With the pandemic raging on and sporadic lockdowns becoming the norm, professional athlete and strength and conditioning coach Isabella Rositano gives advice to keep fit during all stages of lockdown.
As a coach and combat athlete, Isabella has a few tricks up her sleeve to help people work out depending on the level of lockdown they're in. Stagenamed Emcee Izzy, Isabella is an advocate for mental health awareness having previously volunteered with the Black Dog Institute and believes that physical activity plays an important part in maintaining a healthy mind.
"It's undeniable that we've seen a decline in the mental health of populations worldwide during the pandemic. It's a very difficult time for many. Making the commitment to keep some time for yourself to workout no matter what is going on around you will help keep you mentally and physically strong, and it'll also help your immune system. You can do it!"
If you've got wine, you've got weights
Good news for everyone who loves weights, if you're unable to rent or buy your own weights for home, you just need to head to the kitchen. You can replace DBs (dumbbells) with bottles of water or even heavy jars, cartons, cans or wine bottles.
This means you can continue to include weighted exercises to target your upper body including flys, bicep curls, tricep extensions, front and side raises, upright rows, bent over rows and raises, and shoulder presses.
Use your furniture
If you can sit, you can get fit!
Chairs are fantastic for workouts and can be used for exercises that target your core, lower and upper body. Think of using a chair as a replacement for the bench and step-up box at the gym. Using a chair with a hard surface will be easier and safer to use than a cushioned one.
For your lower body you can use your chair for step-ups, squats, bulgarian split squats, elevated glute bridges, seated leg extensions and toe taps.
When it comes to your upper body try tricep dips (you can even pair up two chairs of the same height for a harder challenge), incline presses and pushups. You can also add in the weights from the kitchen and try seated variations of your upper body exercises.
For your core you can try knee-pull ins, leg raises, tabletop crunches and planking with shoulder-taps. Walls can be used for wall sits and, if you're feeling daring, you can also attempt chin ups on your door. However, remember to take care if you try this one!
Keep up the cardio with virtual fitness classes
With access to the internet you'll be able to follow along to a myriad of free online videos of your choice. You can participate in group online cardio sessions which will add a social factor to your workout and provide additional motivation.
For a higher intensity workout, try a HIIT (high intensity interval training) session. You can assimilate numerous bodyweight moves including burpees, sit ups, crunches, star jumps, and planks, and complete them at a high intensity with timed intervals of rest and effort, e.g 45 seconds on and 15 seconds off.
"Now is definitely the time to bring out all your favourite dance moves! Dancing is a great activity for the mind and body. I definitely recommend making a playlist of your favourite tunes (maybe even adding a track from Emcee Izzy) and dancing along. To give your body and mind some recovery time, try a session of home yoga and pilates. A friend of mine who's a great basketball player recommended I try pilates after it helped him improve his game in the NBA and ever since I've been a big fan. It's helped me rehab previous sports injuries and it keeps my core strong. I love pilates as a regular recovery session."
If you can head outdoors, head outdoors
When safe, training outdoors is fantastic for us all. Sunshine and fresh air are beautiful to enjoy while working out. If you've got a yard, gardening is great as is getting your cardio in through a backyard sports session.
Try a bodyweight workout at a park and get your cardio in through a power walk, jog, run or hike. Cycling is excellent and stairs are awesome for an intense cardio workout too.
Remember: You can do it!
"I think it's a great exercise for a healthy mindset to find one very simple activity you can consistently complete. For me that's just some push-ups everyday. All it takes is a bit of imagination to make the most of your surroundings at home and you can create your own 'home gym' workout no matter the circumstance."
Consistency is a key factor to succeeding with your fitness goals. Find what works for you, do something small everyday and stick with it.
^Isabella Rositano, shot by Jared Hoberg
