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Quick Indoor Workout To Keep You Active!

Indoor HIIT

With the onset of monsoon, it might be impossible to hit the gym or venture outdoors to get your daily active fix. While most of us don’t have a mini gym set up at home, what do we do?

We’ve got the perfect solution to help you raise your heartbeat, aid fat loss and keep you active indoors! You don’t need any equipment and we’re sure this quick indoor workout will help you sweat and get the burn you need!

You already know what HIIT is and the benefits it provides. Now is the time to try it out! We have shared 3 levels below, namely Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. Choose the quick indoor workout that best suits you!

1. Beginner

  • 20 sec Jumping Jacks
  • 20 sec Marching
  • 20 sec Spot Jogging
  • 20 sec Wide Squat
  • 20 sec Jumping Jacks

This is one set. Do 3-4 sets and rest up to 1 minute after each set.

2. Intermediate

  • 20 sec Jumping Jacks
  • 20 sec Plank
  • 20 sec Jumping Jacks
  • 20 sec Plank
  • 20 sec High knees (spot running with knees at waist height)
  • 20 sec Plank
  • 20 sec Climbers
  • 20 sec Plank
  • 20 sec Climbers

This is one set. Do 2-3 sets and rest up to 2 minutes after each set

3. Advanced

  • 20 sec Jump Squats
  • 20 sec Punching
  • 20 sec Jump Squats
  • 20 sec Burpees
  • 20 sec Plank crunches
  • 20 sec Burpees
  • 20 sec High knees (spot running with knees at waist height)
  • 20 sec Punches
  • 20 sec High knees

This is one set. Do 2-3 sets and rest up to 2 minutes after each set.

Here you go! We hope this quick indoor workout helps you make the monsoons a healthier and more active affair. Always begin a workout routine after consulting your physician or under the supervision of your fitness expert to avoid injuries.

To get proper guidance from an expert in real-time, join our online GOQii Pro classes within the GOQii App where a GOQii Coach will guide you on proper form and posture while motivating you to push past your limits!

Was this article helpful? Let us know in the comments below!

Get Active and #BeTheForce! 

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Easy and Effective Tabata Routine For Beginners

effective tabata routineWhen it comes to getting active and losing weight, people generally get confused about where to start. So, let’s look at this effective Tabata routine which is simple and easy. TABATA (also called Tabata protocol) is a type of HIIT (high intensity interval training). It originated when a Japanese Scientist Dr. Izumi Tabata and his team from The National Institute of Fitness and Sports at Kagoshima, Japan were working on the fact that shorter high intensity workouts followed by a shorter period of rest can impact the body better rather than longer periods of continuous workout.

The structure of programme is like: 

  • Workout hard for 20 seconds
  • Rest for 10 seconds
  • Complete 8 rounds

A combination of any exercise can be used in Tabata. Tabata targets a wider range of muscles and helps in burning fat during and after the workouts. 

Three major health benefits of this Effective Tabata routine are:

  1. Helps in burning more fat in a shorter period of time
  2. Helps in increasing endurance
  3. As it is high intensity training, it needs to be focused & attentive, thus, increases efficiency.

Before You Begin, Keep in Mind:  

  • A beginner has to first check his/her flexibility, efficiency and endurance before picking up the sets of exercises
  • Make sure to complete a dynamic warm up before you begin this easy and effective Tabata routine.
  • You can choose a group of 3-4 exercises for a week and then add some other exercises one by one depending upon your stamina.
  • Don’t do exercises in a hurry. Rather do it in proper posture and manner.
  • Always keep a stopwatch with you.

Exercise To Include In Your Tabata Routine  

There are basic 10 exercises which you can include in your Tabata protocol when you are planning to start. These are:

  1. Burpees: Toughest among all exercises and increases endurance, strength & power. It is most effective but for a beginner can be placed at last.
  2. Lunges: Can be included in beginners protocol & difficulty level can be increased once you are comfortable in traditional lunges.
  3. Jump Rope: It is an effective and portable form of exercise and can be included in the beginners list.
  4. Squat Jack: It combines two bodyweight exercises which are squats and jumping jacks. Can be safely included in the list.
  5. Tabata Sprints: It starts with 20 seconds of sprints followed by 10 seconds of walking, jogging or rest.
  6. Push Ups: One of the most simple and familiar exercises which can be included in the list.
  7. Super man: This will strengthen the back and core muscles and can be included in the list.
  8. Plank jack: These are simple. The difficulty level can be increased at one’s comfort ability.
  9. Mountain Climbers: Very effective for legs and most suitable for beginners.
  10. Windshield Wipers: Easy to do and can be included in the list and variations can be done later.

From the above list, you can choose any 4-5 exercises and start practising according to the Tabata protocol and always start with high energy and not in a hurry.

For more effective workouts and to learn more about fitness, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to live classes on GOQii PRO, where our experts will guide and motivate you in real time. Book a class now from the GOQii App.

To get workouts and tips directly from your GOQii Coach, sign up for personalized coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr 

#BeTheForce 

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A Quick 6 Minute Workout You Can Do Anywhere

fitness

It has been over 3 months now that we have been indoors and activity levels haven’t been the same as before. So if you’ve been thinking how you can exercise at home, here’s a quick 6 minute workout to help you out! This 6 minute workout is designed to help you reap all the benefits of a workout using only your body weight, a chair and a wall. You won’t need any special equipment and can perform this routine anywhere! We’d say it’s perfect for the lockdown!

