How to get the most out of your at-home workouts

With lockdown being extended for longer than we’d hoped, it can be difficult to sustain the motivation and discipline needed to keep smashing out those at-home workouts. Whether your performance has dropped, you’re finding it more and more challenging to get up and move your body, or you’ve simply lost interest and don’t know what to do to get your sweat on, we’re sharing our top five tips for making the most out of any workout at home.

Get ready to level up and rediscover that motivation you’ve been missing! Remember, fitness isn’t just beneficial for your physical health, but also has such a profound impact on your mental health, making it more important than ever to prioritise during this time.

1. Activate your muscles first.

Before you dive straight into burpees, plyo lunges and jump squats, it’s important to take a few minutes to warm up and activate your muscles at the start of any workout.

As you know, we always take time to do this in the studio, so your home workouts should be no different! Whether you grab an exercise band and practise some glute bridges and activation exercises, or bust out some bodyweight squats, lunges and core exercises to get your muscles warmed up, this is key to maximising your performance and results and preventing injury during your workouts!

Some of our favourite activation exercises for inspiration include:

• Bodyweight squats and lunges

• Curtsey lunges

• Glute bridges (banded or not)

• Walkout to push ups

• Planks.

2. Find a workout you love.

If you’re forcing yourself to complete a workout you actively don’t enjoy, chances are you’re not going to get much out of it…

The key to results and enhanced performance is consistency… and you won’t be consistent with something you hate doing!

So take the time to try out different sessions and styles of fitness, you might find what you enjoy doing at home is different to your regular gym routine! We’ve uploaded a bunch of workouts for you to try on our YouTube channel, so you’re sure to find something that works for you. When you do find your “thing”, stick to it! Consistency is the most important factor for getting the most out of your workouts, in terms of both physical and mental benefits.

3. Break it up into chunks.

During lockdown, time is your friend! Chances are you have the luxury of less travel time, less “busyness”, and fewer commitments, which means you can use this extra time to your advantage.

If you’re finding it too difficult to commit to a full workout in one go, why not try breaking it down into chunks? Instead of smashing out 45 minutes straight, use your workout to break up your work day and give yourself a chance to reset your body and mind.

Try doing 10 minutes before work, another 10 at morning tea, 10 at lunch, and a final 10-15 minutes to wrap up your day! It all equates to the same workout time, but you’re making it work for you and your schedule!

Lockdown may give you more free time, but it brings with it different complications and barriers, so making your workout work for you is key!

4. Pay attention to your body.

When you’re in the gym, you have our expert trainers supervising you, correcting your form, and providing progressions or regressions to movements as needed. We personalise everything, and we’re always there to help and support you when you need.

However, this isn't the case during home workouts (unless you’re lucky enough to be doing our 1-on-1 personal training sessions - email us for more info on these!). So now, it’s up to you to listen to your body and take the time to watch and correct your own form as you perform different movements!

If you feel any niggles or pain along the way, back off immediately. Don’t push through the pain, instead either stop what you’re doing completely and seek medical attention or advice from a professional trainer, or move on to a different movement or exercise.

Looking after your body is very important for allowing you to keep moving and getting the most out of your workouts, so treat it well!

5. Find a motivating, energising trainer to push you.

Whether it’s a Zoom workout, following along to a YouTube or Instagram workout, or a personal trainer taking you through 1-on-1 sessions, make the effort to find a trainer who motivates you, keeps you excited about your workouts, and helps you achieve your fitness and health goals.

In these unusual times, it’s more important than ever to find the right people to support you and keep you feeling your best. And as you know, having an inspiring trainer can make your workout endlessly more enjoyable and effective!

If you want to workout with the motivation of our incredible expert trainers, shoot us an email to book in for a personal training session. Or, you can try our fantastic range of YouTube workouts here!

Keep moving, keep healthy, and we can’t wait to see you back in the studio soon!