Are Home Workouts Here To Stay? Here's What Our Expert Fitness Trainer Has To Say

With the gyms being shut all across the country in 2020, this year was the year of home workouts. Not only are they time-saving in nature, but are also convenient and cheaper than a gym membership. It may have initially been challenging for trainers to train people behind a screen and formulate workouts that could be done without any equipment. But, nine months since the lockdown and there are people who now prefer working out at home to taking the risk of going to the gym.

Year ender 2020: Are home workouts here to say?

We speak to fitness trainer Vinod Channa about the benefits of working out at home, were they challenging for trainers and how one can upgrade their home workouts.

Benefits of home workouts

The first and most important benefit of home workouts is that there are no excuses that you can make for home workouts. When you exercise at home, it can be done according to your comfort. You save on the time of traveling back and forth to the gym, and you also save on the money.

Also read: Year Ender 2020: Work From Home And The Increased Incidences Of Back And Neck Pain

"Nowadays, there are sitting workouts, standing workouts, lying down workouts, chair workouts and even wall workouts that can be done at home. They don't require a big space and can be done without any equipment. Many portals and videos are now available online. You can choose workouts according to your body, fitness level, lifestyle, strength and stamina," Channa tells DoctorNDTV.

According to Channa, one must begin with a trainer when beginning working out at home. A well-experienced trainer can help you with multiple workouts that target different muscle groups, with minimal equipment. "Apart from back workouts, which do require some gym equipment, several workouts can be done at home," he says.

If you want to work on your flexibility, mobility, strength, endurance and weight loss, all of it can successfully be achieved with the help of home workouts, says Channa.

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How can one upgrade home workouts?

Basic workout equipment like dumbbells, resistance bands, a stepper and a bench are portable equipment that one can easily have at home for workouts. Upgrading your home workouts will depend on the target of every individual, says Channa. "Body weight exercises like planks, headstands, handstands and several other conditioning workouts can be done with the sources available at home itself. This includes a chair, a wall, bed, etc."

To increase the intensity of your home workouts, you can do advanced versions of workouts like single-hand push-ups or pull-ups, weighted planks, etc. However, a few form of advanced workouts cannot be done at home.

According to Channa, people who are beginners or at the intermediate level of training can reap several benefits from home workouts.

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Downsides of home workouts

Home workouts may not be as beneficial for those who want to do more advanced form of training. "You need to go to the gym for advanced workouts which need to be done at high intensity, with heavy weights," he asserts.

What is the future of home workouts?

"When I started training professionally five years ago, there were very few people who wanted to workout at home. But because of the global pandemic of COVID-19, everyone wants to train at home," he shares.

Because of the lockdown, many people became less active and compromised on their mobility and flexibility. They experienced more back pain, knee pain and unintentional weight gain, all of which made people realise the important of exercising, no matter where they are.

"Many online fitness platforms are now running well because of these reasons. Home workouts may also result in a decrease in gym memberships eventually. But, extreme weight training for building muscles, gymnastics and Pilates are workouts that would still require people to go the gym. It all depends on the fitness targets people want to achieve," says Channa.

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(Vinod Channa is a celebrity trainer based in Mumbai)

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.