Practical HOME WORKOUT Equipment THAT won’t BREAK THE bank

THE commercial gym scene has changed drastically since the onset of quarantines and lockdowns brought about by the pandemic. For one, they have ceased to operate in many parts of the country still under general community quarantine and enhanced community quarantine. Those allowed to operate in limited areas under modified GCQ are permitted to do so under stringent rules such as limited gym capacity, the wearing of face masks and physical distancing.

Unable to wait for the reopening of gyms, some have resorted to putting up their own home gyms complete with treadmills, rowing machines, full-on weightlifting equipment: heavy plates, Olympic bars, power cages and whatnot. A complete home gym set up, will of course, come with a hefty price tag. needless to say, not all of us are prepared to shell out the big bucks.

But, must working-out from home always require a major investment? not really. We can buy small, relatively inexpensive items that will make home workouts possible without burning a hole in your pocket. Here are some of them:

Exercise mat—perhaps

the most basic and practical piece of exercise equipment. Just lay it on the floor and perform ab exercises, push-ups, glute bridges and various stretches. Indispensable when doing yoga poses alone or during online classes.

Dumbbells—the

costliest item on this list, a pair of dumbbells, when used correctly, will provide a good upper and lower body workout. For the upper body there’s shoulder presses, floor presses (which you can do on an exercise mat) and bicep curls. To work the lower body you can do walking lunges, goblet and dumbbell squats.

jump rope or skip rope as some would call it is an excellent calorie burner. There’s a multitude of free jump rope programs to choose from online. Most anyone can do this cardio exercise. For beginners, take it slow. Skip or jump over the rope at a pace that is comfortable. you can try this beginner’s workout that simply consists of jumping rope for 10 minutes, with a 30 second work and 30 second rest cycle. Jump rope for 30 seconds, rest for 30. Repeat for a total of 10 minutes. Go and feel the burn.

Resistance bands—these

come in various lengths and resistance levels depending on what kind of exercise you wish to perform. Resistance band squats, chest presses, bicep curls are just some of the things you can do to firm up and tone those muscles that have been made inactive by a prolonged quarantine.

Household items—not

willing to shell out for equipment, but bodyweight exercises just won’t cut it? Easy to find household items can sometimes suffice. Fill a backpack with heavy stuff, wear it and do some squats for a nice leg workout. Or grab a small suit case or duffel bag to do some bicep curls for an awesome arm pump. Or how about wrapping your arms around a filled up water dispenser bottle and doing some challenging front squats? A one liter bottle of any beverage that you can grip can be used to do light-resistance, high-repetition shoulder presses.

Indeed, these are challenging times. Some creativity must be deployed in getting our fitness fix. After all, regular exercise should be part of an over-all plan to boost immune system function, and remain healthy throughout this pandemic and beyond.