Why you need this bodyweight workout right now

 Our routines are off, the gyms are closed, we're missing our training partners...

Sound about right? That's my world right now at least. While I'm one of the lucky ones who can run outside, my body would NOT be happy if I drastically increased my running volume and intensity all of a sudden.

Why can't I start running a lot?

Don't get me wrong, I actually love the feeling of accomplishment I get from a good run. But running is a lot of impact and repetition. I'm not saying it's a guaranteed injury, but you're definitely cruisin' for a bruisin' as they say. If you've built up the tolerance for it, then by all means, go for it. We run into issues when we jump into something without the requisite tissue tolerance.

That's why I encourage you to keep doing your mobility, power, and strength work, even though the gyms are closed. If you aren't one of the lucky ones that has access to weights, you can still target mobility, power and strength at home. For some ideas on how to use household objects as weights, check out my blog: getting-creative-when-the-gyms-are-closed.html 

But you don't have to use pots of water and milk jugs to get a good workout. Body weight circuits (see video below) are excellent for mobility, power, and conditioning. Strength work isn't AS easy to hit but can be targeted by adjusting one of two variables:
- Total number of reps 
- Time under tension

Adding reps is easy. You can do extra reps or sets. If you're increasing the reps, I'd aim for 15-20 instead of the usual 5-8 in the weight room. You can also choose to do 4-5 sets instead. Another fun way to combine strength and conditioning is EMOM workouts (Every Minute On the Minute). Pick a full body exercise and do about 15-20 reps every minute for 10 minutes. You'll feel it!

Increasing time under tension is another GREAT way to help maintain your strength now that we don't have access to the gym. Instead of dropping down into a squat, or push up, make it last for 4-5 seconds. For a real burn, slow down the concentric (up) phase as well!

I'm not saying this will fulfill the strength needs of an athlete or weekend warrior on a regular basis. Athletes and weekend warriors NEED Max Strength work (more on that another day). BUT these body weight circuits (or make-shift weight circuits) can definitely help with maintenance AND muscular endurance.

Remember that the work we do now will prepare us for what we do when we get back to our regular training! ​

So check out the above Body Weight Circuit and finish off your workout with this killer conditioning set too!