Not being able to get to the gym should not be a reason not to exercise. You may ask, what do you do when you cannot make it to the gym or when the gym is closed? Well, you could just forget all about your workout routine, or you can get creative and figure out what else you can do. Starting with these 5 exercises to do when you can’t get to the gym. During the pandemic, the park became my gym. If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw my many stories from the park. Although it’s not the same as lifting weights and huffing and puffing on the cardio machines in the gym, it gets the job done and is always better than doing nothing. Additionally, and most important, it’s safe!
You might have seen my YouTube video showing you my workout inside the gym…. Now let me show you the 5 exercises I do outside of the gym. In between running laps in the park, I pause and do calisthenics, which are exercises that use the weight of your body for resistance. Rather than creating bulky muscle mass, using your body weight creates lean, feminine muscle tone. Here are my top 5 exercises for when you can’t get to the gym.
1 – Lunges
I could do lunges all day every day. In addition to working your quadriceps (front of upper legs) , these also work your glutes (buttocks). Key things to keep in mind is to bend both knees close to a 90-degree angle, and lower straight down so that your front knee doesn’t pass over your toes. I do one set of 12 lunges with each leg and repeat this three times. My legs are burning after finishing three sets.
2 – Squats
I don’t like doing squats one bit, but I do them because they are so effective. Although they also work your legs, most people do them for the effect on their glutes. The form of the exercise is best described as the movement you make when you are sitting down in a chair and getting back up from the chair. I always try to focus on squeezing the glutes on the way up. I do 3 sets of 12 squats and love the visible results they give over time.
3 – Push Ups
Push ups mainly work your chest, but your arms and shoulders also benefit. Whether you do full pushups or so-called ‘girl pushups’ (on your knees), both are effective. They also engage your core because to maintain good form you have to keep that tummy tightly pulled in. Three sets of 15 does the trick.
4 – Tricep Dips
To target the back of my upper arms, I do tricep dips on the curb in the park. Yes it might look funny to passerby’s, but the results are anything but funny. The exercise is quite easy and effective. By bending your elbows you lower your body toward the ground and right before your tush hits the ground you push yourself back up by straightening your elbows. Dips with straight legs are more challenging then dips with your knees bent. Three sets of 12 is all it takes for my arms to be on fire.
5 – Hip Extensions on All Fours
As you can tell, I’m a typical girl and love working lower body over upper body. The hip extension on all fours is one of my all time favorite exercises for firming my hamstrings (back of upper legs) and glutes. While on all fours with one bent leg extended up, I make tiny movements up and down to keep constant tension in the area where the buttocks meets the legs. I do many repetitions before switching legs and like the exercise so much that I’ll gladly do two more sets.
Well those are my 5 quarantine exercises that I do in the park. Of course you can modify each exercise to make it harder, but in this blog I keep it simple and easy. I purposely didn’t include abdominal exercises because those are my least favorite. I hope this blog inspired you start working out if you aren’t already. Have you been exercising during this crazy time? How have you been staying in shape? Sound off below in the comments. Sharing is caring!
Note: Before starting any exercise routine, consider checking in with your doctor, especially if you have an underlying health condition.
