With the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 outbreak limiting our usual day-to-day lives and our access to social and recreational activities, looking after yourself and your wellbeing has never been more important.

So how’s the best way to stay fit while the gyms are closed?

Fitness at Home and Beyond 

For now, while access to gyms and workout spaces is off the menu, a well-thought out fitness routine will maintain your fitness and give those of us who are reluctant gym-goers the opportunity to build up our stamina.

Luckily, the team at The Antidote Studio have done the thinking for us.

They recommend selecting whole body exercises that respect the natural movement patterns our bodies have evolved to be able to perform; these include exercises such as Squats, Lunges, Deadlifts and Press Ups. 

Not just for home
These circuits can be enjoyed from the comfort of your own home or you take them outdoors to enjoy al-fresco exercise in the great British sunshine. Sir John McDougall Gardens or the Millwall park, for instance, would be a great place for an outdoor workout.  

Why we love circuits…
Want to raise your heart rate? Circuits are an excellent way to combine strength and cardiovascular training and are perfect with little or no access to equipment. Circuits are also infinitely adaptable, so anyone at any fitness levels can enjoy them.

You can alter the intensity of a circuit by manipulating the work-to-rest ratio. If you’re new to exercise, a good place to start is to perform each exercise in your circuit for 30 seconds, take a 60-second rest and then move on to the next exercise.

If you’re used to training hard, challenge yourself to do each exercise for a whole minute, with no rest between exercises. You can also perform any number of sets depending on your fitness level. We suggest starting with two sets and working up to four. 

Here is a great simple circuit to get you started. You can even add a pair of dumbbells, or two one-litre water bottles for a more intense workout.

1. Squats 
2. Press Ups
3. Bent Over Row 
4. Reverse Lunge 
5. Plank 
6. Ab Bicycle 

Complete this circuit as often as you can manage, whether that is two to three times a week or once a day.

Targeted Home Fitness Exercises

Need to improve or maintain your overall fitness? Full body workouts are the way forward. Need to target individual areas of your body, too? No problem. There are tons of simple workout regimes you can blend in to a full body workout to get the balance you need.

We’ve put together some straight-forward circuits for you to try out which focus on the more commonly targeted areas. Try mixing and matching from all of these routines and build your own optimal circuit which matches with your fitness goals.

Home Abs Workout

Rock solid abs are achievable! Any decent workout plan will include ab time, but for newcomers to fitness, toned abs can feel totally out of reach. Incorporating a simple ab workout into your routine can do wonders and you’ll build up your core strength at the same time.

Try this regular abdominal workout to get you on the right track :

1. Sit Ups
2. Crunches
3. Dumbbell Side Bend
4. Plank
5. Russian Twist

Home Legs Workout

Don’t skip leg day! Legs are all too often forgotten in many workout regimes, but they are an essential part of any fitness plan. Leg workouts don’t require access to heavy weights or repeated lifting exercises,  regular circuits offer similar rewards in strength and flexibility.

Try including this leg circuit into your workout:

1. Squats
2. Lunges
3. Side Lunges
4. Step Ups
5. Reverse Lunges

Home Chest Workout

Chest workouts don’t just build your upper body strength, they are vital in improving your lung capacity and core flexibility. While gym chest workouts can often revolve around lifting heavy equipment, you can get by well enough with what you have at home.

Give the following circuit a try during your next workout:

1. Press Ups
2. Dumbbell Floor Press
3. Dumbbell Raises
4. Decline Press Ups
5. Single Leg Press Ups

Home Arm Workout

Building strength in your arms is another core workout component, but so many people can feel lost when they’re at home and don’t have access to their usual gym equipment.

This circuit can fill the gap until your gym is open again:

1. Tricep Dips
2. Dumbbell Curls
3. Incline Press Ups
4. Side Planks
5. Lateral Raises

Home Fitness: The Next Level

A dynamic and consistent home workout routine will help you to maintain and improve your fitness from the comfort of your own home, but easy access to gym facilities and training will help you to take your workout to the next level.

Vertus residents can take advantage of fantastic fitness resources located within our properties, including gyms, equipment, personal training, classes and more.

Antidote Studio at 10 George Street

The Antidote studio brings boutique fitness in-house. The studio features a customised rig, treadmills and rowing machine from Technogym’s Skill Line, and a wide range of complimentary group classes.

The Gym at Newfoundland (Opening Soon)

The Gym at Newfoundland features state-of-the-art cardio and resistance equipment, a free weights area, and studios dedicated to group classes and personal training. Services available in the gym include 1-to-1 Personal Training, Yoga and Pilates instruction, Massage and Beauty Therapy, and 14 classes per week. 

Online Service

• A full timetable of complimentary group classes including HIIT, Boxfit, Yoga and Pilates
• 1-to-1 Personal Training, Yoga, Pilates and Meditation 
• Nutritional Consultations 
• Sleep Coaching

With all these benefits and resources available to every Vertus resident, there’s no excuse to not keep fit and healthy – all you need is the determination and drive to improve yourself.

To find out more about the fitness facilities available to Vertus residents, or to enquire about one of our properties, get in touch here.