Strength gain is as important as aerobic fitness. Here are some exercises you can try at home. (Source: File Photo)
Who doesn’t want a toned frame and drool-worthy muscles? However, strenuous sessions at the gym can take a toll on the body, especially after a hard day at work. If you’re just starting out or have already come a short way, gaining strength should be your first priority. Cut down on the mental and physical fatigue by choosing the right exercises.
To maintain your muscles, 20 minutes of strength-training exercises can help you avail the optimum benefits. What’s more, you can do it two or three times a week with at least one day off to give your muscles time to grow and take a break. Here are a few exercises that you can begin with for bigger gains and toned symmetry.
Body Weight Squats
This exercise gets all the muscles of the lower body into the groove. Predominantly, a lower based exercise, it makes you focus on your quadriceps muscle groups, gluts, hamstrings, and the posterior chain. It also boosts hormones and promotes efficacious digestion in the process. What’s more, it also gives potent hip mobility and freedom from stiff joints.
Planks
An isometric core strengthening exercise, planks are great to tone up the midsection area, lower back, gluteus maximus (hips), deltoids, both clavicular and sternal head of chest muscle and well defined upper lats. And, don’t forget the benefits of aerobic conditioning and improvements in breathing pattern.
Jumping Jacks
Jumping Jack is an old school calisthenics movement that gets the whole body jumping and moving. It is a great way to get your heart rate up and accelerate oxygen consumption. You can use it to warm up, an interval, or a high intensity interval in-between a strength move.
Duck Walk
This classic duck imitation works your thighs, love handles, buttocks and body balance discipline. If closely monitored, it can also improve your inhalation and exhalation breathing pattern. This move really helps in building stronger ankles and also gives the benefits of an aerobic workout.
Bent over rows
You can do this at home using a bucket full of water. Bent over row is often used for both bodybuilding and powerlifting. It is a good exercise to increase strength and size, and helps streamline weight loss too.
Lateral raises using TRX band
Maintaining the correct posture and steady body throughout the lift can be beneficial for the midsection core area and it also makes the upper body muscles bear less stress.
Push-ups
These old-school push-ups are great for beginners. Push-ups work up every muscle — from the neck, delts, serratus, abs, glutes to Achilles tendon. The speed of doing push-ups determines the kind of twitch fibers your body is using and the results can be obtained accordingly.
So, which exercise would you like to start your workout regime with?