As an athlete, it can be extremely frustrating on those days when you can’t train in your regular training facility. Training at home can be a valuable and rewarding addition to your workout routine.. There are lots of options if you miss your regular training sessions because of an injury, a cancelled session, or simply life getting in the way.
When you don’t train, athletes can feel stressed and unfulfilled. While VertiMax offers training solutions for sports training inside or outside on the field or court. there are also many ways to train with home workouts. All athletes can benefit from the following tips.
9 Tips for Training at Home
1. Fine tune the nutrition program - A solid nutrition program is the foundation of any successful training program. While on lockdown, you can use this time to dial yours in perfectly. As we are all limiting our trips to the store, focus your purchases on nutritious real food. Nothing in a box or a bag and only those foods that will support your goals. If you only have nutritious food on hand, then cheating on your eating plan won’t be an option. Organic veggies and fruits, grass fed beef and chicken, and water.
2. Master your bodyweight - While you may not have access to dumbbell, kettlebells, plyo boxes, etc., you can accomplish pretty much everything you need for cardio exercise, flexibility training and muscle building using your own bodyweight. Use this time to master bodyweight moves that will take your training to the next level. There is an incredible array of YouTube videos on the subject and it might surprise you how strong you can become without lifting one weight. For instance, movements like pistol squats, 1-armed plank holds, jump lunges will get your heart rate fired up and your muscles jacked in no time at all! No matter what your sport, there are plenty of bodyweight-only moves to help take our conditioning and agility skills to the next level.
3. Family room obstacle courses - With a little creativity, you can turn any room of our house (or several rooms together) into an incredibly challenging obstacle course designed to keep you in peak condition and ready for your next event. Who needs an agility ladder when you can place canned goods, pillows, or anything else you have lying around the house on the floor and practice agility drills any time you want? Add some stacked pillows for some plyometric training and some set stations where you can perform burpees, mountain climbers, clap pushups and more. You can make each room of your house a different set of drills to keep the workouts fresh. In fact, have a family member set up the obstacles in each room to keep you guessing and make the training even more fun!
4. Get outside! - When the weather permits, take your training outdoors. One of the simplest exercises to help athletes stay fit and quick is sprint intervals. Make a distance of 25 yards, warm up, then perform 10-12 sprints, then cool down. This will keep your lower body strong, quick, and ensure your body is burning fat for hours afterwards. If you have a family member who can support your training, you can wrap a beach towel around your waist and have the family member hold both ends of it behind you while you try to sprint. This will provide a fantastic amount of resistance and build leg and core muscles while helping to keep your cardiovascular training in top form. The possibilities are endless when you can get outside to train. ANYTHING can become training equipment. A bench, a chair, some sticks placed evenly apart for agility training…just use your imagination and create your own program to keep your progress moving forward!
5. Watch some videos - One thing that has increased during this pandemic lockdown is the number of live and recorded training videos online. Gyms, fitness centers, yoga studios and coaches are all hosting live fitness training sessions where you can join in and follow along or watch the sessions later at your own leisure. If your coach or facility is not doing this, it won’t be hard to log on and find a plethora of others who are doing this and many of them are free for anyone to watch. There are many options on social media now, so keep your eyes out and it might surprise you. If you are looking for something specific, just do a quick YouTube or Google search for your specific training niche and you can uncover a treasure trove of how-to exercise and workout videos that you can incorporate into your at-home training routine.
VertiMax offers a great free app that provides hundreds of drills with videos for using our athletic training equipment.
Watch how this family and others use VertiMax Platforms and Raptors to train at home, outside or inside!
6. Reach out to the experts - if you’re a high school athlete, then you may already have a personal trainer or strength and conditioning coach. These qualified experts can still offer you a great training plan based on your needs and goals. Even though the school weight room and gym are closed, it doesn’t mean these coaches aren’t working! Their goal is to get you stronger, even if they can’t do personal one-on-one coaching.
7. Add something brand new to your training regimen - Another fantastic idea for athletes who are training at home is to learn and try something that you have never done before. There are likely many training protocols you have thought about but never tried, so why not use this lockdown time to investigate a few? Yoga, Pilates, Ta-Chi, and mediation are just a few ideas to get your brain thinking. Choose one (or several) and do a little research. It might surprise you how much progress you can make in your athletic training by trying something completely brand new and outside your normal regimen.
8. Schedule time - If you’re used to training on a schedule at a gym or school, then stick to it. To help keep yourself committed and accountable, schedule your workouts in a calendar and at a time you will keep. Keeping this schedule in view will help you remember it’s time to work out and less likely to forget.
9. Check your form - A good way to ensure you are training properly is to have your form checked on any movements. If you have a coach, or personal trainer, you can easily film yourself doing an exercise and send to them for feedback. This will help you properly complete the exercise and maximize the movement for gains.
Choose any (or all) of the above ideas and then come up with a few of your own! Just because you don’t have access to your normal gym, training facility or high school weight room doesn’t mean you can’t make progress with whatever sport or activity you are involved in. The key is consistency and pushing yourself to get faster, stronger, and more resilient. Fancy equipment, padded flooring, and experienced coaches can certainly support your goals, but good old-fashioned creativity and a desire to become better can do the trick as well. Good luck in your training, stay fit and stay safe!
