Do you want to stay in shape but you don’t want to risk catching Covid at the gym? The answer to this dilemma is in-home workouts. For many of you, working out at home could lead to getting in better shape than you were in when you were going to the gym! I have been working out with my family and friends outside, and all we use are our bodies, a chin-up bar, and sometimes dumbbells. Home workouts can use up all that extra time we have due to covid precautions, letting us make the best out of our circumstances. I can say that I am in better shape than I was before quarantine, all because of home workouts. 

How to make an effective home workout

You are probably wondering how to create a good home workout if you don’t really know exactly what exercises would be best. The good thing is, you don’t really have to know any exercises at all to make an effective workout schedule! With the power of the internet, you can create the perfect workout schedule to fit all your needs or goals. I usually find all of my workouts on youtube/fitness websites. These workouts can be exactly what you need, ranging from a simple every other day full-body workout to emulating the results of a heavy gym routine. Typically when you are researching a workout, you want to think about how long you want it to be, your desired intensity, the equipment you have handy, and the results you’re hoping for. For example, I want to emulate the results of my workouts at the gym, so I made four different routines (full body, chest/shoulder/tricep, back/bicep/abs, and legs) that target specific muscle groups that I do four times a week. I only have a chin-up bar and some dumbbells on hand, so I looked up “home calisthenic ‘muscle group’ workouts.”, which will be linked at the bottom of the article for some ideas.

To truly maximize the results of a home workout, the key is minimizing break time and ramping up sets. These are seen in HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) workouts, so if you want to get the most out of your training, you could research some of these types of workouts or modify the ones you find to have shorter rest periods and multiplied rounds. 

Aside from in-home routines, there are also many workout class opportunities that meet safely outside. My dad has participated in a few of them himself, and his favorite workout class is Formula fitness, which he quotes are  “ very safe and super intense!”.

How to have fun with these workouts but still be safe!

Working out is a great opportunity to socialize safely and to get closer with friends and family. I workout with my friend Noah Boswinkel, on his porch four times a week, while my dad does workout classes that are held outside, all maintaining social distance guidelines. Noah had this to say, “ working out outside is safe and also is a great way to make sure you get outside!”. Going on runs is also a great way to get in shape in a safe way. You could go running around U.Va or at the countless trails surrounding the Charlottesville area. I sometimes go on runs with my friend Sohl Park, who mentioned that “ Ragged Mountain Reservoir trails” are his favorite place to get a jog in. I couldn’t agree more. The area is a great place to go running and is quite beautiful.

Home workouts remain a great way to get in amazing shape without risking a Covid exposure, and the opportunities are endless.

My Workouts

The workouts below are some of my favorites that I have found or come up with. 

Full Body HIIT Workout

• Do every workout for 60 seconds and take a 15-second break in between each exercise
• This workout is done in clusters that are repeated three times before moving on to the next cluster.  Before moving on to the next cluster take a 60-second break.

Cluster 1

• Dumbbell squat to press
• Alternating dumbbell single-leg deadlift
• Spiderman Pushups
• Mountain climbers

Cluster 2

• Squat to front dumbbell raise
• Dumbbell renegade row
• Dumbbell reverse lunge to bicep curl
• Pushups 

Cluster 3

• Chin-ups 
• Dumbbell Pullover with toe touches
• Up down plank
• Burpees 

The next three workouts are from Youtube:

Chest, shoulder, tricep

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrUEFnF5kG4

Back, Bicep, Abs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z43yVCVUj0Q

Legs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rh5HCNU_Iw&t=10s