Doing fitness at home

Posted by Jean Baptiste on

Doing fitness at home

Long before spinning studios, Crossfit Boxes and pre-choreographed LesMills classes, we watched the Gym Tonic of Véronique de Villèle and Davina Delor (better known as “Véronique and Davina”) in front of our television screen. It was the beginning of sports at home , and the housewife could take an aerobics class without leaving the house. This show launched the media coverage of fitness, particularly for women, and the transition of sport as an activity which takes a real place in daily free time.

Sport at home, for whom, why?

This brings us to our current definition of Fitness. For many, going to the gym represents the only option to build muscle or lose weight. However, this can be expensive or time-consuming if we are not lucky enough to live near a structure offering this type of activity.

So there is the solution of sports at home . But be careful because it also involves certain obstacles: various distractions such as the telephone, children, dog, computer or a neighbor can stop your training session. And when you're at home, it's very easy to find something else to do! Our experts say that a good way to stay motivated and avoid distractions is to do your exercises at the start of the day . There are fewer external distractions and it is easier to “get going” first thing in the morning than after a long day at work.

Sport at home and on an empty stomach, the ultimate solution?

Doing cardio training on an empty stomach allows you to develop lipid power , that is to say the ability to use lipids favorably during exercise. Indeed, the fasting body is deficient in glycogen, so it will tend to favor the use of fats during physical exercise. The advantage of doing it at home is that you don't need to go to the room and you can be up and running 5 minutes after getting out of bed.

Be careful, however, not to put yourself in danger and to always have a homemade carbohydrate supply nearby (water and grape juice, or Stimium Boost Powder for a complete refill in the bottle with carbohydrates and vitamins during your sessions. to avoid hypoglycemia during your session.

We come back to the question of “should you exercise on an empty stomach or not?” ". We list the advantages such as the use of stored fat to provide energy and also the reduction of digestive disorders, but be careful of the risks involved . The practitioner can find himself in hypoglycemia as we explained above but above all there is a risk of being exhausted prematurely and of providing less intense effort. If our goal is to gain muscle, you should know that doing bodybuilding on an empty stomach will not help you build an Apollo physique. Muscles need a number of nutrients such as protein to build them, so it's important to give them at the right time.

To conclude, when you start exercising at home and decide to do it on an empty stomach, remember this:

  • It is better to favor a cardiovascular effort at moderate intensity
  • Anticipate your diet the day before and have a carbohydrate drink or snack nearby such as Stimium® Boost and Stimium® Pro-Nrj for the immediate energy that our gummies provide and the ease of consumption during training and your sessions .
  • Avoid split or strength training efforts

Who can play sports at home?

To this question where we want to say “everyone”, our experts advise not to do anything when you are a beginner. Before starting it is important to know what your objectives are : weight loss, muscle mass gain, sharpening, flexibility? Then, you need to be able to plan your workouts well in order to do everything you can to achieve your goals and stay motivated.

If these prerogatives are important, it is essential to do the exercises correctly. At the end of this file you will find programs and applications to guide you but you must always take care to have good posture . Someone who has never done a squat without the help of a professional to demonstrate the position is at high risk of injury in the long term.

Our tip: do your exercises in front of a mirror 

Our tip if you use an online program at home: do your exercises in front of a mirror to be sure you have good placement on all your movements. Concerning the abdominals for people who suffer from lower back pain, it is important to protect themselves well by, for example, placing a cushion at the level of the buttocks to avoid having hyperlordosis (exaggerated arching at the level of the lower back which causes muscle tension and pain).

For regulars who have already practiced sport in the gym or with a coach and who have correct placements, maintaining motivation on their own will be essential. To do this, it is important to establish a real training plan and set times in advance, without distraction, without coaching, to carry out your sessions. This will help keep you motivated and a good guideline for the future.

The benefits of sport at home

Playing sport has long been recognized as providing numerous benefits, particularly for health and self-confidence. Regardless of the sport, it is recommended to practice at least 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of intense activity per week according to the WHO .

However, finding time to work out is never easy, which is why working out at home could be the answer. Grouping together small equipment such as elastics, small dumbbells or a TRX can be the key to effective fitness without wasting time!

