3 stay-at-home workouts to keep you strong this summer

Workout 1

Do as many rounds as possible of the following in 30 minutes

10 squats

5 pushups or 30 seconds of elbow plank

5 burpees

100-meter run

Instruction

Start a timer for 30 minutes.

Do each move one after the other and make sure you do it with good technique.

Rest as much or as little as needed between exercises.

Your goal is to get as many rounds as you can within these 30 minutes.

Make it harder

Increase the workout duration to 35 or 40 minutes

Add weight to the squat

Make it easier

Decrease the workout duration to 25 or 20 minutes

Walk 100 meters instead of running

Workout 2

Do 6 rounds of the following.

Minute 1: 30-second palm plank + 30 second rest

Minute 2: 30-second squat bottom hold + 30 second rest

Minute 3: 30-second hollow hold + 30 second rest

Minute 4: 200-meter run

Minute 5: Rest

Instruction

Get a timer and start working at the start of each minute.

Do the prescribed work and rest for the remaining time until the next minute starts.

On the plank and the hollow hold, make sure you feel your abdominal muscles and don’t feel any pain or discomfort on your lower back or neck.

On the squat bottom hold, be sure to maintain a straight back.

The 200-meter run might take you longer than a minute. It’s okay to let it spill into the next minute, which is a minute for rest.

If necessary, skip a minute and get some extra rest.

Your goal is to do all moves with good technique and finish the workout strong.

Make it harder

Increase the workout duration to 7 or 8 rounds

Increase the time under tension from 30 to 40 or 45 seconds

Increase the run to 300 meters

Make it easier

Decrease the workout duration to 4 or 5 rounds

Decrease the time under tension from 30 to 20 or 25 seconds

Decrease the run to 100 meters

Workout 3

Do 10 rounds of the following

30 seconds of palm plank

30 seconds of pushups or plank jacks

30 seconds of burpees

30 seconds of squats

60 seconds of rest

Instruction

Start a 3-minute timer.

For the first 30 seconds, hold a palm plank. When the timer hits 30 seconds, start doing pushups or plank jacks for the next 30 seconds. Note that there is no rest between the plank and the pushups or plank jacks.

At the 60-second mark, start doing burpees and do as many as you can in 30 seconds.

At the 90-second mark, switch from the burpee to squats and do as many as you can in 30 seconds.

At the 2-minute mark, stop working and rest till the 3-minute mark.

Repeat this for 10 rounds.

Note that there is no rest after each move. You work for 2 minutes straight and then rest for a full 1 minute before starting the next round.

Make it harder

Increase the workout duration to 11 or 12 rounds

Increase the time under tension from 30 to 40 or 45 seconds

Decrease the rest period from 60 to 45 or 30 seconds

Make it easier

Decrease the workout duration to 8 or 9 rounds

Decrease the time under tension from 30 to 15 or 20 seconds

Increase the rest period from 60 to 75 or 90 seconds.

Decrease the run to 100 meters

Raj Ganpath is an NCCA-accredited personal fitness trainer; a certified coach in fitness, nutrition, barbell and kettlebell training and a Functional Training and Senior Fitness Specialist, with over 5,000 hours of coaching experience