Summer’s just around the corner and soon bikini bods, chest pecs and six packs will be back in vogue. So now’s a great time to get a headstart on those good ol’ gains.
If you’re a fitness newbie, gnarly gym routines will seem daunting. So, ease your way in with freehand home workouts, instead. YouTube has experts galore, who frequently dole out home workout programmes to help beginners meet their fitness goals. There’s Chole Ting with a killer two-week shred programme, Pamela Reif, who chalks out weekly workout routines, Mad Fit and her cleverly disguised cardio, Jeff Cavaliere, who helps everyone square their shoulders, Jordan Yeoh, and a host of others.
While embarking on a fitness journey, it is important to have a good understanding of the dynamics of physical exercise to minimise injury and get better results. My Kolkata spoke to three of the city’s top fitness gurus to help break down freehand home workouts and help you get that daily dose of endorphins — injury-free — from the comfort of your home.
What is the ideal setup for a freehand workout?
The location of the workout is paramount, says Varuna Shunglu, health and wellness counsellor and director at Kyogiwellness. She recommends a spacious area to move around freely for an effective home workout. Imran Sarfaraz, strength and conditioning coach at Adamus Health and Wellness, offers the same advice, but with an emphasis on proper ventilation. “The ideal setup would be a terrace or an open space with natural ventilation. If you’re living in a building where the terrace is not an option, look for a park or an open maidan. If you are working out in a room, don’t set the air conditioner at a low temperature. The lower the temperature of the room, the longer it will take for your muscles to warm up. So if it’s on, keep it at 22 degrees. However, natural ventilation is the best way to go,” he says.
Every workout should begin with a warm-up and end with a cool-down. A warm-up prepares your muscles for the exercise and a cool-down helps them relax and recover faster for the next session. Sarfaraz recommends beginning a daily routine with 15-20 surya namaskar poses or a few stretches. Akhilesh Jayaswal, owner of Kick Fitness Gyms, stresses on mobility workouts to kickstart and close a regime. “Mobility exercises like the tabletop exercise and cross leg stretching are very important,” he says.
How do you pick the right regime?
When it comes to picking the routine to follow, both Shunglu and Sarfaraz stress on self-awareness. “Some of the videos available on YouTube can be pretty intense. It’s good to make sure that you know your limits and extend yourself only as much as your body allows you to. It’s necessary to do the exercises in good form to get good results. So, do only as much as you can, but do it well,” says Shunglu.
Sarfaraz’s advice is to master the fundamentals. He says primal patterns such as squats, deadlifts, pushups and lunges should be practised and perfected. “Pay attention to the tutorials at the beginning of the video and take note of what is being said about the movement and the key pointers that are being made. The best way to know if you’re doing an exercise wrong is to pay attention to your body. If you feel a sudden discomfort, it means you’re doing the movement incorrectly,” he explains.
Primary patterns like squats, deadlifts and pushups should be practised and perfected during home workouts Freepik
The focus of the workout should be on good form instead of high intensity in the beginning. Quality over quantity, is the mantra that will help you meet your fitness goals. Jayaswal recommends movements that have minimal risk such as burpees, pushups, floor crunches, lunges and squats. “Three sets of 15 reps each for every movement is usually enough,” he says. He too stresses on quality over quantity, explaining that correct form will achieve better results faster.
Why do YouTubers emphasise yoga?
Yoga offers beginners an opportunity to focus on breathing while working out Shutterstock
Most exercises are driven by breathing. Inhaling and exhaling helps contract muscles, which plays a big role in exercise. Sarfaraz says that yoga is an effective practice to follow for beginners trying to build a habit of breathing correctly. He explains that yoga offers an opportunity to emphasise breathing while training and helps inculcate a habit.
“Once you have the correct form, your breath work needs to be right. The more control you have over your breathing, the better the results and the safer you are from injury,” says Shunglu. Thus, incorporating a yoga routine into your weekly routine is a good way to go.
How often should you work out?
Jayaswal says that a dedicated workout four days a week is ideal to stay fit. Shunglu, however, likes to workout everyday. “I like to workout everyday. Even if it’s not a long workout, a quick 20-minute session is more than adequate to get your dopamine and serotonin flowing,” she explains. Sarfaraz’s advice is to stick to what your body allows you to do. Research says that working out four or five times a week is enough to stay healthy.
Should you step it up at home?
Taking the workout to the next level can be tricky. Shunglu believes that while increasing the intensity of a workout, certain complex movements like animal flows and planks should be practised to retain the correct form. “Always practice the movements to avoid injury while working out. Remember that YouTubers put together workouts according to their mobility and strength. Don’t extend yourself just to meet a goal,” she explains. Knowing your body and sticking to your individual range, is Shunglu’s advice.
When increasing the intensity of a workout, Sarfaraz’s advice is to slow down the reps and focus on good form. “Perfect your form when moving on to a strenuous workout,” says Sarfaraz. In this stage, checking in with a professional trainer at least once a month is recommended.
Can you have abs, and kebabs?
Use a food chart as a guide, but customise your intake according to your needs @Pamela_Reif_Food/Instagram
The short answer is, yes!
Shunglu says that a food routine that balances your workout regime should be incorporated. “Most YouTubers give food guides along with workout guides, so stick to those. But remember that everyone is different, so food habits will also be different. Self-awareness is key here. Use the food chart as a guide but customise your food intake according to your needs,” she explains.
Sarfaraz doled out an effective (and exciting) tip. “A great way to understand if your diet is balanced is to take a picture of your plate for seven days. On the seventh day, make a collage of the pictures. If it’s a colourful collage, you have a balanced diet. If it’s monochrome, you need to work on it. A good amount of green, brown, red and yellow should be on your plate everyday,” he says.
How effective is a freehand home workout?
“It all depends on you and the workout. Choose a YouTuber with a sound understanding of the science behind exercise. I find Jordan Yeoh and Mad Fit very effective. Personally, I followed them during the pandemic and got good results,” says Shunglu.
Jayaswal warns against expecting the same results as those achieved in a gym. “One thing that everyone should keep in mind is that the kind of results you get from a gym regime will not be achieved at home though freehand workouts. However, freehand physical exercise at home allows you to stay fit. If your goal is to stay trim and healthy, freehand workouts are the way to go,” he says.
Pro-tip: Tailor your fitness goals towards being fit and healthy. Bikini bods, chest pecs and six packs are simply a happy by-product of a healthy lifestyle. They shouldn’t be the goal.