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Home Gym Benefits vs. Gym Memberships

There are many benefits to creating your dream home gym. Taking control of your fitness journey in your own gym leaves little space for the excuses, limitations and frustrations of your public gym. We dare you to dream about that space, and make sure you get in contact if you are ready to start building out the perfect workout space just for you. We've got 6 reasons why the other option, building a home gym, might be the better fit for you than a gym membership. 

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10 tips on how to workout at home during your COVID-19 quarantine

So far, 2020 has brought with it some challenges that absolutely no one saw coming, and for all of us, our lives have changed in some way for the foreseeable future with the Coronavirus pandemic. What does that mean? COVID-19 has brought us indoors. 

While usually, the phenomenon of working from home, or having some guilt-free time off has us daydreaming of cups of tea on the couch or an 8-hour reality TV binge, it's fair to say that our current circumstances have our minds caught on bigger picture things. 

In the face of such turbulence, it's essential to keep control of what you can and strategise the ways you are going to look after yourself, both mentally and physically. 

Our number one sanity-saving tip? Exercise, exercise, exercise. Keeping a workout regime from your home will help you ensure you keep structure to your days, take a mental break from this continuous whirlwind, and prevent your body from forming part of the couch. 

Think your place isn't set up to workout from home? We're here to help you see otherwise. And on that note, bring in our 10 top tips to establish an effective workout at home. 

• Form a routine. 

Obvious, right? But very important. The usual out-of-home tasks, such as going to work, provide your structure, in which everything else, such as a workout, usually builds around. So when those cornerstones of routine are wobbly, it is even more critical to ensure you set yourself a routine or schedule. Block your time and make sure physical activity makes the cut every day to provide stability.  

• Rise and shine— get going early. 

When there's no 7:48 am train to run for and just a small list of tasks to do each day, we get that the early rise is a difficult promise to keep. But getting up early and exercising is going to help you feel in control and motivated to do more with your day. Some time to clear your head and an early hit of exercise-induced endorphins in the morning will help you start your day on a productive foot. 

• Dial-in a friend for accountability. 

So, our beloved in-real-life buddy system is definitely a no-go at the moment, but how good is technology? If there is one thing that's seeing the benefits of this COVID-19 lockdown, it's technology. Social distancing, as we know, actually means physical distancing, therefore digital socialising is a GO and so are video shared workouts.   

• Zone it up and strategise the space you have.

Strategise your space to ensure you and your fellow inhabitants know where to go for your workouts. Competing for space might be an issue during the quarantine, so finding a quiet, out-of-the-way area will increase your chances of a successful and uninterrupted workout. Communicating with your housemates or family when you want to use the space will help you here too. 

• Mix up your regimes. Use the opportunity to try something new.
  

Our usual daily variation is something we are going to be VERY grateful for VERY soon. While there's much monotonous activity on the horizon, your workout doesn't need to add to that trajectory. With so many options online, choices will be endless from your first Google search. Think online dance classes, YouTube yoga, circuit training (the confined space edition) and more. Need a revision on the sorts of training available? Our guide on training for beginners, here, is an excellent place to start. 

• Connect to a community.

Keeping connected is going to be a high priority during this time, so why not extend that to your workout? Joining a web-based health group will keep you motivated and accountable to others— a feeling that culminates a sense of purpose and conquers feelings of isolation. Want to stay connected with us? Hashtag #squadSCF on Instagram to keep us up-to-date with your quarantine workouts and embrace that community spirit. 

• Create competition with your fellow inhabitants.

Are you spending more time with people of whom you really wouldn't have chosen to spend so much time with? Are tensions creeping in? Create some physical and competitive activities that allow you to connect with your co-inhabitants, release that extra energy and mix-up your workout. Who can finish a set of push-ups fastest? Who can hold the plank the longest? Who can unpack the dishwasher the quickest? ... Actually, steady on the last one. 

• Use what you have.

Got stairs? Hand weights? Skipping ropes? A body? Whatever you have, use it. Look around your space for some inspiration and try to incorporate it into your workout. Chances are you are going to become pretty well acquainted with every nook and cranny and dusty old can of beans in your house in the next while. Everyday household items can find new purposes, and your workout is a great platform. Those wine bottles sitting yellow since you were eighteen? They’re hand weights now. 

• Keep your body moving regularly. 

So your lunchtime stroll around the block or your race to the kitchen for a colleagues birthday morning tea might not be happening any time soon, but those little breaks are essential for clarity of mind and keep circulation happening. You'll need to be more conscious about it, but take a break every few hours to do something physical. Even if it is just a set of star jumps, burpees, a hallway lap of lunges— commit to it. Your friendly (but very serious) competition with your fellow inhabitants will work perfectly here. 

• Tackle those labour-intensive tasks NOW. 
  