The question many are asking: can doing fitness at home be as beneficial as working out at the gym? The answer is yes, and we're going to tempt you to try by presenting a list of benefits below:

  • No need to purchase a gym membership. Certainly, the prices of certain subscriptions are more and more attractive, but there are no small savings.
  • Save time by avoiding traveling and having to take transport.
  • Savings : small equipment is often inexpensive.
  • Practical : you can train whenever you want, your home is always available, even if you want to train at 3 a.m. (ask your partner for permission beforehand anyway).
  • You avoid rush hours at the gym and waiting to use the machine you want

Be careful, practicing sport at home and alone can also have some disadvantages such as:

  • The need for creativity to maintain interest in training
  • Have good posture without professional supervision, otherwise there is a risk of injury
  • Small equipment is not expensive, but if you want to invest in weights and dumbbells, the initial price will be high
  • It can get boring and unmotivating to train alone

If you're still considering working out at home, read on for the basics to know when building your own workout.

The 5 elements of Fitness

Warming up

What is the most important part of your workout? If you answered “warm up” you win. Without a proper warm-up, you will run many risks, not only of injury, but also of not properly optimizing your session, and therefore slowing down your progress.

From now on, before starting your session, remember to do a warm-up adapted to it, taking into account the following points:

  • Mobility
    Increasing mobility dynamically ensures the body can move in multiple directions safely. Linked to flexibility, mobility allows you to increase the range of movement. Many injuries occur due to a lack of mobility of the tendons , particularly over the long term. Trying to do dynamic mobility movements during the warm-up is therefore essential. In particular, you can perform circles with your arms, swinging movements with your legs while leaning against a wall or any fixed support.
  • A specific preparation
    You turn on your car before you start driving. Along the same lines, you will activate the parts of your brain that control your movements in preparation for a specific workout. The main advantage of this preparation for specific movements is to activate the muscles which will be mainly used during the training to ensure that it will be as effective as possible. For example, doing bodyweight squats before adding elastics or weights will optimize the work of the muscles involved. To turn on the machine and get your body going, nothing better than Stimium® PreWorkOut Max to improve resistance to exercise and prepare the organism for muscle strengthening loads.
  • Increase body temperature
    This part of the workout is called the “warm-up” for good reason. Increasing blood flow and intramuscular temperature makes the muscles more flexible and avoids strains/strains or even muscle tears. In case of recurring pain, don't forget to take Stimium® Joint Flex as a treatment to avoid joint problems, at the time of your biggest training sessions, to prevent any joint or cartilage problems.
  • Raise awareness of your proprioception
    The principle of proprioception can be translated as body awareness. A stricter definition is to understand and know where one's body is located in space. This is the sense that allows you to touch your hands behind your back and also to coordinate your eyes with your hands and your movements on the ground for example. You can resolve your stability and balance problems , and potentially injury, by working in the three anatomical reference planes: the frontal plane, the sagittal plane and the horizontal plane (or transverse plane). To have perfect control of the elements around you, we recommend Stimium Bacopa to make you more "focused" by acting on strengthening concentration, allowing you to manage stress, increasing motivation in order to intensify efforts and increasing the speed of information processing.
  • Joints
    Don't know why you have joint pain? The culprit could be your overheating. To do this, try combining dynamic stretching movements and low-impact exercises such as jumping rope. This will remind your body of its elastic properties in your tendons and ligaments to prevent possible sprains.

Cardio

The term “cardio” defines cardiovascular training which improves cardiac performance and increases endurance. More concretely, it is the ability of your heart and lungs to work together to supply your body with oxygen during prolonged exercise. Running, cycling and swimming are the most common cardio training efforts, which is why Triathlon represents the flagship discipline of cardio sports. This is an outdoor sport, but nothing stops you from improving your cardio with exercises at home. Jumping rope, jumping jacks, knee raises or the famous burpees are all exercises that improve your cardio and burn calories.

