flip? Try pushing or rope towing your car. Great conditioning, great on Insta.
You can also use a broomstick as a dowel for shoulder work. You can use a park bench as a step up box.
Get Inverted
Shoulders can be difficult to train without equipment. Pushups are good shoulder developers, but you also want to be able to get in more vertical pushing as part of your shoulder training.
Have you mastered handstand pushups? They are excellent for shoulder development.
If you can’t roll right into them (most won’t be able to), you can practice with pike pushups, pike pushups with your feet or knees elevated, and eventually progress to doing them up against a wall.
Wall walks are also a great exercise that can help you get comfortable in the inverted position.
