No doubt being under lockdown has completely changed our daily lives. But as humans, we naturally find ways to adapt. Together we are overcoming the obstacles, one at a time. Now that most of us are mastering the art of making homemade coffee as the coffee shops are closed, we’ve decided to take it up a notch and introduce you to at-home functional fitness workouts. We are not going to let the current circumstances come in the way of the progress we’ve been making, and neither should you! So, prepare yourself for the fat-burning and fulfilling exhaustion you used to get from your WODs, as we introduce our list of the top 4 at-home functional fitness workouts!
1. Thruster:
Whether you’re already a functional fitness athlete, or you’ve recently decided to give this amazing sport a shot while at home, we think that including an exercise such as the Thruster in your workouts is a must! What’s cooler than making this movement part of your WOD? Absolutely nothing!
The benefits the Thruster can bring your body are just one of the reasons they should be included in your at-home workouts. This compound exercise has the potential to help you build both upper and lower body strength. On top of this, the Thruster can help to strengthen your core, enhances your coordination, endurance, and improve overall balance. After just a short time of performing Thrusters, you will begin to notice how much easier it is to carry out daily tasks.
However, to truly reap the benefits of the Thruster, you must first make sure you are doing it correctly. Here are a few tips you can follow to perfect your Thruster technique:
- If you are a beginner, start with an empty barbell. Your focus should be first on performing the Thruster correctly, before adding weights. Having a mirror nearby to watch yourself can also help!
- When doing Thrusters, make sure it is a steady, continuous movement. But don’t rush and do it too quickly—it could ruin your form and may even lead to injury.
- Instead of transferring your weight forward onto your toes, press down into your heels. This will assist you with maintaining good form and enhance your performance.
- Do not push yourself past your limits. Lifting heavier weights can be tempting, but it can also lead to serious injuries if it is not within your capacity. Always ensure your safety during your workouts.
2. Murph:
Murph is one of the ‘hero WODs’. This type of exercise is known for its high intensity. Murph is named in honor of the Navy Seal Lieutenant Michael Murphy, famous for his heroic actions in Afghanistan.
Murph is considered among the toughest workouts; therefore, it is better to attempt it when you have mastered the regular WODs.
This workout is composed of:
- A one-mile run
- 100 pull ups
- 200 push ups
- 300 squats
- A one-mile run
For a successful Murph WOD, you must ensure all the above exercises are done in this order. If you are new to Murph, we recommend you split the WOD in half. It will be easier to manage and will give you more time to perfect the movements.
3. Pull Up:
The Pull Up is a movement that looks easy but is actually quite difficult, especially for beginners. For this reason, we advise you to do the Pull Up in front of your coach if it is your first time performing it. Being under professional supervision will teach you the do’s and don’ts of this exercise, thus enabling you to fully benefit from it.
The Pull Up is a full-body movement that every functional fitness athlete should try to master. Pull Ups are split into three types:
• Kipping pull ups
• Butterfly pull ups
• Strict pull ups
Each type of pull up has its unique impact on the body, as well as specific instructions to follow if you are willing to perfect it. If you are struggling with any of these Pull Ups, don’t worry. With consistent practice you’ll have it mastered in no time. What matters most is that you keep trying without giving up!
4. Cindy:
Are you in the mood to put your endurance to the test? If you answered yes, then this WOD is ideal for you. Cindy is an AMRAP WOD. This means your goal is to perform as many rounds as possible within a limited time interval—usually 20 minutes. The repetitions must be performed consecutively without rests. Your performance is then scored based on the number of rounds you were able to fully complete within the 20 minutes.
The Cindy workout consists of:
- 5 pull ups
- 10 push ups
- 15 air squats
This sounds doable, doesn’t it? This 20-minute AMRAP is one of the simplest, yet most effective WODs you can do as proven by a 2014 study published in the U.S Journal of Sport and Human Performance. As a beginner, you should aim to complete close to 10 rounds in 20 minutes. As for intermediate functional fitness athletes, completing 15 to 20 rounds would be deemed a good score.
If you want to increase the excitement and fun of doing Cindy, try challenging your friends! Make bets, keep score, and see who can perform the highest number of rounds within the 20 minutes.