Free Expert Tips To Train For A Marathon Need advice to run a marathon? Or maybe you want to complete your 42km in a faster time? Check out these free expert tips and nutritional advice to assist your training.
Whatever’s been keeping you away from the gym – no membership, no time, you absolutely hate the place – consider this programme a free gym membership for life. No weights; no fancy, complicated equipment; and no grunting, Arnie-like show-offs. So, if your goal is to get in shape but you’re short on time, or you’re going on holiday or just don’t want to go to the gym, this is the workout for you.
All you need is a large, level area such as your living room, and your own body weight. It comprises 12 easy-to-learn exercises and their variants, which can help to produce a 10 per cent increase in strength. A study in the journal Aviation, Science And Environmental Medicine found the US Army’s six-week basic training – big on bodyweight moves – can produce this. It doubles to 20 per cent after another six weeks.
If you need further convincing, pause at a gymnastics programme next time you’re channel surfing. Without a gym membership among them, these gymnasts develop huge arms, backs and shoulders. The jury’s in: With the right kind of body-weight training, you can develop just as much strength-dependent power as those with regular weight training – and without having to draw money from your pocket for a gym membership.
Once you better understand these exercises, find out you can package them into a home workout plan that will get the most out of them.
1. Dip Sit on a chair and grasp the edges as shown.
Step forward until your legs are extended with a slight bend in your knees. Your arms should be straight, elbows unlocked. Bend your elbows to lower your glutes. Straighten your arms to press yourself back up to the start.
Variation
(a) Raise and Hold: Set yourself as though you’re about to do a dip, but lift your feet slightly off the ground. Then, while supporting yourself with your arms, raise your backside off the platform. Hold, and then lower it.
2. Push-Up
Lie in the push-up position, arms straight but not locked. With a straight back, bend your elbows to lower yourself to the floor. Just before your chest touches the floor, push up to the start position.
Variation
(a) Incline: As above, but with hands on a waist-height chair.
(b) Decline: reverse of incline; feet on a waist-height chair.
(c) Side Shuffle: Slide your left arm out as far as possible, do push-up, repeat on other side.
(d) Rotating: As per normal, but when you straighten your arms, draw your right arm back and up so it’s perpendicular to the floor.
3. Burpee
Start in a push-up position, then hop your legs forward towards your hands and jump straight up, extending your arms above your head. After landing, crouch and return to the push-up position.
4. Bounds
With one leg lifted, knee bent at roughly 90 degrees, bound up and forward, landing on the other leg (the bent one, after it’s straightened out) and then immediately jump again. Focus on taking long strides and jumping as high as possible.
5. Leg Raise
Lie on your back with your arms at your sides. Straighten your legs and position them together. Raise your legs until they are 90 degrees to the floor. Pause, then lower them back to the start (but don’t rest them on the floor).
6. Pull-Up
If you can’t find a chin-up bar or sturdy branch, use a solid door. Wedge it open securely (or it’ll close on your fingers) and grasp the top, resting the front of your body against it. Perform your pull-up as normal.
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