Muscle strengthening

Muscular strength is the force that your muscles are capable of producing, for example for pushing such as push-ups or pulling such as pull-ups. It is based on the ability of your muscles to exert force to overcome resistance. Strength training will help you gain muscle mass, improve your posture and gain strength . Push-ups, squats and pull-ups are perfect examples of exercises to do at home, which can be adapted to their difficulties with elastics and weights. For muscle strengthening, if you want to see results quickly, no secret, you must take Stimium Pwr Creatine and Power Creatine Tabs , which allow an increase in strength and nourish the muscles, Stimium BCAA Instant , L-leucine L-isoleucine L -valine L-glutamine to help muscle development, muscle recovery by helping to reduce fatigue linked to exercise and Stimium® [C] Whey , Stimium® Iso Hwy or Stimium® VegPro to maintain a good protein intake sustainably for the training phase and better muscle regeneration.

Flexibility

Flexibility, or flexibility, is the physical quality that allows you to perform bodily movements with the greatest amplitude (joint and muscular) and ease possible. This flexibility can be active (with dynamic movements) or passive (without dynamic movements). To improve it, specific stretching sessions at least once a week will help you progress. Certain disciplines such as Yoga or Pilates combine deep muscle strengthening and stretching.

The return to calm

It is important to always end your training session with a cool down, regardless of the activity carried out. Without necessarily taking a long part of your session, this moment will allow you to make the transition to prepare your body to begin recovery . During the session, the body warmed up and the tissues were mobilized. A state in which he will not remain after the session. Warming up and cooling down are equally important, but for very different reasons. Indeed, the goal of returning to calm is to promote recovery by helping the body return to its initial state before training. To do this, it will be essential to slow down the heart rate and gradually reduce blood pressure in order to avoid discomfort that may occur after the session (dizziness or even fainting). This time also allows your body to recharge and relax by beginning to eliminate metabolic waste. For this Post-exercise period, Stimium Ashwagandha , the most powerful natural physical anti-stress, with antioxidant properties, and Stimium GINGKO , which facilitates the improvement of circulatory functions, will be good allies in bringing the temperature down!

The key phases of this return to calm are:

  • A gentle exercise , such as a breathing exercise, massage or self-massage, even for a few seconds, will help relieve tension and improve mobility by increasing blood flow.
  • Stretching , the aim of which will not be to gain flexibility but to reduce post-workout pain and reduce recovery time.
  • Hydration and nutrient intake , in liquid or solid form.

These five points are therefore essential to practicing physical activity. Most supervised sports sessions are built around these axes. It is essential to follow them also when you decide to practice sport at home, otherwise you risk not obtaining the expected result or even getting injured.

So you have decided to do your fitness session at home, now there remains one question: where to start and how to organize yourself 

How to start fitness at home?

You don't have time to go to the gym, or you simply don't like doing your sport with other people? Training at home is therefore the perfect solution for you. Now it’s a matter of getting started, so how do you get started?

First of all, it's important to know what your goal is .

  • Weightloss ? In this case, obviously think about Stimium Thermoshape, the best fat burner and/or Stimium Hydro Off to combat excess pounds and have an interesting draining effect, while knowing that these products are only really useful in the context of a varied and controlled diet!

Gain lean mass (i.e. build muscle)? Obviously the reference product will be Stimium® Iso Hwy , the hyper-concentrated isolated protein allowing you to build muscle without sugar, without lactose and without fat!

  • Gain flexibility?
  • Clear your head by exercising a little physically each day?

Whatever it is, it is important to write down this goal somewhere. We recommend that you take a notebook in which you will take notes on your sessions and your progress. Start by putting the start date of your program, possibly your measurements if you have a “quantified” objective that you wish to achieve, as well as your objective in words. Finally, attach photos of yourself to be aware of your progress : in your underwear, from the front and in profile if possible. This will help you measure your progress, even when it doesn't necessarily show on the scale. Remember to take photos of yourself once a month or at least once every two months to compare.

Your fitness notebook ready, you now need to determine how much time you will be able to devote to your sports sessions at home as well as their duration: once an hour per week? 15 minutes every day? Make sure it fits into your current schedule and that you will be able to stick to it. Training at home requires a lot of discipline because there won't be anyone to remind you that it's time to do your sport, so start by being realistic and don't impose a schedule on yourself that you don't. you won't be able to hold on in the long term. The gratification that comes from successfully maintaining a sports program on your own will allow you to gradually increase your physical activity and will only amplify the quality of the results you obtain.

