Category: Exercises and Workouts

Most people who are short of time during working out tend to skip the warm-up and directly jump into the workout. Have you ever tried to skip the warm-up and landed up with a sprain in your ankle? Warm-up might sound lame, but there are a lot of advantages. In this article today, we will talk about the best warm-up exercises that will help you prevent injuries during your workout sessions.

Advantages of Warm-Up

Before we get into the best warm-up exercises, you should know the advantages of warm-up exercises. Some key advantages of warm-up exercises have been listed for your convenience.

Warm Up helps in increasing flexibility

The biggest advantage of a warm-up is it helps in increasing flexibility. The more flexible you are, the more convenient it becomes for you to exercise.

Lowers the risk of getting injured

As stated earlier, if we do not warm up before we get into our regular workout sessions, we might risk getting injured. Because when you step inside the gym, the body is stiff. It is only after the warm-up that it becomes ready for exercise. Warm-up increases blood flow the which helps the muscles get the required nourishment.

Lessens muscle tension and pain

Warm-up exercises also help lessen pain and muscle tension by reducing fatigue. Just after warm-up, muscles feel warm and relaxed. And you can move around freely. This is precisely why the pain caused by the movement of muscles is reduced to a great extent.

5 Best Warm-Up Exercises

There are numerous warm-up exercises that can help you ease your muscles. We have listed the best five warm-up exercises for you below.

Squats

Squats are one of the best warm-up exercises because of their versatility. It targets multiple muscles of the lower body, including the hamstrings, quads, and glutes. To overcome the initial difficulties because of the stiffness in the body, we can start doing warm-ups by doing half squads and then move onto full squads. It releases the muscles and makes it easier to move.

Process

• It would be best if you stood straight with your hips apart and your toes either facing forward or slightly away from the sight.
• It would help if you lowered your hip till you find your thighs are parallel to the floor.
• It would help if you paused briefly with your knees bending halfway but not beyond your toes. Make sure you are inhaling while you bend.
• Exhale while you stand back.
• It would be best to repeat this exercise 10 to 15 times in each rep and complete at least 1 to 3 sets in the warm-up.

Planks

Planks are one of the best warm-up exercises, especially for people who suffer from back pain and wish to develop their back muscles. Doing this warm-up exercise regularly helps in improving the posture and balance of an individual.

Process

• It would help if you lay down in a push-up position. Or else you can also do plank on your knees when you are warming up. Planks can also be done resting on your forearms or by fully extending your arms.
• Your toes and palms need to be firmly planted on the ground before you start doing your warm-up. Make sure your core muscles remain tight, and your back is straight.
• You need to hold your plank for a minimum of 30 seconds before you hop onto the second set.

Side Lunges

Side lunges are an exercise effective for your lower body. It helps strengthen your hips, glutes, and legs. Even in this case, if you find your body is too stiff, you can start warming up, making half lunges, and then as the tension in the body releases, you can move towards making full Lunges.

Process

• It would help if you stood tall with your hips wide apart along with your feet.
• Simultaneously you need to press into your right foot and then move on to the left foot.
• While you are pressing your right foot, you need to bend your left leg down, keeping the right leg straight.
• You need to stand up then and perform the same movements for your right leg. Initiate this warm-up exercise for both the right and left lunges.

Push-ups

Push-ups are a classic exercise for the upper body. But most of us find difficulties in doing push-ups when we are doing a warm-up. For a start, if you really want to do push-ups, you can start by doing push-ups on your knees.

Process

• It would help if you sat on a plank kneeling on your knees.
• Place your hands wide apart on the plank, with your shoulders straight.
• Then you need to lower your body down towards the floor. Make sure your torso and back do not sag while you bend down.
• Keep bending towards the ground till your chin and chest touch the ground. Then stretch your hands to avoid any hyperextension.
• You can repeat this exercise eight to twelve times.

Triceps Warm-up

This is one of the best warm-up exercises for the triceps. It helps in loosening the triceps muscles.

