Gyms are closed. You don’t have an at-home gym. Dumbbells are sold out online. How do you maintain the muscle mass you worked so hard to gain prior to the pandemic? Here are some tips:
Slow down your movements. For example, if you are doing body weight squats, slow them down and add an isometric hold at the bottom of the squat.
Increase your repetitions and work till failure. There is no one size fits all to the amount of reps that someone should be doing because everyone is at a different level.
Keep constant tension in your movement. For example, if you are doing a lunge, instead of fully straightening your legs to starting position, keep a slight bend in the legs and stay low.
Elevate your feet. For example, put your legs up on the couch for a decline pushup. Maybe even work your way up to a handstand pushup with legs against the wall.
Try single limb movements. For example, try a pistol squat or a one arm pushup.
Use resistance bands. The thicker the band the more weight resistance.
Increase your protein intake. If you have a hard time including protein at each meal, try a shake!
Increase your frequency. If you usually trained 3x per week at the gym with weights, increase your workouts to 6x per week with body weight and bands.
Most importantly, don’t be too hard on yourself. These are difficult times both mentally and physically and it is important to give yourself a break.
