Are you back in lockdown, or is your local gym still closed? If so, you're probably back to working out at home, just as we all were earlier in the year. Some of us bought the best adjustable dumbbells to start strength training without the benefit of our local gym's weight racks, or buying the best elliptical machine we can to make exercise at home easier.
However, quite a few of us began doing HIIT workouts in our garden or front room. HIIT workouts are usually quite simple, very intense combinations of strength training and cardiovascular workouts. What's more, most of them require very little in the way of equipment.
Most can be done with just the body, but you can also get a lot of mileage out of very simple household objects, such as a chair for dips and step-ups, or a broom handle.
Expert trainer Emma Goodman-Horne recently took over our Instagram account, bringing you a 30-minute sweat sesh using nothing except for a broom, mop handle or any kind of stick prop. Follow along at home to burn fat and build muscle, starting today!
30-minute lockdown home workout: Watch it here
30-minute lockdown home workout: Why this routine works
Most of the moves in Goodman-Horne's workouts are lower-body focused, like lunges, squats and the downward dog position, which lengthens your hamstrings. Gripping the broom handle engages your upper-body muscles, like your arms and core, that would otherwise not be working throughout most of these moves.
In addition, this workout simulates movements like the back squat, shoulder press and deadlift. There's a reason most people who lift weights perform a few warm-up sets with just the bar: it reinforces good form and creates muscle memory and movement patterns.
Should you decide to begin lifting weights with adjustable dumbbells while stuck at home, your muscles are already prepared to pull off these moves, allowing you to progress faster because you've already practiced good form without weights. Not only will this workout burn fat and build muscle, it will help prepare you to get stronger by lifting weights.
-
Just four minutes of vigorous everyday activity can have serious health benefits, according to this expertActive Ageing Carrying shopping or brief bursts of power walking can cut the risk of heart attack by 50% a new study finds—here's how to make VILPA one of your healthy habits for 2025
-
A Pilates instructor says these three exercises will strengthen your pelvic floor and lower absPilates Everyone can benefit from pelvic floor exercises—here's why