Process

• It would be best if you stretched your arms sideways so that they are parallel to the floor. Your palms should be facing down.
• The arms should be rotated in a backward cycle keeping it straight.
• After 30 seconds, you need to rotate your arms in the forward cycle.
• You can repeat the movement in sets of 3 to ensure the tricep muscles is free.

Conclusion

Therefore, it can be said that no matter how late you are for your workout sessions, you should never miss doing warm-ups before you plunge into a workout if you really wish to avoid accidents or getting injured. We should remember that when we hit the gym, the body remains stiff, and only after doing a few rounds of workouts, the body becomes ready for intense exercises. Usually, people slow jog to ease out their bodies, but apart from slow jogging, some of the best warm-up exercises are squats, planks, side lunges, push-ups, and triceps warm up. 

These exercises are the most popular warm-up exercise. They are considered to be the best warm-up exercise worldwide because of the following reasons:

Firstly, they help in improving blood circulation. Secondly, these exercises reduce the risk of injuries by loosening the muscles. Thirdly, they increase muscle flexibility, and finally, these warm-up exercises help lessens muscle tension and pain.

Exercising is all about discipline, commitment, and hard work. Even though it is not magic. It is in fact the result of a constant effort that you observe a visible difference in your physique, whether you wish to put on weight, or reduce weight. Here are some popular fun exercises that will make your workout sessions interesting.

There are various reasons why most people do not find exercise interesting.

Firstly, it is not something that gives you immediate results. It requires time and consistency to reap the benefits of exercise.

Secondly, the whole concept of working out following the same sets of exercise becomes boring and monotonous for people, and the most important reason is it requires a typical mind-frame that helps people overcome the physical strain they face when they step inside their jogging shoes for the first time or step inside a gym. The process of building muscles or melting fat is harrowing. Without the proper mindset, people tend to step down from their commitment soon after their body starts aching after a few stretch ups.

This is precisely why people must convert the habit of exercising into fun exercises so that following the regimen of daily workouts doesn’t become strenuous.

Today, we will share some tips with you that will help you convert your rigorous workout sessions into fun activities.

Fidgeting can be a good, fun exercise

Most people have a habit of fidgeting, but they do not realize that fidgeting can be a good exercise. Fidgeting involves random finger movements. That helps in improving blood circulation. So, if you have the habit of fidgeting, then don’t let go of it. Instead, make sure you fidget knowingly for at least 10 minutes if you sit for long hours in a day.   

Turn your hobby into fun exercises

Exercise does not necessarily mean doing exercises by following a particular routine. Anything that involves body movements counts as exercise. So, if you were fond of yoga or dancing, but do not have the time to practice, now is the time when you can invest your free time into pursuing your long-forgotten hobbies like yoga and dancing. Dance is an excellent exercise, and so is yoga.

Go hiking with your friends 

Very few people know that trekking and hiking are excellent exercises. So if you are someone who enjoys traveling, make sure you go hiking with your friends. Pick up a place nearby, pack your bags, tie your shoelaces and move out. This way you will definitely enjoy the exercise but will also get an opportunity to see the world.

Turn Walking into fun exercises

Even though you have a high-pressure job, have no time for traveling and trekking, you can surely find 10 to 15 minutes in a day to go for a walk. Brisk walking is one of the most effective exercises. The only thing you should keep in mind while going on a walk is maintaining a proper speed while walking. Leisure walks are not really effective.

Crawl with your toddler

If you have an active kid at home who is a toddler, he can surely involve you in many fun activities to keep him accompanied. These activities also work as exercises for grown-up adults because it involves rigorous movement of muscles. One such fun activity that keeps your baby accompanied is crawling. Strange but true, crawling is an excellent exercise and is also practiced by people when they decide to take a day off from the rigorous workout sessions. Crawling helps in active recovery.

Have an active meeting

 If you are into a job where you are supposed to sit all day long and meet people on several agendas, you may change the routine a bit and tie up meetings with people out in the open doing physical activity.

For example, going on a long walk with your client, or involving your client in an outdoor sport that may interest both. For example, you can involve them in playing golf. This way, the work won’t bore you, and you can also make time for physical exercise.

