Avoiding Plateau During Quarantine: A Workout Mix

Written by Oscar Smith, @oscar_odstudio

With lockdown still going, and gyms still not open, we all need to find different ways to stay active. If you are still working out, it’s because you want to see results, and, worry not, you can still achieve your goals in quarantine. The most important thing is that you can do is continue to mix up your Workouts, so you don’t plateau, and so you don’t get bored. Here are different routines I have come up with to keep you moving and motivated. Before we start, however, you need to make sure you have plenty of space to move around.

Cardio
First up, cardio. You are going to go ahead and start with 30 minutes of jumping rope. It may sound easy, but 30 minutes can become a long time; just make sure you go at your own pace. After that, you have 15 more minutes of exercise. You will do five rounds of pushups. Each round lasts three minutes, and you should aim to do more repetitions every round.

Working with Limited Resources
Getting creative with limited resources can be hard, but do you have stairs? They can be part of your workout routine. Go up and down the stairs for 15 minutes before moving on to some ab exercises. You will do 25 reps of each exercise: leg lifts, knees to chest, jackknifes, boxer sit-ups, crunches, obliques (make sure you work on both sides), and finish up with a plank in pushup position for 30 seconds. These must be done without stopping between exercises.

Stretching and Upper Body Day
The following day, you will focus on stretching and upper body strength. Start with a 15-minute stretch in which you will stay on each position for 40 seconds. Once you get through that, you will do the upper body work without stopping between exercises. You will do 150 pushups: 50 decline pushups, 50 diamond pushups, and 50 tricep pushups. Since we want to avoid any injuries, flexibility is very important. You will achieve that by going into a straddle and stretching for 30 seconds, and doing splits (either warrior or archer pose) for 30 more seconds.

Asymmetric Exercises
It is important to try different exercises, which is why the next routine will be focused on doing asymmetric exercises for 30 minutes, without stopping between exercises. You will do 10 rounds of these exercises:

• Halfway pushups for 30 seconds.
• Wall sit, squat against a wall at 90 degrees, for 45 seconds.
• Leg hold, face the wall and kick one leg out straight then hold it for 30 to 45 seconds on each leg.
• Squat with your feet apart, bring your palms together, and hold your arms straight out in front of you for one minute.
• Decline pushup hold, use a chair to rest your feet, for 45 seconds to a minute.

A Whole-Body Routine
The last routine I suggest is another 10 rounds of seven exercises one minute each, without stopping between exercises:

• Jumping jacks.
• Squat pops (squat and jump up).
• High knees (hold your arms out and bring your knees up above waistline).
• Box jumps.
• Mountain climbers.
• Hurdle sprint (bring your knee in and jump up). Do 30 seconds on each leg.
• Running in place (as fast and as hard as you can).

It is important that you don’t do the same workout every day while you’re in quarantine, even though you’re working with more limited resources than you would have at the gym, or you will plateau. These Workouts are very similar to what professional athletes do when they travel. What you need to remember is that motivation is key, and you must keep your limitations in mind. We all want to see results, but we must go at our own pace and always be mindful of what we are able to do. Change up your COVID routine by giving these Workouts a try, and you will see the results you are looking for!