There are many different ways you can "condition" without needing a bunch of expensive gym equipment. Let's cover a handful of things you can do to maintain your conditioning program while we're still in lock-down.
For those of you who are runners, you may have noticed little impact on your running. Going out for a run in the fresh air is still just as healthy today as it was before the entire world was on lock-down. So, the good, old-fashioned run is always still an option.
Some of the other things we'll cover can be done in your own home or outside, in your back yard or a park (remember: social distancing). Before we get into them, I'd like to make a quick suggestion about the running that we already touched on.
There are a couple of different ways to use running for your conditioning. The most common is the long jog where you may jog at a comfortable pace for several miles or 30+ minutes, depending on how you measure your run. Another method falls into the category of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). For runners, this would be sprinting all-out for about 20-30 seconds, resting for about 3-5 minutes and then repeating.
These two types of running are both beneficial, but have very different purposes. The longer, more endurance-type of running is good for stamina, cardio-vascular efficiency and, psychologically, anyone who runs like this regularly (without music blaring in your ears) knows that your mind comes up with all sorts of interesting thoughts during these longer runs. The shorter sprints are better for strength athletes. It is also better for fat loss as it uses a lot more energy in a shorter time, spikes your metabolism for a period of time, and uses metabolic energy to recover from the sprinting which will continue to burn fat after you have finished your sprints. The endurance running does not continue to require that level of recovery for nearly as long after a run.
What about some of the other things you can do for conditioning?
Enter, the famous (or perhaps infamous) Burpee! I have not yet met anyone who actually enjoys doing burpees. Lots of people do them, but nobody seems to like them. My recommendation is that, rather than focusing on a certain number of burpees, instead do them as quickly as you can for time. For example, if you are just starting out, do them as quickly as you can for about 15 seconds and then rest for about a minute and repeat. Do three to five sets like this and as you advance, increase the amount of time to 30 seconds, 45 seconds and up to a minute.
Another thing you can do is Mountain Climbers. As with the burpees, go as quickly as you can for a pre-determined amount of time. Mountain climbers are not only a good cardio workout, but if you do them correctly, you will feel it in your shoulders pretty quickly. You can add variations, such as hopping both legs up at the same time rather than alternating or kicking your leg across your body instead of bringing it up toward your elbow. You can combine them with planks, push-ups and all sorts of other things if you want to get creative. The key is intensity. Keep the pace up so you can get the most out of it in the least amount of time.
Jumping rope is always a good way to do some conditioning work. Jumping Jacks are good to get the blood flowing, too. And, speaking of jumping...we can also do Jumping Split Squats. If you're not familiar with a split squat, it's basically similar to a lunge with one foot forward and one foot back as you lower yourself down until your knee just about touches the ground. With these, you can add a great conditioning component by jumping up, landing in a split squat stance, lowering down and explosively coming back up so that you jump again, switch your feet and go down into another rep.
Stairs are an excellent conditioner, if you happen to have them available. Something I have noticed can be helpful with stairs is that, when I go upstairs, I try to push my foot through the bottom of the step to use my glutes rather than leaning forward and pushing myself up with my quads. For conditioning, you can always run up and down the steps (use caution...I don't want anyone coming after me because they tripped on their steps and got injured).
So, there you have some basic things you can do at home or out in the yard or at a park to help keep yourself in top condition during a time when going to the gym is simply not an option.
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