Convert cleaning into fun exercises

Cleaning our room is a task that none of us can avoid. Did you know that cleaning not just helps you be organized, but it also works as an exercise? Cleaning can turn into fun exercises by simply turning on some loud music or playing games while cleaning to avoid boredom.

Take fun resolutions while playing video games

 Most of us are gaming freaks and spend most of our time playing video games. This is why we find very little time for exercising. And mostly avoid exercise because we want to spend our time gaming. We can change this habit by involving fun exercises like taking small resolutions while gaming. For example, we will do 15 pushups every time we die. It makes exercising fun and helps us overcome our lethargy.

Play any musical instrument

Playing a musical instrument also works as a fun exercise. Be it a violin, guitar, piano, or any other instrument. The hand movements that are involved in playing the instrument also become a good exercise.

Join your kids in the playground or take your dog out on the run

If you have a dog at home or have kids who love going to the playground, make sure you take some time out to play with them in the playground. Whether you run with your dog or climb the monkey ladder with your kid to give him company, every small movement you make while you are in the playground turns into a physical exercise for you.

Conclusion

Therefore, it can be said that if you are not much of a physical person and are not fond of exercise, you need not have to force yourself to go to the gym. Instead, you can turn these exercises into fun exercises by getting into the habit of fidgeting, which is otherwise a great finger exercise. You can also spend time dancing, plan a hiking trip with your friends, go for an evening walk, and crawl on the floor with your toddler to give him company, take fun resolutions.

In contrast, gaming, for example, doing 15 pushups every time you die.  You can also learn to play a musical instrument, take your dog on the run, or play with your kid in the playground. These activities will help you turn your exercise into fun activities that will not just take the boredom out of your workout sessions but also help you stay fit. So, in case you spend too much time sitting at your desk we suggest you should involve yourself in some of these fun activities.

Pull-up is a great way to develop back muscles. It is very important for people who do desk jobs for nine to twelve hours a day to develop strong back muscles if they want to avoid back pain.

But, just because you don’t have a bar at home or don’t have the time to go to a gym because of a time-pressing job, doesn’t mean, you can’t do pull-ups at home.

Here in this article, we are going to suggest alternative ways of doing a pull-up without using a rod.

Ways to do pull-ups without a rod 

Only, if you look around you will find plenty of alternatives that can be used as a substitute to a rod. If you wish to do your rounds of pull-ups at home; some of the best alternatives have been listed below for your convenience.

Use the door of your study room

If you do not have a rod at home for pull-ups, you don’t need to worry. Every house has a door. You can turn the door of your study room as a substitute for the metal rod, and do your rounds of pull-ups.

Process                                                  

You must be wondering how to convert a door into a rod. Just follow the steps below –

• Open the door of your study room. Place the door bolt, and keep a mat at the bottom of the door. So, that the door does not move.
• Face the door and cover the top of the door with a towel.
• Lift your hands and place them on the top of the towel so that you can have a strong grip.
• Lift yourself keeping your spine straight facing the door.
• Hold yourself up for 5 seconds, and then bring yourself down. Follow this movement three to 5 times in each set. It is going to have the same effect on your back and shoulder muscles.

Walk up to the nearest playground to do your rounds of pull-up

If the gym is quite far, or you do not have sufficient money to invest in a gym, you can always choose to walk down to the nearest playground for your rounds of the pull-up.

Process

A lot of parks have monkey bars for children. You can use them for doing a pull-up. They are strong, and can bear the weight of an adult. In case, the park does not have monkey bars, it will surely have swings for children. You can use the bar of a swing set for doing pull-ups. Just stand in the middle of two swings, raise your hands and touch the rod, then gently lift your body up and down slowly. Swing set bars are perfect alternatives to pull-up bars. In case you are lucky, you might also find dedicated pull-up bars in the playground.

Use the branch of a tree and convert it into a pull-up bar

In case you stay in a place where you can’t find any metal rods nearby, you can still do your rounds of pull-ups holding the branch of a tree.

