Staying fit is impossible. That’s what we ordinary folk tell ourselves. After all, the movie actors and sportspeople we see on our screens are paid to stay trim. They have dieticians, beauticians, makeup artists, and stylists working around the clock on their fitness on their behalf. With a staff like that at their disposal, everything from their on-screen appearances to their paparazzi ‘bad-hair days’ looks flawless. Endlessly flawless. So, do we just give up? Well, not exactly.
As far as fitness goes, there’s no point in whining about a lack of free time if the number of streamed box sets you’ve watched in the past 12 months is approaching the number of hot meals you’ve eaten. We do have free time. Getting caffeinated and motivated is a choice. If you make that choice, there’s no stopping you. But you may need some fitness tips…
Bumper Plates
Bumper plates are more versatile than they may appear (check out BLK BOX Fitness bumper plates buying guide). What is a bumper plate? You may be more familiar with them in a gym setting, where they can be found at either end of a bench press bar. They are the large round rubber discs (the heaviest on the bar), and their purpose is to be large, round, and rubber – the other weights are metal, and would likely crack the floor if the bar were slammed down. But what use are these large rubber weights at home?
Keeping fit at home usually involves purchasing a set of dumbbells. That’s an admirable start, but the problem with dumbbells is that they target small areas of your body, meaning results can be slow in coming, unbalanced, and outright tedious. Most of us give up on a dumbbell routine within days or weeks. That’s where a bumper plate can help.
Weights training (which is a big part of resistance training) combines with cardio to give us a rounded workout. Everybody knows cardio includes running and cycling etc., but the thing with resistance training is people predominantly think of dumbbells and bicep-curls. With a bumper plate, you can target wider muscle groups, giving you all over results that will trim and shape you much faster. Common bumper plate exercises include goblet squats, lunges, and wall sits. The results will surprise and astound you.
The ‘No-Equipment’ Home Starter Workout
You may feel that you need a few starter sessions to get you up to speed before you commit to a full bumper plate workout. That’s fine. Easing yourself into a fitness regimen is recommended. But where to begin?
The following tips are an example of a daily workout you can achieve at home without any equipment:
- Lunges (5 – 10)
- Push-ups (10 – 20)
- Jumping jacks (20 – 25)
- Bodyweight squats (20 – 25)
- Forward leg swings (10 – 20)
- Side leg swings (10 each leg)
Whichever way you plan to get into fitness at home, remember that a simple routine will deliver limited results and your progress will soon plateau. Mixing your routines (and investing in equipment such as bumper plates) can help you to stay on top of your fitness in the long term.