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Want to transform your recruitment?
The benefit of insight. The ability to deliver.
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A personal soapbox of mine is the difference between burnout and rust-out. So often we meet certain candidates who get to a point in their career where it falls into pretty much terminal decline. The predominant reason behind that is that subtly and slowly over a period of time a number of things erode. Market knowledge, selling skills and most subtly their personal impact as an individual which is comprised of how they appear and how they come across. They lose a little bit of the aura that they once held and a lot of that is from the tiny ebbing away of their own health and fitness. Life on the road simply drags us down. It’s hard to get to the gym. It’s hard to make good food choices. It’s hard to drink enough water etc
In the first of what I hope will become a regular feature I’d like to introduce another guest blog post this week written by a chap I have tremendous respect for, Kevin Till PhD. Kevin has an unbelievable seam of experience in the fitness industry at the most elite levels of professional sport as you’ll see from the biog on his website and we hope to be able to bring you a number of great workouts that you may be able to do whilst in the field without the need of a GYM.
12 Exercises for Home Based Training
Far too often do we here the excuses that people don’t train because, ‘I haven’t got the time’, ‘I’m just too busy’ or ‘I can’t afford a gym membership’. However, fitting a training session into your daily routine can be a lot easier than you think. There is no reason why you can’t develop a home based session using your own body weight (and items around the house or hotel).
Below I provide 12 example exercises (that are a little different from your traditional body weight squats, push ups and crunches) that should provide you with some ideas for how you can train at home or on your travels. Each exercise has a description and video to show you how to do the exercises (some exercises can be used with alternate equipment to what is shown in the videos).
The exercises cover the full body and can be performed in a number of ways such as in a circuit format (i.e., one exercise after the other with sets reps or times) or a traditional set for set routine. Using these exercises will increase your metabolism, develop muscle and burn fat while increasing your strength and endurance. Why not give it a go.
My 12 exercises are:
1. Single Leg Squat to Chair – This exercise involves standing on one foot and squatting to a chair or even the sofa and then returning to a standing position. The lower the seat the harder it will be. This is an excellent exercise for developing leg strength. I’d suggested starting at 6 reps each leg.
[youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCkGOtgvasY[/youtube]
2. Mountain Climbers – This exercise involves starting in a push up position then bringing one foot up to the same hand. You continuously change legs for the required reps. This is good for mobility in the hip and muscular endurance. Start at 10 reps each leg and look to increase to 20 reps.
[youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUffJ5ZU7M0[/youtube]
3. 180 Degree Hand Walks (Feet Up) – This exercise involves holding the body in a straight line (the video shows this with the feet on a bench – you could use a chair or put the feet on the floor) while moving the hands. The feet remain in this position with the hands walk around in a half circle. This is excellent for core stability and upper body endurance. Start at 2 half circles each way and look to increase.
[youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz-0tjoslOc[/youtube]
4. Aleknas – This exercise involves laying on the back with knees and hips bent and the arms pointing straight up. The arms and legs then extend (but don’t touch the floor), held for a second before returning to the starting position. The video shows this done with a weight but bodyweight is still effective. This is excellent for core stability and I’d recommend starting at 10 reps.
[youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xj5pSp-V7o[/youtube]
5. Push Up to Side Plank – This is a variation on the traditional push up and will certainly make it more challenging. It involves doing a push up (with your chest to the floor) and then rotating into a side plank position. This is again excellent for upper body strength and core stability. Start at 5 reps each side and increase.
[youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQk7_hQ6qMM[/youtube]
6. Floor Wipers – This is another core stability exercise which involves a reverse crunch with a twist. The video shows this done with a barbell but this can be done with a broomstick. Reverse crunch the legs up towards the hands and broom. Again start at 5 reps each side and look to increase.
[youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBu7p1E9yrQ[/youtube]
7. Box Jumps – Box jumps involve jumping and then landing on a higher object. If you have no box – again a chair, bed or step (make sure this is appropriate for landing and head room) could be used. Jump up and land in a controlled action. Good for lower body power and endurance. Perform 10 reps and increase the number of reps.
[youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJMrCfLyWjM[/youtube]
8. Frog Squat Thrusts – Another exercise starting in the push up position, however this time jump your feet up to outside the hands and then stand up. Excellent for endurance, full body strength and hip mobility. Start at 8 reps and progress.
[youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPNW0ykZ47U[/youtube]
9. Crocodile Plank – This exercise starts in a plank position (on your elbows and feet with the body in a straight line). From this position straighten your arms into a push up position and then return to the starting position. Make sure you keep the body straight and perform in a controlled manner. Great for upper body endurance and core stability – 8 reps each arm and increase.
[youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guxDLsk6TJc[/youtube]
10. Spiderman Push Ups – This is another push up derivative and involves performing a push up but bringing the knee up to the same elbow. The video shows this performed on plates to increase difficulty but this can be done with hands on the floor or even a couple of yellow pages. Start at 6 reps each side.
[youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNRXjk2ZYHs[/youtube]
11. Lunge to Twist – This is a lower body exercise and involves lunging with a rotation. The video shows the use of a med ball but this can be performed with just bodyweight. Make sure you keep a controlled action and rotate over the front leg. Start at 6 reps each leg.
[youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfFhxCeXz3Y[/youtube]
12. Close Chins – My last exercise is a close chin up and therefore does require a chin bar. Pulling exercises are difficult to perform without equipment but are important to try and include in your programme. Therefore where possible do chins when you can. Otherwise why not get a chin up bar in the garage or use your climbing frame at a local park. Performing max reps is a good place to start. (A quick note from jonathan – Alternatively try using a resistance band – I get mine from fitmag and you can get them up to pretty much any level of resistance for pulling exercises)
[youtube height=”HEIGHT” width=”WIDTH”]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UH1tKuh5PKM[/youtube]
So there you go, a dozen exercises to include in your training at home. Different combinations of these exercises can provide a challenging but entertaining session. If you have any questions or for further training advice then just drop me an email on kevin@ktconditioning.co.uk.
Remember, you can train anytime, anywhere so kick start your training now!
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