Home fitness precautions and requirements

Never copy the training intensity and action patterns of the gym. First, create a space that is absolutely safe and non-disturbing for training. Stop immediately if there is any abnormal discomfort in the body. Don't believe in the chicken blood of "gritting your teeth and breaking through the limit". This is the most practical conclusion I have come up with after insisting on home fitness for 4 years. I have experienced sprained feet, waist pain, and complaints from neighbors downstairs three times. I will break it down for you below.

Don’t underestimate the importance of space preparation. My neighbor’s fitness card expired last year. I followed the video to practice burpees at home. I wore hard-soled sandals and danced for 15 minutes. The old man downstairs banged on the door. He still held a blood pressure monitor in his hand and said that his heartbeat had soared to 120 and he almost called an ambulance. Regarding the issue of sound insulation, different bloggers have very different opinions: Some say that laying an 8mm yoga mat is completely sufficient. I personally tested that this is not the case. If you live in an old community around 2000, and the floor is so thin that you can hear the next door coughing, it is best to have a pair of soft-soled indoor training shoes. For shoe training, try to replace jumping movements with low-impact alternatives such as leaning over and trotting on the spot. If you really want to do high-intensity jumping, you can either choose a time when everyone goes out around 3 pm on weekdays, or simply move to an elevated floor in the community. Neighborhood harmony is really more important than burning 100 more calories.

When it comes to the choice of training content, two schools of thought are quarreling now: one school says that home fitness training without equipment is in vain and cannot achieve muscle-building effects at all; the other school says that you can train all over the body with bare hands, and spending a penny on equipment is a waste. I have tried both of these statements, and they are actually not conflicting at all. It all depends on what your needs are. If you just want to relax your stiffened shoulders and neck from sitting for a long time and maintain a basic level of activity, then practicing Ba Duanjin and Pamela’s Happy Exercises for 20 minutes is completely sufficient. I practiced this every day for two months during the lockdown last year, and most of the shoulder and neck pain that had been bothering me for several years was relieved. ； But if you want to build muscle and develop obvious muscle lines, then you really need to get an adjustable weight dumbbell. If it’s too expensive, you can also use a bottle of mineral water at home or a trolley box full of books as weights. There is really no need to spend thousands to buy a comprehensive training stand. Not to mention taking up space at home, it will most likely be used to hang clothes in half a year. By the way, if you used to go to the gym to practice, don’t use the usual weight when practicing at home. I used to practice deadlifting at home without a full-length mirror, and I didn’t notice that my movements were crooked. I lay down with my waist bent for three full days, and then I figured out the rules: If there is no one to help you correct your movements at home, the weight should be reduced to 50% of the usual weight, and the range of motion should be reduced to 70%. These four words, "be light and not fake" are really not a joke.

Regarding the control of training intensity, there are also differences between different schools: strength training circles often say that "only when movements are performed to failure will the muscle-building effect be achieved", and the group of rehabilitation practitioners have repeatedly emphasized that "stop immediately if you feel pain, don't carry it hard". I specifically asked my friends who do sports rehabilitation. In fact, it is better to distinguish the two kinds of pain: muscle soreness is normal. For example, after practicing squats, my thighs are so sore the next day that I have to struggle to walk down the stairs. That is completely fine and is a normal reaction after training. ； But if it is tingling or numbness in the joints, such as a pin-prick pain in the shoulder when doing push-ups, or pain on the inside of the knee after jumping rope, don’t hesitate to stop immediately. If you can’t relieve it, go to the hospital to take a X-ray as soon as possible. Don’t hold on and accumulate chronic injuries. There is another pitfall that is particularly easy to step on: don’t practice on an empty stomach for too long. I once woke up early and didn’t eat. I practiced HIIT for 40 minutes following the video, and I immediately squatted on the ground when everything went dark. Fortunately, my mother was at home at the time. It is really dangerous if I live alone. Even if I put a banana on the table and drink half a cup of warm milk before practicing, don’t worry about my blood sugar.

Oh, yes, there are a lot of small experiences that I learned from my mistakes: Don’t buy a thin yoga mat that costs 9 yuan with free shipping. I bought one for a cheap price before. When I was doing plank support, it slipped and fell and my elbow was bruised for half a month. Later, I changed to a TPE material mat that costs about 50 yuan. The grip is much more stable. There is really no need to save this money.； If there are children or pets running around at home, be sure to remove all sharp objects and water cups and fruit bowls from the table before training. Last time I practiced kettlebell swings, my cat suddenly jumped to my feet. I quickly stopped and almost twisted my wrist. Now I have to shut the cat to the balcony before practicing.

In fact, to put it bluntly, the most attractive thing about home fitness is freedom. You don’t have to rush the gym’s business hours, you don’t have to worry about whether your movements are standard or not, and you don’t have to squeeze in an hour before you call for training. Even if you do a few sets of calf raises when you get home from get off work and stand browsing on your phone, or raise your knees to do core exercises while sitting on the sofa to catch up on a drama, it’s better than being paralyzed. Don't be bound by the standards of "you must practice for an hour every day" and "you must practice to achieve the vest line to be effective." The best is the one that suits you and can be easily persisted.