KEEPING UP YOUR FITNESS DURING SELF-ISOLATION

You may not be able to hit the gym, but you can certainly maintain your fitness even if you have limited space to work with in your home. Les Mills personal trainer Otto Prodan gives his expert tips for how to exercise and keep up your fitness while in self-isolation.

BODYWEIGHT EXERCISES FOR TONING

Static holds, or isometric holds, are a great way to help you maintain strength and build endurance. These can include squat holds, planks, or mid range push-up holds.

Combine isometric holds with bodyweight squats, tricep dips, static lunges, and push-ups, but try to slow the movement down, especially when going down towards the floor – this is called eccentric load. With eccentric training your muscles work a little harder than when you push upwards or squeeze. This will help you achieve your goals a little quicker.

FAT BURNING

Jump training such as squat jumps, jumping jacks, plyometric (or jumping) push-ups, and box jumps, will help you accelerate your heart rate and maximise caloric burn.

INTERVAL TRAINING

If you have enough space in your home or garden, combine cardio and body weights to get the best of both worlds. Alternate between one minute of running and one minute of body weights. This is also a great way to get fit fast. For high-intensity interval training (HIIT), combine sprints (short sets of maximum effort running) and jump training outdoors. This is the most time-efficient way to train. You can do this for 15-20 minutes. HIIT can help you burn more calories in a shorter amount of time and accelerate your metabolism for hours after exercise.