We bet you've got a list longer than aunty Jane's big toe of household tasks that you have no excuse to ignore now. Got a flower bed that could do with some replanting? A garage that needs clearing out? A flatpack piece of furniture that needs building? These tasks can be sweat-inducing and will provide you with the physicality requirement as well as a big fat green tick on your list. Two-in-one, yes, please.

So, there's no denying that times are tough right now, but looking from the other side, we've also all just inherited a whole lot of extra time that we can use for positive productivity if we so choose. Keeping active will help you keep your mind fresh and motivated, your body healthy, and your future self grateful for when we come out the other side, better than ever.

The best 30-minute workout to keep fitness and strength up for the time-poor

Let's face it, sometimes committing to an hour-long workout is not always possible in the lives of us busy-bees. Lucky for us, when we have to battle those time restraints, we have plenty of options for a quick but impactful workout. Thought you had an excuse to get out of your workout, didn't you? Keep dreaming, squad! 

We've put together the best 30-minute workout that will allow you to enjoy all of those glorious exercise-induced endorphins while increasing your muscle strength and cardio capacity. For this workout, we've broken it down into legs, core and chest, but note that across your weekly exercise regime, you should be engaging all muscle groups evenly. You'll only need some basic home gym equipment for this one. There's always space in the day for a quick 30-minute power workout. Let's get moving!

Before you do anything, set up your zone. This should include a yoga mat, dumbbells, slam ball, adjustable bench press, your water, a workout towel, and whatever tunes your vibe requires for the workout. 

5 minutes: Dynamic Stretch and Prep

What you'll need: A Yoga mat

1. Spend the first two minutes running on the spot to get your blood moving and your muscles warm. 
2. Spend the next three minutes doing dynamic stretches. Dynamic stretches are repetitive movement style stretches that encourage blood flow to the muscles you are focusing on. Think side-line athletes warming up before their game-high knees, open/close the gate, heels to bum, side twists, etc.

Yoga mat warmup stretch

8 minutes: Legs

What you'll need: Slam ball and Dumbbell

Reps: (3 exercises x 12 reps each) x 3 rounds

• Squats: Holding your slam ball in both hands, plant your feet about twice the width of your shoulders and lower down into the squat. As you rise up out of the squat, lift the slam ball into the air to work your shoulders too. Remember to bring your hips forward in your squat and squeeze in your glutes on the up.
• Lunges: Holding dumbbells in each hand, make 10 deep strides forward, keeping your knees bent and your body low as you transition between strides. Ensuring you are dipping as you get to the bottom of each lunge, take 10 strides back to your starting point. 

5 minutes: Core

What you'll need: Slam balls, dumbbells and a yoga mat

Reps: (3 exercises x 12 reps each) x 3 rounds

• Twist Sit-Ups: Holding the slam ball, sit with your knees bent and your heels on the floor. Lean back to ensure your core is at a 45-degree angle to the floor. Twist your body from left to right and touch the slam ball to each side. 
• Leg Dips: Lying on your back, touch your thumbs and fingers behind your head to stabilise your core. Keeping your legs straight, lower both legs down until you touch the floor and bring them back up until they are vertical.
• Mountain Climber: Starting in the plank position, lift one knee up in the direction of the opposite shoulder and plant back down. Alternate with the other leg and ensure you do this exercise quickly. 

8 minutes: Chest

What you'll need: adjustable bench press, dumbbells and a yoga mat

Reps: (3 exercises x 12 reps each) x 3 rounds

• Push-ups: Plant your hands one hands-span away from and in line with your shoulders. Balance on your toes or your knees and lower your body to the floor, ensuring your body is aligned the whole time. 

• Dumbbell Bench Press: Lying with your back on the bench press, hold your dumbbells in both hands resting just outside your shoulders, ensuring the weights line up with your collar bones. Push your dumbells up, and in over your chest until your knuckles touch.
• Incline Dumbbell Press: Change your adjustable bench press to sit at a 45-degree angle to the floor. Repeat the same action as above to really hit the same muscle group from a different angle. 

5 minutes: Cardio

What you'll need: a treadmill, rowing machine or a gym bike

• Fast cardio: The best thing you can do for your muscles when they are already warm is to keep them working longer to extend the time your body is burning calories. Make sure you give it all you've got at the end of the workout to really solidify the results.

We recommend following your workout using a stretching band to stretch out tight calves, to create tension between your shoulders when held overhead and it also helps to isolate tight muscle groups.

There are many different ways that you can create a 30-minute exercise regime that ensures you aren't sacrificing your gains made in your regular hour or 90-minute sessions. There's always time to squeeze in a little something to keep your body fresh, so refer back to this blog when times are tight to keep you going! 

As always, remember to hit us up online or in-store if you are looking to kit your home gym out with our basics!