3 Keys to an Effective Home Workout

Presented by FASTER Pittsburgh

As we navigate the waters of an indefinite shut down, more people are learning to adapt to the day in the life of COVID-19. It has been an emotional roller coaster for most of us (or at least myself) so I got back to my roots and starting sweating away the stress, anxiety, and lack of control.

With gyms being forced to shut down, it can be tough to get into a routine without leaving your house. With a broad network of trainers and coaches in the fitness industry, I called on my trainers at FASTER, where I have been training for the last 5 years in Pittsburgh to give us some insight on how my clients can maintain their healthy lifestyle within their home.

Megan Meyer, the Director of Operations and Fitness Coach at FASTER, says that “During this time, exercise is one of the remaining activities we can do regardless of where we are. Why is it so important right now? Because when you exercise, your body releases natural endorphins; these endorphins help to elevate our mood and outlook. As we like to say at FASTER "Motion changes Emotion". On top of an increase in positive emotions, working out daily gives us something to look forward to. Structure and productive tasks help to pass the time and give us a sense of normalcy.”

When asked about adjusting a normal gym routine to get a workout in, she said that “the best part about exercise is you do not need anything to be able to do it! If you can go outside, just going for a walk is a great way to break up the day. There are many 'at-home' workouts available for guidance as well.”

Megan also gave us three important guidelines for our at-home workouts as well as two sample workouts for our clients to do. At FASTER they utilize a heart rate monitoring system which can also be substituted with popular wearable technology such as a Fitbit, Apple Watch, Garmin, etc.

“When it comes to home workouts, with our FASTER clients, our focus is on a few simple ideas:

1. Get your heart rate up and let it recover or interval your movements - Why? By using intervals in your workouts, you are able to burn fat while maintaining your lean muscle mass. - How? We use a HR monitor called MYZONE with our clients to track our heart rates and monitor our recovery, but even if you have a different heart rate monitor or do not have one, you can still achieve a great interval workout. If you have a HR monitor get your heart rate up to 85% of your max heart rate and then recover to 65%, once you get to 65% start again, continue this trend throughout your workout. If you do not have a HR monitor, complete your exercises for a set amount of time and give yourself a minimum 1:1 work to rest ratio before starting again. For example, if you do high knees for 30 seconds, give yourself at least a 30 second break before going again, if you need longer than 30 seconds to recover that's okay too. By doing 1:1 or 1:2-3 sets, you are allowing your body adequate time to recover which ensures you do not sacrifice muscle mass. 

2. Alternate 'Strength' days with 'Hiit' days - Why? Although we have been told that cardio is the best way to burn fat, actually lifting weights is the most effective way to burn body fat. Building muscle mass allows your metabolism to speed up which in turn helps to burn fat. That doesn't mean cardio or hiit workouts are bad, it just means having a good balance of both will lead to greater results. - How? Utilize body weight movements and use home goods as 'free upgrades'. Instead of body weight squats, hold a duffel bag full of clothes to add weights; instead of doing push-ups quickly, go slow on the way down, pause and come up strong. These additions will add to the intensity of your exercise and help you build muscle. 

3. HAVE FUN - last but maybe most importantly, have fun! Get your family involved, share your workout moves with friends; if you belong to a gym engage with other clients. The Why speaks for itself, now How? At FASTER, we use our MYZONE moves, which is a way for trainers and clients to like and comment on others' workouts. We also use a Facebook group called Faster's Finest. Here we share our workouts of the day and can create the sense of community we get at the gym, online and still connect with our clients and each other. Ask to join Faster's Finest to receive Free Workouts throughout these closures.

Here are two of our Home Workouts for you to try, have fun!!”