37 years ago, at the age of 12, I began strength training. And by the age of 18, I had a 1-rep max bench press of 320 pounds at a body weight of 175 pounds. There is no physical activity I’ve done more in my life than strength training. It is the key to success for athletes of all sports.
Whether you are looking to get leaner, improve performance, and/or reduce risk of injury, look no further than strength training/resistance training. And no, yoga and pilates are not a substitute for strength, as I’ll hear many endurance athletes ask. That would be like wanting to run a 2:45 marathon and thinking that walking is a substitute for running. Sure, walking has its benefits, as do yoga and pilates, but they are not substitutions for the aforementioned workouts.
Strength Training at Home
What about if you are at home? Can you get a good strength workout without any gear? With that in mind, here is one of the most basic and effective pure body-weight workouts you can do:
- Push-Ups – 10 reps
- Sit Ups – 15 reps
- Body weight Squats – 20 reps
Complete one set of each exercise, moving quickly and efficiently from one exercise to the next. Once you complete one set of each, this is one round. If you are a beginner, complete two to five rounds. If you’ve been doing some regular strength work each week, complete up to 10 rounds. And if you want to stretch your comfort zone, try to knock out 20 rounds (which would be a total of 200 push ups, 300 sit ups, 400 squats). Perform this circuit 3-5 days per week and if you are new to strength work, and be sure to start conservative and build from there.
Fortunately, at TeamKattouf® Coaching & Training, we did not skip a beat with our strength training when the gyms closed during the global pandemic. With our virtual gym, we made a quick pivot from our Strength & Conditioning Team (gym-based workouts) to our Time-Efficient Fitness® Team (at-home body weight and resistance band workouts).
There are so many great benefits to virtual training. Workouts can be accessed from the app or web, and each exercise can be described with video and verbiage. Athletes can communicate with each other, and with expert coaches. Our goal is to build incredible Community, Collaboration & Competition®. And virtual workouts can be accessed by athletes around the world.
At-Home Conditioning Workouts
Looking to add some conditioning to your at-home Strength & Conditioning workouts? Let’s make it happen. A quick disclaimer: this is a very intense workout that can create a lot of muscle soreness if an athlete is not in peak condition. So, approach this workout with caution and only attempt if you’ve been training regularly:
- Plyometric Jump Squat – 20 reps
- Plyometric Jump Lunge – 20 reps (10 reps/leg)
- Single-leg calf raise – 20 reps/leg
- Push-Ups – 20 reps
- Sit Ups – 20 reps
- Jump Rope – 100 reps
Complete one set of each exercise, moving quickly and efficiently from one exercise to the next. Once you complete one set of each, this is one round. Complete five to 10 rounds, depending on your fitness level.