The Quick 6 Minute Workout

  1. Jumping Jacks: This classic cardio move is a great way to warm up. It improves strength and endurance, increases metabolic rate, burns calories and is great for your heart and lungs as well!
  1. Wall Sit: Wall Sits are great in working out the two groups of muscles in your thighs. Repetitions of Wall Sits would naturally give you thighs that can withstand prolonged strenuous activities.
  1. Push-Ups: work many muscle groups at the same time, giving your body a full workout! You can work the quads, hamstrings, calves, chest, shoulders and arms all at the same time with a few push-ups. It stimulates metabolism and blood circulation, allowing you to burn more calories throughout the rest of your workout.
  1. Abdominal Crunch: Crunches work on the Rectus Abdominis Muscles. It is a core working exercise and burns less calories comparatively but, they move in a controlled manner, flexing and releasing the core muscles, thus helping you build abs.
  1. Step Up Onto Chair: This exercise is great for targeting your quad and Gluteus Maximus Muscles, giving you strong, powerful legs.
  1. Squats: are great for a total lower body workout. They effectively work most of the major muscle groups of the butt, hips and thighs. Squats are also a versatile exercise. Squats engage the core muscles of the body. The result is a tighter, flatter abdomen and a stronger lower back.
  1. Triceps Dips On Chair: It is a triceps-strengthening and a most effective body-weight exercise. Dips target your triceps – the muscles on the back of your upper arm.
  1. Planks: help in strengthening the midsection, upper-body and lower-body muscles along the front of your body. Planks also strengthen the inner core muscles that support your joints. It helps in reducing belly fat and back pain. At a time, it works on all your core muscles.
  1. High Knees Running: This is a nice warm-up. High Knees Running on Spot is good practice for runners and athletes to improve running form and develop lower body muscles. It also enhances your strength, speed, balance and flexibility. What’s more? It provides you more energy, burns calories, builds muscles and enhances blood circulation.
  1. Lunges: are easy-to-learn, safe and an incredibly effective exercise. Lunges target the quadriceps, but involve additional muscles, including the glutes, hamstrings, calves and core muscles, making them an important exercise for toning the lower body.
  1. Push-Up & Rotation: This exercise is great for building shoulder stabilization and strengthening your entire core. Don’t let your hips drop when you go into side rotation. Try to keep everything in a straight diagonal line throughout.
  1. Side Plank: works your entire core but particularly targets an often weak muscle called the Quadratus Lumborum. It helps to reduce risk for lower back pains, improves your balance and structure.

Perform the above exercises in rapid succession with 20 seconds for each exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest in between. Don’t forget to stretch before you begin!

These 6 minutes that you will give to your body and your health are equal to 0.5% of your day! So go out there and get fit the HIIT way! Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments below.

For more exciting, quick workouts, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to fitness experts on GOQii Play.

Stay home, stay safe, get active and #BeTheForce

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High Intensity Interval Training and Its Benefits

HIIT and its benefitsYou have definitely come across the term HIIT in the past few years. High Intensity Interval Training is an exercise routine which people swear by to get the best results! While there may be a lot of confusion as to what exactly HIIT is and who should do it, we’re here to clear out the confusion!

What is High Intensity Interval Training?

HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training, also known as Sprint Interval Training or High Intensity Intermittent Exercise is a form of a workout designed to lose body fat and increase stamina.

In this routine, a person performs a burst of high intensity exercise [say sprinting for 30 seconds] followed by a short burst of active rest [say walking/jogging for 30 seconds] for a total of 4-5 minutes. You can then take a minute or two of rest and repeat the same pattern with other exercises.

The main aspect of this routine is that you can’t rest. You are always moving and doing either high or low intensity exercise. HIIT is suitable for all ages and can be done 4-5 times a week for best results.

It is advised to begin HIIT training with a 1:1 ratio of high and low intensity which means 30 seconds of high intensity and 30 seconds of low intensity. When you can do it easily then the ratio can be 2:1 of high and low intensities.

Benefits of HIIT

  1. Quick Workout For Busy Individuals: HIIT workout can range from a 10 minutes to 45 minute sessions consisting of one or different exercises. It is the best exercise routine if you have less time on your hands and want to get the best results. You can lose up to 500 calories in a 40-45 minute workout depending on the exercise and the ratio you choose.
  2. Fat Loss: HIIT raises the heartbeat to the fat burning range rather quickly and keeps it there because of no rest. This gives amazing fat loss results in a relatively short amount of time compared to conventional cardio. The results are visible too.
  3. Increased Endurance: This exercise routine is very helpful to increase stamina even if you start at the lowest speeds. Many players who perform HIIT have found that they can run longer at higher speeds when they followed this routine regularly for some time.
  4. Improved Brain Functioning: Research done at various institutes has found that following an HIIT routine for some time causes the following changes which increase the brain’s functioning capacity.
    • Increases the number of neurons in the brain
    • Better cognitive functioning
    • Reduced stiffness and inflammation in the nerves
    • Increases the development of new blood vessels in the brain
  1. Better Physical Performance: Research done at the University of British Columbia found the following benefits of HIIT over the traditional long duration, moderate intensity workouts
    • Higher stamina
    • Longer endurance
    • Higher metabolism
    • Increased speed and agility
    • Higher peak power

So now we see that HIIT is not your usual go-to method for reducing fat, but it is also very helpful in improving important aspects of both mental and physical performance. You can include it in your current workout or try it instead of your current cardio routine for a week.

Here is a Quick HIIT Routine You Can Follow  

  • Jumping jacks – 1 minute
  • Squats – 1 minute
  • Spot Running – 1 minute
  • Squats – 1 minute
  • Jumping Jacks – 1 minute

Rest for 1-2 minutes and do 2-4 sets depending on your fitness level.

Was this article helpful? Did we miss out on any facts? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

#BeTheForce 

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