Home Fitness Guide

The vast majority of people's home workouts are ineffective and unable to persist. It's not because you're lazy, have poor willpower, or lack thousands of dollars of fitness equipment. The core problem is that you apply the gym's training logic to the home scene - you don't need to pursue standard training durations and fixed action patterns. Solutions that can be embedded in your daily life rhythm and have low decision-making costs are the most suitable fitness paths for home.

Hi, when I first switched to working from home two years ago, I really encountered a lot of pitfalls in this area. At that time, I was so excited that I spent more than 2,000 yuan to buy a folding treadmill, thinking about running for 40 minutes every day after get off work. As a result, within half a month, it became my exclusive storage rack for stacking pajamas and storing express boxes. The only trace of use is that my mother occasionally stood on it to dry the quilt. Later, I danced with Pamela, an online fitness blogger, for three days in a row. My knees hurt for a whole week. I went to the hospital to take X-rays. The doctor said that I already had patellar chondromalacia, and I still performed high-intensity jumps. I was just looking for trouble for myself.

Oh, by the way, there are quite a lot of debates about home fitness on the Internet now, and both groups have their own reasons. One group is the "minimalist self-respect party". They say that as long as you master the essentials of the movements, you can train your whole body just by relying on your own weight, without spending a penny on equipment. I know a friend who practices prisoner fitness. After practicing at home for three years, his arm circumference increased from 32 to 38. His latissimus dorsi muscles were trained like a small fan. He didn't even use a yoga mat. He just threw himself on the floor every time he practiced. The other group is the "micro-equipment party", saying that the upper limit of the load of bodyweight training is too low. If you want to build muscle and shape, you still need to add some weights. Spend 180 yuan to buy a pair of adjustable dumbbells and several elastic bands with different resistances, which can cover more than 80% of the training movements. It is very cost-effective.

I have tried both methods myself. To be honest, there is really no need to take sides. It all depends on your training goals. If you just want to improve back pain caused by sitting for a long time, lower your body fat percentage by two or three points, and support your shoulders when wearing a T-shirt, then bodyweight training is enough, and you don’t even need to set aside time to practice. I now set an alarm clock on my mobile phone, which rings once an hour, and I stand up and move for 3 minutes each time: If my waist becomes stiff after sitting for a long time at the office, I just hold on to the table and do 10 cat stretches. Slowly arch my back and then lower it with my core closed. It is more effective than half an hour of massage on the weekend. ； While making milk tea and waiting for the water to boil, lean against the wall and do 15 silent squats with your knees not exceeding your toes. After two weeks of practice, you can climb the sixth floor without gasping. ； Don't slump on the sofa when watching short videos. Stand and do side leg raises, 20 on each side, and you can take in a lot of fake hip width in half a month.

If you have a clear need to build muscle and want to build some lines, you don’t need to buy big equipment. I spent 80 yuan to buy a pair of 5kg adjustable dumbbells, plus two elastic bands. For chest training, I do dumbbell bench presses. You can do it while lying on the bed. When lowering it, go slower (which is what is called eccentric contraction in fitness). , this process stimulates the muscles better than when pushing up). For back training, I put the elastic band on the door handle and do seated rowing. For butt training, I put the elastic band on the knees and do the clam pose. I have been practicing for more than three months, and my arm circumference has increased by 2cm. The tight shirt I wore before, the shoulder position is now just right.

When it comes to this, there must be some people who want to argue, saying, "I see that people say that fitness must be practiced for more than 40 minutes at a time and 5 times a week to be effective. Your fragmented training method is of no use at all." I specifically asked this question to my friend who is a fitness coach. He said this was originally meant for people who go to the gym for systematic training. If you can spare 3 10 minutes every day, even if you do squats and jumping jacks, it adds up to half an hour. As long as you persist for three months, the effect will definitely be much better than if you go to the gym to train hard for 2 hours and then rest for half a month. When it comes to fitness, continuity is always more important than intensity. Don't set yourself a goal of "practice for 1 hour a day" right from the beginning. If you can't accomplish it, you'll blame yourself. It's like going to school to catch up on KPIs. It's weird if you can stick to it.

Oh, by the way, there is another pitfall that many people step on, which is buying fitness equipment blindly. There are at least five people around me who have bought the kind of internet-famous smart hula hoops that are now collecting dust on their balconies, as well as folding abdominal wheels, leg slimming tools, etc. 90% of people bought them and left them idle after less than three uses. Take my advice, if you really want to buy equipment, first spend 20 yuan on the most ordinary yoga mat. After you can use it for a month, move on it at least 3 times a week, and then consider adding anything else. Otherwise, it will just be a gift to the business.

Another controversial point is whether fasting aerobics is useful? Some people say that fasting is more efficient at burning fat, while others say that fasting will cause muscle loss and is bad for the body. I have tried both. If you don’t feel dizzy when you wake up in the morning and your blood sugar is normal, then do 20 minutes of low-intensity aerobics on an empty stomach, such as slow walking and jumping jacks. The fat burning effect will indeed be better. ； But if you already have low blood sugar and feel dazed after standing up and sitting for a while, don’t join in the fun. Take a half-hour rest after breakfast, then walk two laps at home and do two sets of squats. The effect will not be much different. There is really no need to torment yourself for the so-called “standard answer”.

In fact, after all is said and done, the core point of home fitness is not to regard it as a "task that must be completed". Just treat it as a daily routine like drinking water, cleaning the table, and going downstairs to throw away the garbage. Move a few times when you think of it. If you are in good condition today, practice more. If you are tired today, just lie down and do a few sets of abdominal breathing. No one will check you in, right? After all, what we ordinary people want to do when exercising is to be comfortable in body, look good in clothes, and not to compete in competitions. The best plan is to be happy and persevere.

Oh yes, a final reminder. If your knees are bad, don’t do too many jumping movements. Just squat quietly or sit and kick your legs. If your waist is bad, don’t do abdominal crunches. Instead, use planks and dead bugs. If you don’t practice the movements properly, you will get injured, and the gain will outweigh the gain.