You’ve Mastered Your Home Workouts, Now What?
Several past articles in our current quarantine series have focused a lot on how to stay fit and active at home. All of these articles have had a plethora of great exercises and sample routines to follow and they’re a wonderful place for you to get started. Whether you are continuing your work out at home or are able to get back to the gym, here are a couple of techniques that you can use to enhance your training and spark new muscle growth and strength gains. These techniques have been used quite readily in powerlifting and bodybuilding circles for some time and they have helped many increase their strength and muscle size, no matter their level of fitness.
At-Home Lower Body Strengthening Exercises
Normally, athletes would be in the midst of their summer sports leagues in preparation for the upcoming school sports season. Due to COVID-19, our athletes are now participating in online and virtual practices with their teams, with some states just starting modified live training. One aspect that should not be overlooked as high school sports associations plan for fall sports seasons, is how our athletes are continuing to stay strong despite closed gyms and school weights rooms. While working out at home is an option, you may find you’re limited due to lack of equipment and your environment.
To help, here are a few exercises athletes can do to strengthen their legs and help prevent knee injuries. This quick 3-part workout can be done at home using only a chair and adding some tempos and holds.
Squat Mobility and Movement Prep
The squat is one of the most fundamental movements a human needs to be able to perform both in life and in sports. In life we use the squat to sit down and stand up from chairs or going down to the floor to reach for objects. In sport we use squat movements when preparing to jump and land, as well as when getting into an athletic position. The squat is also used in the strength training realm as it has tremendous carry over to all other aspects of sport.
Minimizing the Risk of Running Injuries with Strength Training
The days are longer and the weather is finally nicer, which means more people will be out running. Thinking about running a virtual 5k or half marathon this summer? When deciding between which training program to follow, make sure you don’t forget to incorporate strength training. Strength training is believed to help with injury prevention in runners.
Fact vs. Fiction: Strength Training for Seniors
Is age really just a number? Can you still get stronger even as you get older? There are common misconceptions surrounding senior populations and exercise or strength training. Let’s debunk some of these misunderstandings.
Stronger than Yesterday: Lifting and Learning
The definition of health is not one-dimensional. Health(y) is a state of complete well-being, not only the absence of disease or illness.1
Stronger than Yesterday: Progressing a Push-Up
As mentioned in Stronger than Yesterday: Progressing a Pull-Up, our modern society spends much of the day sitting. This behavior can effectively change the natural posture of the body, leading to weaker and tighter muscles. Adding simple strength training moves into your exercise routine can be a wonderful way to reinforce good posture and reduce chronic pain or injury.
Stronger than Yesterday: Exercises to Improve Pull-Up Strength
Whether it be a desk, a car or a couch, the average American has plenty of opportunity to sit throughout the day.
