Chairs, tables, walls: here’s how to train at home

The habit was made during the first lockdown and for many the sport still is home fitness. How to do it with little or nothing? Here are the tips of Elena Buscone, massage therapist and trainer, yoga and pilates teacher.

Mat or carpet. Not all mats are the same. For the muscle strengthening on the ground, we prefer a fairly thick mat similar to gym ones. For yoga, pilates or stretching, we can opt for a model thinner. Those without it can use the living room carpet.

Water bottles as weights. To strengthen and tone arms and say goodbye to “Curtain” that hangs badly under the triceps: two one-and-a-half-liter bottles of water are fine. Not only biceps and triceps thank: they do too the abdominals, which are activated as stabilizers during the movement performed while standing.

A broomstick. Per squats, placed behind the head, on the shoulders, helps to maintain your back straight. And not only that: useful for working the obliques and streamline the waist. What to do? Two easy exercises for everyone. Lying on your back, legs above the pelvis slightly bent. We put the stick behind the head holding it at the ends with both hands. Keeping the left end on the ground, we rotate the torso bringing the right end of the handle towards the left knee. It can also be used for the Pilates during the roll-up. Lying on the mat, hold the stick at the ends with your arms outstretched in front of you, legs straight and feet together. Keeping the legs on the ground we slowly begin to lift the torso by rolling the back with the arms at shoulder height, once seated we roll the back back (roll down) to return to the starting position.

Rubber bands. Harmless at first glance, they are used for increase endurance during movement and therefore, for muscle definition. How to use them? To reinforce and glutes, but also for tone biceps and triceps.

A wall, a chair or a door to build muscles.

Against the wall: you can indulge yourself in the traditional exercise of the chair. Leaning your back against the wall, bend your knees and hold the position. Quadriceps and glutes they will thank you.

With the coffee table: feet resting on it, we perform pelvic lifts to tone the buttocks.

With a solid and firm chair: we perform the rear push-ups. Seated, we advance the feet in front of us to have the buttocks in the void and only the arms supported. Then bend your elbows and straighten them. We work on the triceps.

With one door: we equip ourselves with rubber bands with handles and carabiners as per the TRX. We hang the carabiner above the door and work the biceps. The hands hold the edges of the rubber bands, the arms are straight, the body is back, the buttocks contracted and the chest open. We bend the elbows, so as to bring the hands towards the shoulders.

For those who want to dare more

Try the bosu. A half ball with a flat surface and a swollen part. It works on balance and proprioception: the great great instability trains the muscles in depth during any movement practiced. How to use it? For any muscle building exercise we usually do on the ground: push-ups, sit-ups, squats, lunges. And to try unstable push ups we turn the bosu so that our hands rest on the flat surface leaving the surface swollen on the ground and we perform the classic movement “.

The ab wheel. The principle is simple: just place your hands on the two handles on the sides and the four-legged o in plank completa roll it back and forth while contracting your abs. Beware of control movement, do not rush: it is better to start from the kneeling position, block the perineum and move the wheel slowly without going too far. As soon as you feel that you are reaching the limit of your resistance, stop and return to the starting position.

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