– Your Weekly Training Program During The Lockdown –  

As COVID-19 has most of our country under Lockdown, with the majority of us staying home, continuing our usual fitness routines – like gymming or runs or playing sports or dance classes – have come to a halt. It’s challenging to remain physically active while staying at home; a sedentary lifestyle is detrimental to our fitness, mental health, and overall wellbeing. During the quarantine, physical activity in any form can help one remain calm, protect their health, and maintain their fitness! The challenge is to find ways of doing resistance training and challenging the cardiorespiratory system while staying indoors, with no special equipment.

Shared below is an exercise program that has both resistance and cardio training in it. The program has been designed keeping in mind staying indoors with zero equipment. The resistance training program and cardio training program should be done alternatively, six days of the week – with Sunday being the rest day. 

Before you begin, warm up your body to prepare you mentally and physically for the rigors of the exercises that follow. The following list of warm-up drills are to be done all six days of the week: 

WARM-UPS (To Be Done Six Days Of The Week):

1. Leg Swings: Hold on to something and swing your leg forward and back (10 reps). Then swing it sideway (10 reps). Repeat with the other leg. 
2. Shoulder Rotations: Rotate your shoulder forward and backward (10 reps), one shoulder at a time.
3. Knee Jumps: Jump to make your knee touch your hand which is at the level of the navel, one leg at a time. (10 reps, each knee). 
4. Torso Swings: Keep your feet apart at shoulder width. Swing your torso to the left and then to the right (10 reps, each side). 
5. Toe Touches: Stand straight. Keeping the knees stiff (unbent), try touching your toes and returning to the starting position. Do this with some speed to get the blood flowing in your posterior chain. 

RESISTANCE TRAINING PROGRAM (Mon/Wed/Fridays):

1. Squats (20 reps per set; 2 sets with 60 seconds rest): 

Instructions: Stand with feet apart as per shoulder-width, with toes pointing slightly out, hands stretched forsward. Now lower yourself as if you are to sit on a chair and stand up while maintaining body tightness. If this is easy, fill some books in a bag and put it on your back, or use anything available at home that could be used as additional resistance. Too difficult? Hold onto something while doing it.

2. One-Legged Squat: (10 reps per leg / 2 sets with 30 sec. rest between legs): 

Instructions: Keep one leg on a sofa/ bed/ chair. Squat down on the other leg and stand again. Try keeping your body weight on the leg that is on the floor. This is slightly more difficult as your body weight is mainly on one leg. If it’s too difficult, hold on to something while doing it. If easy, bring back that bag on your back! 

3. Push-ups: (As many as possible. Rest for 60 sec. Repeat once):

Instructions: Get into the push-up position – hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart; feet hip-width apart. Lower down your torso till your chest touches the floor and return to locked elbows position. Too easy? Put that bag on your back. Too difficult? Do it with your knees on the ground.

4. Triceps Dips: (20 reps / 2 sets with 60 sec. rest.):

Instructions: Keep your hands at shoulder width on the edge of the sofa. Keep your feet on a stool at a similar height. Go down till your arms are parallel to the floor and reverse. Too easy? Keep some weight on your thighs. Too difficult? Keep your feet on the floor while doing it. 

5. One Arm Row: (20 reps each side / 2 sets with 30 sec. rest between each side):

 

Instructions: Make use of the sofa again. Keep your left knee and hand on the sofa. The hand and the thigh bone should be perpendicular to the floor in this position. On the other hand, pick a bottle full of water (5-liter oil or water jars will be the best). Pull this weight to your abdomen. Lower the weight under control and in a straight line to a point where your elbow is just shy of locking out. Aim for 20 reps. Rest for 30 sec. Repeat it with the other side. Too easy? Make the weight heavier using any household item. Too difficult? Stick with the water bottle.

6. Crunches: (20 reps / 2 sets with 60 sec. of rest between sets.) 

Instructions: Lie on a mat, knees folded. Put your feet under a sofa/bed or ask someone to hold down your feet. Keep your hands behind your head. Lift your body to where your elbow touches your knee. Exhale while you come up; inhale while you go down. Too easy? Put that bag on your chest.                                                                                        Too difficult? Come up as much as you can.     

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THE CARDIO PROGRAM (Tues/ Thurs /Sat):

 

1. Burpees: (As many reps as possible and as fast as you can. 45 sec. rest)

Instructions: Stand straight with your arms extended overhead – bring your palms to the floor just ahead of your feet – push your feet back to get into the push-up position – do a pushup (as low as possible) – immediately jump back to the starting position. Repeat immediately. After resting 45 seconds, immediately start the next exercise.

2. Walking Lunges: (2 minutes at a stretch. Rest for 60 secs):

Instructions: Stand straight with your hands on your hips. Take one leg ahead (slightly more than your walking stride length) and lower your body. Stand and repeat with the other leg. You’ll need to create some walking space. Start the next exercise immediately after resting.

3. Box Jumps: (1 min. Rest for 45 sec):

Instructions: Make use of sofa or anything that is between 12 to 18 inches in height, and sturdy enough to hold your weight. Jump up from the floor and jump down back on the floor. Too difficult? Step up and down instead of jumping. Start next exercise after rest.

4. Mountain Climbers: (2 min. Rest for 90 sec):

Instructions: Get into the push-up position. Bring your right knee ahead to a point just below the chest; now reverse and repeat with the other leg. Do this with speed, as fast as you can. 

Note: After resting for 90 seconds, repeat the Cardio cycle from Exercises 1 to 4, one more time. 

Note: Rest for 2 minutes and finish the session with the final exercise No. 5, as under:

5. Planks: (One minute / Rest 60 secs)

Instructions: Get into the pushup position – lower yourself on to your forearms – from shoulder to hips the body should be in one line. Maintain this position for a minute, then rest for 60 secs and repeat once. Too easy? Put that bag on your back. Too difficult? Hold for as long as you can.

Important Note: Maintain a training log and record your progress in each session. There’s no point repeating the same thing. Progression must be made either in reps, or speed or duration in every session. 

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By Vivek Singh Rajput,
Sr. Lecturer,
Exercise Science, K11 School Of Fitness Sciences.
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