How To Get Fit At Home

Don’t let the absence of a gym membership prevent you from getting fit

By Nick Harris-Fry on 29 Jan 2020

Coachmag.co.uk

 

No-one needs a gym membership to get in great shape. While we’re big fans of a dedicated space that has all the latest fitness gear available and experts on hand, with the right approach you can achieve just as much at home.

There’s also not just one right approach to use. You can get fit at home using bodyweight exercises alone, or you might invest in some free weights to increase the intensity of your strength training. And if you’d prefer to go all-in on cardio, there are several machines you can buy to use at home, like treadmills, exercise bikes and rowing machines.

 

A fitness routine doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, keeping it simple makes doing it consistently much easier – and that consistency is what will make a difference to your fitness. Take this straightforward session from PT Adam Jones. “A favourite of mine is to work in a 30:30 format,” says Jones, “which means 30 seconds of work with 30 seconds of rest on each exercise for a set amount of rounds. Don’t be deterred if at first you find some of the exercises too difficult to do for the full 30 seconds. “If you find press-ups difficult, you can place your hands on a chair,” says Jones. 

And there’s another way to make almost any exercise fiendishly difficult. “Tempo – the speed at which you perform a move – is probably one of the most overlooked elements of training,” says Jones. “Focusing on it can ramp up your results massively. Taking longer to perform a move increases tension in the muscle, forcing it to work harder, which in turn will increase stress and lead to muscle gain. When performing press-ups, try taking four seconds in the lowering phase, and add a slight pause at the bottom of the move.”

Whether you work out at the gym or at home, having a plan to follow can make all the difference, in most part because it takes a lot of the decision-making – and therefore opportunities to procrastinate – out of your hands.

QUESTION 1: [2 POINTS] Indicate whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.

a.       You can get much better results exercising at home than at the gym.

b.       The less complicated the exercises you do, the better.

c.       Jones recommends adapting the exercises that can be too difficult at first.

d.       Following a plan is only a good idea if you work out at home.

 

QUESTION 2: [2 POINTS] Answer the following questions in your own words according to the text.

a.       What can you do at home in order to achieve the same results you would get at the gym?          

b.        According to Jones, why is tempo important?          

 

QUESTION 3: [1,5 POINTS] Find words or phrases in the text that correspond to the definitions given.

a.       Equipment, tools (paragraph 1)

b.       Uniformity, regularity (paragraph 3)

c.       Discouraged (paragraph 3)

d.       Increase, intensify (paragraph 3)

e.       As a consequence (paragraph 4)

 

QUESTION 4: [1,5 POINTS] Choose the correct option, a, b, c, or d for each question and COPY the sentences onto your answer sheet.

1.       If you want to do cardio exercises,

a.       you must to buy several machines.

b.       you need buy several machines.

c.       you could buy several machines.

d.       you could to buy several machines.

2.       The 30:30 format

a.       was designed by Adam Jones.

b.       was to design by Adam Jones.

c.       designed Adam Jones.

d.       designed by Adam Jones.

3.       Tension in the muscle will increase,

a.       if you took longer to perform a move.

b.       if you were taking longer to perform a move.

c.       if you take longer to perform a move.

d.       if you will take longer to perform a move.

 

QUESTION 5: [3 POINTS] Write a short essay (about 120-150 words) giving your opinion on the following topic: How important is it to stay in shape for you?

 

KEY to How to get fit at home

Question 1.

      a.    FALSE. with the right approach you can achieve just as much at home.
b.    TRUE. In fact, keeping it simple makes doing it consistently much easier – and that consistency is what will make a difference to your fitness.
c.    TRUE. Don’t be deterred if at first you find some of the exercises too difficult to do for the full 30 seconds. “If you find press-ups difficult, you can place your hands on a chair,” says Jones. 
d.    FALSE. Whether you work out at the gym or at home, having a plan to follow can make all the difference

Question 2.

 

a.    You can get fit at home using bodyweight exercises alone, or you might invest in some free weights to increase the intensity of your strength training. And if you’d prefer to go all-in on cardio, there are several machines you can buy to use at home, like treadmills, exercise bikes and rowing machines.

b.    “Tempo – the speed at which you perform a move – is probably one of the most overlooked elements of training,” says Jones. “Focusing on it can ramp up your results massively. Taking longer to perform a move increases tension in the muscle, forcing it to work harder, which in turn will increase stress and lead to muscle gain.

 

 

Question 3

a.    Gear

b.    Consistency

c.     Deterred

d.    Ramp up

e.    Therefore

Question 4

1.    c

2.    a

3.    c