I have been in quarantine in China for the past couple months*. With my gym closed, I realized immediately that in order to stay in shape I would have to start a body weight regime in my apartment. Here is a list of the exercises which I decided were the most useful.
*Written at the beginning of the pandemic around April 2020
Basic Cardio
With hope, you are not on a hard lockdown like many of the people I know have been. If you can walk outside, then this is what I recommend: walk, or run, in a fasted state. This means do not eat any food until after you have gotten your heart rate up. This will place your body into a fat burning zone which a few years ago was not being utilized by the fitness industry, but now is all the rage. It really is a great way to burn extra fat, and I also did all my body weight exercises fasted and received some fine adrenaline in exchange.
- Chest (pushups)
This one is all about the push ups! There is truth about not reinventing the wheel - but beside the basic form I will detail some interesting variations.
Normal- hands at chest level facing the floor. Go up and down with good form and that is basically it. Also, there has been great aspersions cast what is called the “girl” pushup. I realized during this lockdown that this is actually perfect if you are trying to burn out. Say you have hit your max pushups and you can”t go anymore - yes you can! Just drop your knees and pop off a few more.
Close grip- The further in your hands are the more strain on your triceps. I am a big believer that for most people this is an essential exercise for triceps. You can replicate this movement well with a close grip bench.
Elevated legs- place your legs either against a wall, on the arm of a chair, or a stack of books. Basically, you want to be pushing upward with the focus on your shoulders. This is a chest upper chest/shoulder workout that will keep the regular pushup form from getting too boring.
Deep- I learned this from Charles Atlas. If you want the kind of deep chest exercise that only a pair of dumbbells will provide then try making two stacks of books on the floor where your hands would go in a typical pushup. Then do the push up and feel the incredible stretch. It won’t replace the dumbbell press but as a substitute it is about as close as you can come.
- Abs
During my quarantine I used ab exercises in between my other body weight exercises and rarely did one more than twice in a workout. This is because 1) I hate them and 2) it is always better to vary the types of stress on your abdominals.
Sit up- Can’t go wrong with this classic. If there were an exercise walk of fame then this golden oldie would be near the beginning. There is only one point I want to make here…do not allow someone to hold your feet down. I know that is antithetical to what your gym teacher taught you but the truth is it creates unnecessary strain on the quads. It is better to tuck your heals behind something heavy and then perform the exercise.
Planks- This is surprisingly tricky. Without good form the benefits here can be reduced to almost zero. I would recommend anyone find a good Youtube video on how best to do these. Also, if you can last for over a minute, try throwing in some knee-to-elbow motions to really engage the core. Move your leg one at a time (obviously) and really feel the burn down there.
Leg raises- Flat on your back and slowly raise your legs. Either do this for reps or for time.
Wheel/rag extensions- You may have seen these done at the gym or done them yourself. At the gym you likely had a small wheel with two handle-like axles protruding from the center. I have learned from prison movies that this same exercise can also be done on a smooth floor with an old t-shirt of a rag. Basically, place the wheel above your head with your knees on the floor like you are about to do a “girl” push up in a V shape. Then extend yourself until you are stretched across the floor and then slowly return. You can also stretch yourself from side to side diagonally for an additional workout.
- Legs
Squats- Feet shoulder length apart. Go down, go up, repeat. If you are just doing this with our body weight then I cannot imagine good from is that difficult. Of course Pavel Tsatsouline would disagree me I am sure.
Pistol squats- Exactly the same as above, except you must balance on one leg. If you are looking to preserve your legs gains then I found this exercise to be vital. I would usually stick my one leg out and then pump out around 20 reps.
Lunges- Without weight these can still be effective, but I am sure that you might have something heavy laying around that you can hold or balance on your shoulders. If not, then a jumping lunge is fantastic especially if you want a tight ***. lol
Jumping- It sounds silly, but try jumping up and down -deep- on a timer. If you have never done this then give yourself a 60 second timer and then go. Trust me, it is very difficult and you will feel very tired by the end.
Conclusion:
The great thing about bodyweight exercise is that you can do it almost every day without worry of injury. What I would recommend to anyone who has made it this far is to place these individual exercises into a circuit. Meaning, do a set of chest, followed by a set of abs, followed by a set of legs. Then repeat, swapping out the following set with the next exercise variation.
It is up to you whether a timer or a rep count is best. I would experiment with both. During this time of quarantine, one cannot neglect to train. We need to stay strong, because after this it’s kinda likely a zombie apocalypse is nigh.
Good luck.
SWF 
Leave a comment