The Best Workouts To Do at Home

If you’re unable to make it to the gym, here are some ways you can get a good workout in at home.

 

Online Exclusive posted Friday, February 2, 2018 – 10:33am

Being active is very important for your physical and mental health. While many people workout at the gym, there are some who prefer to work out in the comfort of their own home. If you prefer to get your exercise at home, or if you’re unable to make it to the gym certain days, we have some tips and tricks for good at home workouts.

While having exercise equipment is helpful, it’s not always necessary. Dumbbells and machines are not the only way to get in a good workout. Rather than investing in expensive equipment, dumbbells can be replaced with household items such as water bottles, cans of food or even a bottle of ketchup. These can be used for overhead shoulder press, lateral raise, triceps press and bicep curls.

If there is one piece of equipment to invest in, it is resistance bands. Mike Norris and Brandon Baily, trainers at Ability360, both stress the importance of bands. Bands are very versatile and affordable – you can find them on Amazon for $10.

“A good investment is some exercise bands,” says Norris. “They’re cheap and all you need is one or two, and you can do a ton of activities with that.”

“You can take them [resistance bands] home and strap them around anything in the house, as long as the thing in your house doesn’t move,” says Bailey. “Bands are good cause they’re light and they create resistance at the top portion of the movement.”

There is an abundance of exercises you can do with resistance bands, such as pull downs and push downs. You can also wrap the resistance band around one of the arms of your wheelchair, if it has arm rests, and do bicep curls.

As for more upper body workouts, Bailey suggests that if you’re able to, transferring in and out of your wheelchair can be part of your at home exercise routine.

“If you can just work on some daily activities [for exercise] and get around the floor into your chair, down and back, as crazy as that sounds. It works pretty much all upper body and it’s great conditioning as well,” says Bailey.

You might think conditioning cannot be done at home, but that’s not the case. If you have a street in front of your house or in your neighborhood that has little to no cars or traffic, doing suicides in your wheelchair is a great way to get in some cardio. Suicides are when you sprint from one line to another. In this case, if you are doing suicides in your street where it’s safe, using markings on the curb is a great way to keep track of your distance. Bailey also suggests pushing your chair backwards and working on your turns as a part of your cardio routine.

While working out at home is possible, please make sure you are not alone in case of injury. Bailey suggests you have a parent, friend, sibling or significant other with you to help out.

Fitness is important for your health, but please consult with your physician before you engage in any strenuous physical activity.

 

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