Those were good days when we would wrap up our work quickly, change into our workout gear, pick up our sippers, and head towards the gym. It was a place where we could forget all the day’s worries and stress, and fully focus on ourselves. And we had all that we required there. We could just walk up to any machine and sweat it out, for as long as we wanted. But now that the pandemic has struck and the gyms are not fully open, we don’t have many options left to us. Home workout is all that we can do. And because we can’t manage to get those huge machines installed in our homes, we have to prepare a complete workout session using free weights, as they are affordable, manageable and take up less space.
Free weights include dumbbells, barbells, medicine balls, sand bells, and kettlebells. Also, unlike weight machines, they do not restrain users to limited, fixed movements. More and more coaches and trainers are shying away from machine-based workout these days and are shifting their focus towards free-weight training. This is because weight machines are expensive and require a gym membership, and are often ineffective training equipment as they mainly focus on isolation exercises and one particular part of the body at a time. Using free weights is a great substitute for machines for building strength and fitness.
There are a few things you should keep in mind while working with free weights at home:
A. See if you can find an online instructor to guide you while you work out. He can create a workout plan using free-weight and can supervise you using a video call.
B. PLEASE DON’T EGO LIFT. You have no need to feel inferior to a hunk or dude who you may have seen lifting heavyweights. He must have also started with light weights back in the time. Ego lifting will hurt both your ego and your body if you are not ready for those weights. Build up to it.
C. Be disciplined- home workout tends to get postponed because there is no need for a fixed time to do it. But if you don’t keep to a schedule, you are likely to go off training very quickly.
D. Gyms are equipped with benches for flat, recline, decline weight training with free weights and you may not have those at home. Don’t try home-made benches made out of furniture. You may injure your back because of poor support. Ask the trainer for easier bodyweight exercises.
If done properly, free weights can provide you a fantastic workout because training with free- weights has its own advantages-
- Free weights give you full control over speed and direction of movement. Moreover, they activate more muscle mass than machines do. Therefore, it is safe to say that free weights are more effective than resistance machines.
- They help you in focusing on the smaller and forgotten muscles of your body that don’t get much attention during a machine workout.
- Our bodies are naturally dis-balanced. Usually, one side of our body is more dominant than the other one. Using free weights is a great way to adjust this natural imbalance in our bodies.
- They help us in mimicking the kind of movements that we would do outside the gym such as carrying, lifting, pulling, and pushing around things. They help your body in getting functionally fit.
Working out with free weights can be intimidating at times. You might feel something’s missing and that you’re not giving your 100%. But such is not the case. Free weights are indeed the Holy Grail when it comes to changing body composition and strengthening bones and muscles. So, don’t wait for your gym to open, and to feel safe about using it, go the free-weights route.
TRUST THE PROCESS!
