The goal of this post is not to recommend how you adjust your indoor training to deal with the FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) and any TBD return to racing. What this post is meant to do is to offer some effective and simple (not easy) indoor bodyweight strength options so that you can either continue to make strength gains or maintain the strength already gained, rather than watch all your hard work slowly erode because you're not sure what to do. Also, this is meant for those who do not have home gym equipment.
Each of these examples will take roughly 30 minutes, largely dependent on how much rest you take between exercises and how smoothly you're able to transition from one exercise to the next. The beauty is that as long as you have enough room for, say, a couple yoga mats then you've got plenty of room to do these workouts.
WORKOUT 1
1) 50 Step-Ups (I use a bar stool for height), alternate legs (25 ea leg)
2) Superset: 3 x 10-15reps -- complete a & b, then rest 30-45sec
a. slow-n-pause squats (lower for 4-6sec, hold at bottom for 2sec, come up)
b. slow push-ups (lower for 4-6sec, press back up; do on knees or elevate hands on a stair if necessary to complete the reps)
3) Handcuffs: 2-3 x 10-15reps with 45-60sec rest (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXzlIQ6Jgq4). The slower you move, the tougher it is!
4) Superset: 2 sets of 10-12reps -- complete a & b, then rest for 30-45sec
a. double-pump front lunges (lunge forward, come halfway up, go back down, return to start)
b. slow chin-ups (under your dining table, grip the edge underhanded and pull your chest up as close to the edge as you can, then lower back down. Keep body a rigid plank as you lift/lower)
5) 100 elevated push-ups for time -- use a sturdy coffee table or the 2nd/3rd step on a staircase. Complete as many reps as you can between breaks. Keep breaks and their duration to a minimum. This one will burn a lot! On the 100th rep, lower yourself for a count of 10. Ouch!
WORKOUT 2
1) 100 Step-ups (barstool if you have one)
2) Tiger push-ups: 3 sets to failure, rest 45-60sec between (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mocsmPyHBn8). If you cannot do these, then regular push-ups are just fine!
3) Superset: 3 sets of 20; complete a & b, then rest 45-60sec
a. full squats
b. side lunges (10 to each side, alternating)
4) Superset: 3 sets of 10-15reps, lower for 4sec, come up regular speed; complete a & b, then rest for 45-60sec
a. chin-ups (under the dining table)
b. reverse dips (use 2 chairs of equal height. Put your heels on one and your palms directly behind your hips on the other. Your back should skim the chair behind you to know the chairs are the right distance apart. Try to keep the elbows in rather than let them splay out)
5) Superset: 3 sets of 15-20reps; keep moving
a. standing calf raises; lower for 2-4sec and don't let the heels touch the ground
b. your favorite abs exercise
WORKOUT 3
1) 3 Rounds of the following for warm-up; 1min rest between rounds:
- 10 Burpees, including one push-up
- 10 Push-ups
- 20 Bodyweight lunges (10 each leg, alternate)
extra 1-2min rest before the next circuit
2) 10 rounds of 20sec on - 10sec off:
- Push-ups (on knees OK to keep velocity up)
- Bicycle kick abs, alternating elbow to opposite knee
- Bodyweight squats
Goal is to complete as many reps as possible in the 20sec, then recover for the 10sec. One round is completing each exercise sequentially (so, do not do 10 rounds of push-up and then move to the bicycle kicks). No additional rest; keep it going!
WORKOUT 4
1) 3 Rounds of the following for warm-up; 1min rest between rounds:
- 10 Push-ups
- 20 Bodyweight squats
extra 1-2min rest before the next circuit
2) 3 sets:
- 10 x Burpees w/ 3 Push-ups
- 10-15 x Bicep Curls (weighted tote bag full of books or filled water bottles, if no dumbbells); slow movement up and down
- 1min rest
3) 3 sets:
- 12 x Reverse Dips
- 30 x Bicycle kicks
- 20 Weighted Squats + Shoulder Press (use the full tote bags, holding them up at shoulder height by the straps. Squat down, come up and then press overhead. Lower. That's 1 rep)
- 1min rest
If you need to take a few seconds rest within a set in order to complete the full reps, that's fine!
Keep mini-breaks as short and infrequent as possible.
WORKOUT 5
1) 3 Rounds of the following for warm-up; 1min rest between rounds:
- 25 Jumping jacks
- 10 Push-ups
- 20 Bodyweight lunges (10 each leg, alternate)
extra 1-2min rest before the next circuit
2) 16min AMRAP (as many rounds as possible):
- 10 Burpees w/3 Push-ups
- 20 Lunges (10 each leg, alternating) with heavy tote bags
- 20 Bicep Curls (with heavy tote bags -- either hold one with both hands or one per hand, depending on how much weight you can hold)
- 20 Situps
Rest only when required and keep it to a minimum; get the HR up and keep it up!
These are just several examples. You can mix-and-match exercises, get creative with alternatives, and adapt to what you have available in your own home. The tote bags full of weight are an effective homemade dumbbell/kettlebell as well. You can certainly wear the tote bag (or backpack) during squats and lunges, and even for push-ups to increase the difficulty.
Here's what is key. For any type of strength workout -- at home or at the gym -- to be effective, it is important to stress the muscles to near-failure. Meaning stopping 1-2 reps short of complete failure. Complete failure is fine some of the time, but if you strive for complete failure every set of every workout, then your body will ultimately not be able to properly recover which can open you up to injury. As an example, the 100 push-ups for time can be done to near-failure between short breaks, and then complete failure on the 100th rep. If you're not "feeling the burn" then you're not lifting heavy/hard enough.
A final way to mix things up is to complete one of these, and then jump on the treadmill or bike trainer for another 20-30 minutes. Rather than use the cardio as the warm-up, by doing it after the strength training, you will get more out of the cardio workout and the body will be forced to further adapt. You can also add, for example, 10-12 x 30sec hard - 1min easy to add further intensity to the double workout.
In any case, hopefully you will give these a try and will find them an effective stop-gap while we anticipate the ability to return to our previous training and racing regimens.
Until then, stay safe and healthy.
Happy Training,
Coach Nate