FITNESS

The gyms are closed is no excuse.

BY: JEREMY URBACH

Russian Twists

One of the things about this pandemic that has really annoyed me was that all the gyms were forced to close down.

This meant that many avid gym-goers like myself had to step into a whole new territory of exercise: bodyweight exercises, which are exercises using only the weight of your body. This especially took a toll on me; as someone who enjoys lifting weights and swinging kettlebells, my university's gym facilities being closed meant that I had to stay in my room and work out without equipment. But over the months, I became familiar with many bodyweight workouts and have even learned ways to alter them to reap more muscle-building benefits. I'm going to let you tzadikim in on three of my favorite bodyweight exercises that hit all areas of the body, work up a good sweat, and will definitely help you cut down the kugel gut.

Push ups are an excellent upper body exercise that you can do anywhere. Push ups will hit your chest muscles and also work your shoulders, triceps, and back.

Squats are the ultimate lower body workout. While gym-goers usually like to squat with heavy weights to bulk up their legs, we can do bodyweight squats to make our legs stronger and get our heart rate up. When squatting, make sure to keep your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees in line with your toes. If you want to make it harder, hold the squat position for longer. If that gets too easy, try single-leg squats, AKA pistol squats, by doing the regular squat movement, but on only one leg.

Russian twists are an excellent workout for your core and can get your heart rate pretty high. To perform them, rest your tailbone on the floor with your legs off of the ground in front of you, then twist from side to side until your abs can’t take anymore. You can make this exercise more challenging by holding something in your hands, like a water bottle. For even more of a challenge, try and keep your legs locked in place.

Push Ups

If you’re ready for something a little harder, you can do diamond push ups with your hands together, so your fingers form a diamond. If you want even more of a challenge, try clap push ups.

Squats

Jeremy Urbach is a contributor for Mochers Magazine.