Fitness at home: Gyms to change after lockdown

How is everyone doing this week? We are waiting for news of any easing or changes to lockdown this week. Hopefully it signals the start of the end, but it does feel like we’ve still got a bit of a way to go. Unfortunately I don’t think gyms are going to be one of the first places we can go back to. When they are, there will be changes to the environment we work in. Hygiene and cleaning will be paramount, as well as plenty of space between each exercise station. Luckily at Elevate, we’ve already been practicing this so it shouldn’t be too hard when we go back. The spacing doesn’t make a huge difference to the usual workout and no-one can complain about a gym being a bit cleaner! As a completely new studio we’ve managed to keep the place looking good as new. We’re looking forward to getting back but as we’re not quite there yet we’re still working out at home. Don’t forget to check out our latest videos on the Elevate Instagram (@elevatefitnessukgym) or Facebook (@elevate_fitness_uk) – they are updated daily, with a different workout each time. There are CV, kettlebells and just simple bodyweight routines, as well as some guidance on different stretching and movement techniques. Have a look and let us know what you think!

For this week’s workout I’ve gone back to a kettlebell routine, but you can use a filled rucksack as well. The weather looks a bit better this week so if you can get outside then do, but its designed so you only need a one by one metre space and will be fine indoors.

Warm Up – We’re going to warm up without the weight initially and use the same routines as we have been doing in previous weeks. These are in the picture on the article, work your way through each one to loosen up the whole body.

Work out of the Day

We’re going to work on 20 seconds on, 20 seconds off for each exercise, moving through them one by one in the routine. There is 8 sections in total, so each round will take 320 seconds (160 working, 160 rest). There will be a two minute rest in between each round but it will be an active rest, which in this case means you’ll be holding a plank for as long as you can. It certainly makes things interesting and is great for the core.

We’ll be doing a minimum of 4 rounds, but the ultimate aim is 6. This is what the routine will look like:

Clean & Press Right

Burpee

Clean & Press Left

Jump Lunge

Hinge High Pull Right

Burpee

Hinge High Pull Left

Jump Lunge

Active Rest – Plank

Don’t forget, that’s 20 seconds of each exercise, 20 seconds rest. As usual technique is better than speed, so lets aim for the best:

Clean & Press

I love this exercise as it combines two in one and works both your upper and lower body. Its also great for stability and co-ordination, as long as you get it right and stay in control. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a kettlebell on the floor in front of you. Hinge at the hips, bending your knees slightly, to reach down and grab the kettlebell with one hand. Swing it back between your legs and then use the momentum created to swing it forwards and up, driving your hips forwards and straightening your back. As the kettlebell gets around your bellybutton, pull it back and move your hand under it so the bell rests against the back of your wrist. That’s the clean.

To start the press, the kettlebell should be just below shoulder height and your elbow should be tucked in to your chest. Push the kettlebell straight up above your head until your arm is straight and hold briefly. To complete the full move, lower it back to the rack position. Finally, reverse the clean movement and take the kettlebell down to swing between your legs. Its a lot to master in one exercise, so take your time and make sure you are doing everything right, otherwise you’ll hurt yourself.

Burpee (no weight)

Another exercise that combines upper and lower body, in one smooth movement. From a standing position, put your hands on the floor and jump your feet back so you come to a press up position. Then bring your chest to the floor as far as you can, before pushing up with your arms, jumping to your feet right through to as high as you can - the hands should be pushed into the air as a full jump. Repeat for the full 20 seconds.

Jump Lunge (no weight)

This is an advance on your standard lunges, to really work your thighs. Like the other exercices, its key is the transition you make and the form you hold. Standing straight, step forward and lower the back knee as close to the ground as you can then. Keep your shoulders back and stay staring forward. Once you’ve lowered the knee as far as you can, jump up, using your arms to propel you if needed. In the air, quickly switch the position of your feet so when you come down your lunging with the opposite leg. Try to land as softly as you can, hold the lunge briefly and repeat the jumping from leg to leg.

Hinge High Pull

Another great exercise that combines both your upper and lower body.

The set up and movement is very similar to the Clean and Press. So Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a kettlebell on the floor in front of you. Hinge at the hips, bending your knees slightly, to reach down and grab the kettlebell with one hand. Swing it back between your legs and then use the momentum created to swing it forwards and up, driving your hips forwards and straightening your back. The difference now is instead of racking the kettlebell in from the swinging motion, you’re going to pull the kettlebell up and back high towards your shoulder, keeping your elbow high and above your wrist. Bring it as high as you can then as gravity starts to pull the kettlebell back down follow the same motion in reverse.

Plank

So this is where you rest, in the plank. The aim here is to hold the plank for as long as you can, with the remaining time in the 2 minutes left for you to rest. So if you can only hold the plank for 30 seconds you rest for 90 seconds. If you can hold it longer, your rest is shorter (but the workout is better!) Just to make things even harder, we’ll be doing straight arm planks rather than elbow.

Get down on the floor and hold your body in a press up position...and keep it there for as long as you can. Hands should be flat to the ground, legs straight and toes pushed into the floor to hold your position.

Warm down – This was tough this week, with quite a lot of endurance so well done. Once you’ve completed as many rounds as you can do, make sure you warm down with plenty of fluids and stretch out all the muscles you’ve used. Until next week!

If you want to see more of our workouts, either live or recorded, check out our Facebook @elevatefitnessukgym and Instagram pages @elevate_fitness_uk They’re free and available to everyone – we’ve got a great community at Elevate so come and join us!