Monotony is a factor that can affect you when you decide to train at home, which is why it is important to vary the exercises and for this, including small equipment allows you to break the routine or increase the difficulty of the exercise. certain exercises. We will present to you below a non-exhaustive list of our “essentials” to have at home.

Small equipment to vary the exercises

Even if you don't have a large space to do sports at home, this list of fitness accessories will allow you to equip yourself well and vary the exercises to always challenge your body.

  • The gym mat
    The floor mat is the basis of any physical practice in order to be able to carry out exercises in a sitting or lying position and ensure optimal comfort for your body. Don't hesitate to take it quite thick if you don't plan to carry it, this will allow you to have a very pleasant little layer of cushioning between you and the ground.
  • Jumping rope
    Cardio exercise par excellence, it is one of the essential accessories in many sports. Skipping rope allows you to increase your cardiovascular activity using small jumps. A real fat burner, it's a simple exercise that will also develop your endurance skills. To achieve an even more complete result, you can take a weighted skipping rope (weights can be inserted into the wrists). Your arms, thighs and shoulders will be even more toned.
  • Swiss Ball
    The Swiss Ball is a large ball that allows you to create exercises that work your deep muscles. The variations for the use of this accessory are almost endless and the main advantage it provides is to always put your body in a situation of imbalance, it is then up to you to use your muscles to maintain this stability: this allows you to build muscle. your abdominal strap, tone your figure and relieve your back pain.
  • Elastic bands
    Elastic bands allow you to use different muscles by adding resistance during muscular effort, they offer the possibility of modulating the workload and creating a multitude of different movements during training. They exist with different resistances, which makes them adaptable for almost all types of exercises and all levels. The other advantage they have is their ability to use all the muscle fibers because the resistance increases during the movement.
  • Waff
    The Waff is an ergonomic cushion made of air and used to create an unstable surface. Whether you support the cushion with your hands or your feet, you will be forced to compensate for this instability by strengthening and engaging your deep muscles more significantly to maintain the position or correctly carry out a movement.
  • Kettlebells
    The kettlebell is an accessory often affiliated with Crossfit. It is a weighted ball with a handle. It is originally a traditional Russian weight. It can be used for muscle or cardio-respiratory strengthening with the famous kettlebell swing for example. It allows you to gain strength, reactivity and balance, its advantage compared to a dumbbell is the position of its center of gravity which is therefore located outside the hand and which allows you to perform a swinging movement.
  • TRX
    The Total Resistance eXercice or TRX is a well-known accessory for bodyweight work. It is composed of two rigid and adjustable straps connected together at one end to attach to a fixed point such as a door, a tree or a post. The straps are equipped with handles that can be used with the hands or feet allowing you to perform different exercises using your own body weight. From high-level athletes to sedentary people returning to physical activity, the intensity can vary and is adaptable to everyone. Tone, sculpt or lose weight, we promise you won't be disappointed with the results!

This list is of course non-exhaustive, there is an almost infinite number of Fitness accessories, some of which are very well known like the Home Trainer, or others like the step or the hiit, and new ones are constantly coming out. Our advice: before buying the latest novelty that promises you a perfect body for this summer, already master the tools you own and then try to diversify with repetitions of exercises.

There are many programs available, whether online, through an app, or in books. They make it possible to ensure constant progress and to have daily advice, which provides a source of motivation which is not negligible when training alone at home.

The best-known programs and applications for doing fitness at home

To stay motivated when you are alone, the best way is to follow a program.

    The number of applications and programs continues to increase, for better or for worse in Fitness. This is why we recommend that you do your research before embarking on a program and investing money (and time). Finally, if you can afford it, nothing beats a home coach who can guide you and help you position yourself well for your exercises. He will be able to create a personalized program that is adaptable to your body shape and your goals, while keeping you motivated during each session!

    There you go, it's up to you. Everyone got involved, with more or less diligence, but seeing your neighbor exerting himself in his apartment always makes you smile first...and then, possibly feel a little guilty if you stay on your side slumped on the couch!

    It's up to you, Stimum will support you!

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    Stimium Iso Hwy Protein isolate for muscle building

    Long before spinning studios, Crossfit Boxes and pre-choreographed LesMills classes, we watched the Gym Tonic of Véronique de Villèle and Davina Delor (better known as “Véronique and Davina”) in front of our television screen. It...

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