You don’t need to stop exercising or working towards your fitness goals just because the weather is cold. You can work out indoors. You’ll reap the benefits of maintaining your regular exercise program throughout the winter season. Exercise will help you beat the winter blues. Exercise can improve your mood, increase your energy and help you sleep better. You’ll also be better prepared for warmer weather.
Here are some popular exercises that you can perform at home to tone your muscles using gravity and your body weight.
Squats:
Squats is one of the best exercises for your lower body. These are multi-joints exercises that target the hips muscles, the thighs and the glutes. The best results are achieved by performing fast-paced repetitions. To do this exercise, place a chair behind you. Stand in front of the chair with your feet at hip or shoulder width apart. As you slowly squat toward the chair, contract your abs. Sit on the chair and keep your knees in front of your toes for a few moments. To get up from the chair, contract your glutes and hamstrings. Then extend your legs. Extend your legs fully until you are standing again. Repeat for 1-3 repetitions of 10-16. Squat until you are just hovering above the chair. Do not sit all the way. Keep your knees and toes aligned!
Push-ups:
You can do a basic push-up with nothing but your body weight and arms. You can do it anywhere that there is a solid surface. It works the chest and the shoulders. the abs are also worked, as well as the triceps. You can modify the exercise to suit your fitness level. Try resting your legs on the ground when you do a push-up if a standard push-up feels too difficult. To perform the exercise, assume a prone position and place your feet on the ground or another hard surface capable of supporting your weight. Keep your feet close together. Put your palms down on the floor and your hands underneath your shoulders. Curl your toes up (towards the head) so that your balls of feet touch the floor. Raise yourself using your arms. Your weight should now be supported by the balls of your foot and your hands. This position, also known as “plank,” is used in other exercises. This is both the start and end of a push-up. Your elbows should form a 90-degree angle as you lower your torso. Face your head forward. As you go down, try to keep your nose tip pointed straight forward. As you descend, take a deep breath. You can raise yourself by pushing the ground away. As you push, exhale. Your shoulders and chest will provide the power to push. Although the triceps also contract, the push-up is not the best exercise to target them. Continue pushing until your arms are almost straight. During your cool-down cycle, stretch the chest and shoulders muscles.
Also called chin-ups. The ultimate test for strength-to-weight ratio is the pull-up. A high strength-to-weight ratio can mean many things, including being able rock climb faster, sprinting faster, running up hills faster or pulling water to make your kayak move faster. Secondly, no exercise will develop your back like pull-ups. Finally, you will also improve your grip strength, upper arms, shoulders and forearms. This move requires a bar. To perform the exercise, grab the bar with your hands about shoulder-width apart. Your palms should be facing away from your body. Pull yourself up until your chin reaches the bar. Then, slowly move to the hanging position.
The midsection will be shaped by lifting your body off the core. This exercise can be modified in many ways, including crunches or side sit-ups. For a sit-up, lie down on the ground. Your knees should be bent, and your heels and balls of feet should be flat on the floor. Put your hands behind your ear lobes or hold your ears. Avoid pulling on the neck or back of the head, as you may injure yourself if the pull is too strong or the wrong way. Cross your arms across your chest, and then touch your shoulders. Draw your belly button up to your spine. This will tighten your abdominal muscles. Slowly lift your shoulders and head, keeping your heels flat on the floor. While contracting your abdominal muscles, keep your eyes focused on your knees. About half-way up, pull yourself from the floor. Hold the position for one second. Slowly lower the torso to the floor, but keep it elevated. It means that you should not place your back flat on the ground, but rather maintain a slight arch. If you’re a beginner, do only two or three sets. Gradually increase the number of sets as your strength grows.
Lunges:
Lungesare a great way to work all of the major muscles in the hips, glutes, and thighs. Beginners can do this exercise while holding on to a wall or chair for balance. Standing with the right foot in front and left foot behind, about 3 feet apart. If desired, hold weights in both hands and bend your knees to lower yourself towards the floor. Be sure to keep the front leg behind your toes, and to lower the body straight down instead of forward. As you return to the starting position, keep your torso and abs straight. Do not lock your knees when you reach the top of this movement. Perform 1-3 sets with 8-16 reps depending on your fitness level. The walking lunge is a great exercise to tone your legs without the use of a machine.
Start by rapidly dipping to a quarter-squat and then explode up. Try to bring your knees up to your chest, and then touch the palms of your hands. Repeat the sequence after landing. Each time, drive the knees up and tuck the feet underneath the body. Perform several responses quickly with minimal contact to the ground. Muscle groups worked: abs. glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves
Add these moves to your current workout routine or add two or three days of strength training per week.
