Home Workout Essentials To Own In Light of Gym Closures

Since 8 May, Saturday, fitness studios and gyms have ceased their operations tentatively until 30 May due to the recent rise in Covid-19 community cases.

While many turn to home exercises to maintain their fitness so they don’t spiral into an abyss of not exercising, exercising at home doesn’t offer the same facilities a gym does, which can make one lose morale at the gym, or feel that they aren’t making any progress.

We have trawled the internet for equipment you can include in your home workout routines to spice up the intensity levels and make home exercise more engaging, so you don’t feel like you’re going six feet under every time you do a burpee while following a HIIT video on YouTube in your living room.

Dumbbells

For the people who lift weights, this is a no brainer. But in a time of gym closures, where will these gym rats get their weightlifting fix?

While purchasing a whole set of dumbbells may sound like the most probable, yet unrealistic solution (who wants to have a whole set of weights and exercise equipment lying around their home?), many would probably frown at this idea.

An alternative to these frightening metal monsters would be water bottle dumbbells. Water bottle dumbbells are easy to store, and aren’t as much of a nuisance as they don’t make a cleaning, cacophonous choir when you accidentally trip on them.

For exercises such as hip thrusts, get a carton of 1.5-litre drinks to weigh down your pelvis. A carton of drinks are way more functional than a set of weights which will probably be obsolete in a few weeks’ time, and can eventually be cleared out, leaving not a trace of the dark Covid-19 times when you had to exercise at home.

Resistance Bands

While resistance bands may seem like a necessity only in womens’ fitness or assisting with pull-ups, the versatility of resistance bands is probably lesser-known.

Resistance bands come in a variety of resistance levels that mimic the resistance from the weight of dumbbells at the gym which help your muscles tear and become stronger.

They also restrict your range of movements, which is more beneficial for your joints as it prevents overextension as well.

This wonderful contraption can also replace your need for dumbbells if you regularly lift weights, which is excellent news for working out at home. These bands take up very little space and are portable and light, which makes it wonderful for even a workout trip to the park!

They are also much more affordable than dumbbells and can be stashed in a small drawer to prevent clutter around the house.

Exercise Mat

Whether you live in an HDB apartment, a condominium or landed property, an exercise mat is a necessary investment for a plethora of reasons.

For HDB dwellers, the exercise mat is a necessity due to the close proximity your neighbours are to you. The mat allows you to do exercises that require jumping or heavy flopping, and/or stomping on the ground. A little bit of consideration for others living in the unit below yours goes a long way.

For more general use, the exercise mat can help potential injuries when doing exercises on the floor, such as leg lifts or sit-ups which could cause some bruising on your tailbone area.

Otherwise, the mat is wonderful as well for simply laying on the ground and watching Facebook live videos.

Exercise Bench

No, not the huge one you sit on to flex your biceps in front of the mirror at the gym. We’re talking about a sophisticated, yet classic exercise system which has stood the test of time and remains a piece of versatile and extremely useful equipment both for the gym and home use.

This contraption is an extremely useful one as you can do 80s inspired cardio with it in your aerobics leotard.

You can use this not just for exercise, but also as a footstool when you go to the bathroom or simply a sitting stool when you hunch over your coffee table to eat the McDonalds’ takeaway meal you just bought.

Foam Roller

Whether you use it as a pillow for afternoon naps on your living room floor or as its original purpose, either for exercise or foam rolling your sore muscles, nobody will ever know.

However, its use in working out is undeniable as it helps with almost everything, and is just a fun item to have when you’re lying on the floor and need to engage your foot so you don’t get a stiff leg.

Article written by Michelle Ang

Email: e190201@e.ntu.edu.sg