You’d be surprised to know that some branches of trees are really strong and can hold a man’s weight. All you need to do is find a tree, which has sturdy branches, which you can reach up to.

You need to make sure that the girth of the branch should be just right, so that you can hold them. Trees that have wide branches are mostly difficult to hold.

Process

• Find a tree with strong branches. Make sure you can touch the branch of the tree comfortably.
• Face the branch of the tree and stand tall.
• Lift your hands to get a firm grip. Once you feel your grip is strong enough to lift yourself, breathe in to lift yourself.
• Hold yourself up for 5 seconds then breathe out while coming down.

Make use of a smooth fence

Fences are generally strong, and if you can find a fence that is, smooth enough to drag your legs, during pull-ups. You can replace the pull-up rod with the fence. Most people avoid using fences for pull-up, because the surface of the fence is rough, and you might end up hurting your knees when your legs are dragged against the wall. It helps to develop the spine.

Therefore, if you are thinking of replacing the rods with a fence, just make sure the walls of the fence are smooth so that your legs don’t get hurt.

Process

• Face the fence, and put your hands on top of the fence.
• Lift your body in the air. Make sure you breathe in while lifting yourself.
• Hold yourself up for five seconds, and then slowly come down while you breathe out.

Lay a broomstick across two different chairs to make it into a rod

This is the most common practice that can be followed at home to do pull-ups. Most people use this method because a broomstick and two chairs are things you don’t have to go around hunting for in a house.

Process

• Place two chairs parallel to each other.
• Place a broomstick on the top of the chair.
• Lie on the ground in between the two chairs, and lift your hands to hold the broomstick.
• Breathe in while you lift yourself holding the broomstick. Make sure only your upper body moves, while your lower body lies still on the ground.
• Hold yourself up for 5 seconds, and then go down slowly while you breathe out. Follow this step again five to seven times in each set.

Conclusion

Therefore, it can be said that “where there is a will, there is a way” if you make up your mind that you want to do pull-ups, you will surely find a way to do it, even if you cannot go to a gym or, don’t have a pull-up rod at home.

All you need to do is look around. The best alternatives to a pull-up rod can be the door of your study room, the swing set rod, or monkey ladder in the playground, a fence that has smooth walls, a branch of a tree, or a broomstick.

If all else fails you can still do your rounds of workout, using the railing of your house. All you require is the will to do it.

We are sure if you understand the importance of pull-ups, and after you read this article, you will surely find an alternative way to do your rounds of pull-ups at home. End of the day, what matters is the exercise, not the rod.

 Don’t let excuses like not finding a pull-up rod restrain you from your regular rounds of pull-ups at home.

A lot of us were once very active in the playground and spent hours in the gym but, with time, we got stuck in the rat race so badly that we almost forgot our way to the gym. It is a common scenario with almost every working individual. As they say, it’s never late to start over; even if it’s a decade of not stepping into the gym. We are going to share some tips to restart the fitness training that will help you climb back on the treadmill, lift weights, swing kettlebell, and whatnot!

Tips on How to Restart Exercise

We all take a break from our daily routine of exercising at some point in life. Sometimes, it is due to personal hang-ups, and sometimes it is because of a physical ailment. But, the toughest part is getting back on track.

Here are a few ways you can restart your workout session.

Try not to take a long break

The best way to restart fitness training is to avoid taking a long break. If you were already into the habit of exercising, it is advised that you should get back on the gym floor, the minute you feel it’s a long time since you have last worked out. It is ok to take a break for a few days but if you wish to start exercising again it is best not to break the habit of exercising. 

Take monthly resolutions

Another way to restart fitness training is by taking small resolutions. You can start by going to the gym for 30 days to get back into the habit of exercising. Make up your mind to exercise for 30 minutes a day for a start. These small monthly resolutions will help in solidifying the habit of exercising. 

Start enjoying your daily workouts

It’s difficult to habituate something you generally don’t like doing. Therefore, to restart your workout session, you need to first start enjoying your workout sessions. Once you find joy in exercising, you will see how easy it becomes to step back into your running shoes. 

You may find difficulties in doing your old sets because you might have gained weight or are simply out of practice. But this should not be the reason why you do not enjoy doing workouts.

There are a lot of fitness centers that offer a range of fitness programs for people. If you feel you are losing interest try speaking to a fitness expert. They might have something in store for you that you will enjoy. 

Schedule your workout sessions during quiet hours

When you decide it’s time to start exercising, don’t let anything else change your mind. The most common mistake we make when we decide of working out is that we schedule the time of workout during busy hours. We end up skipping the session because something or the other keeps cropping in at the time of workout that needs attention. So, if you want to restart your workout session make sure you schedule the time during quiet hours. Usually, early mornings, before we start working and late evening, just after we got done for the day are considered to be the best time for working out.

Keep a count of the days you pay a visit to the gym

Another good way to restart your workout session is to either keep the count of the days you have gone to the gym or keep a count of the days you do not go to the gym. There is an easy way to keep a track of how long you have not been to the gym. You can simply mark a cross on the calendar on days you have either gone to the gym or have stayed home. It helps you analyze your habit at the end of each month. 

Get a like-minded partner

The most common reason why people drop out of the habit of exercising is lack of motivation. To get back into the habit of exercising and restart fitness training you need to motivate yourself. The easiest and the most effective way to stay motivated is to get a like-minded partner who can accompany you in the gym and workout with you. This way, you will have a reason to go to the gym every day and workout without feeling bored. It will help you stay committed to the habit. 

Turn exercising into a ritual

Once you start working out, make sure your habit of working out turns into a ritual. The habit of exercising should be ingrained into your daily routine in a way that it becomes a ritual. Following this ritualistic regimen should be effortless, in a way that as soon as the clock strikes 6 in the evening or the morning, you automatically head out to go to the gym without thinking of anything else. 

Try working out when you feel stressed

Daily workouts can work as a morale booster and helps you control your stress levels. Therefore, try doing a few rounds of the workout when you get stressed. You will see how effective it is. This also creates a dependency on people. So, the next time you get stressed, try working out and feel the difference. People who are used to working out in times of stress are more likely to get back into the habit and it becomes easy for them to restart fitness training. Spend on cultivating the habit than on expensive equipment

Fitness training has indeed become attractive with all those fitness equipment lying in the gym. But the equipment will only attract you to the gym for a few days. Therefore, it is important for people who are starry-eyed seeing the dumbbells and treadmills in the gym to first get in the habit of exercising. We advise you to spend more time and energy cultivating the habit than spending loads of money on expensive instruments. At the end of the day, it is the habit that keeps you going, not the instruments. 

Start loving yourself

Most people get into the habit of exercising to impress others. The best and the most lasting way is to start admiring yourself. Once we start loving ourselves, it becomes easier to get back into the old habits that are beneficial for us. So, in case you are still in two minds of whether to restart your workout session or not, we suggest, just look into the mirror and ask yourself. Do you wish to start working out for yourself? Or are there some external factors involved?

It is best if you start admiring yourself and eliminate all external factors that motivate you to restart fitness training. Because, if these external factors are motivating you, they also can be the reason for de-motivation at a later stage, if things do not go as planned.

Conclusion

Therefore, it can be said that if you wish to restart your workout session you need to first ensure that you do not break the habit of working out. If you feel you are being detached from the gym, you should make it a point to go to the gym at least for 30 minutes a day. It becomes easier to get habituated if we like doing something. 

Therefore, you need to enjoy your workout sessions. You also need to keep a track of how often you go to the gym by marking the days on your calendar. This will help you get back into the habit faster because you are constantly monitoring your habit. To get habituated, you need to follow the routine ritualistically. 

If you keep these tips in mind, we are sure that it will be easy for you to restart fitness training.

Once you get back on track we recommend you ensure not to fall off the habit again. With a little dedication and commitment, you can easily continue with this habit even in difficult circumstances. Good habits are difficult to form. So, they should not be given up easily.