Fit on the go

Krishnaraj Iyengar

For any fitness enthusiast, taking a break from the mundane often calls for a break from the gym. Apart from traveling by air, rail or road, the availability of a gym or a jogger’s park is often a question mark while on vacations or professional outings.

But the good news is, there are some incredibly handy exercises like Isometrics, Burpees and simple Calesthenics that can be performed using practically no equipment at all, within no more than just a few feet of space.

“The absence of a gym doesn’t call for loss of fitness. There are simple yet highly effective exercises that not only fitness freaks, but even professional athletes and heavy-weight lifters can perform just anywhere, right from an aircraft, a car or a hotel room to maintain overall fitness inside-out” explains leading fitness expert BinnySreedharan who specializes in these varieties of exercise. Here’s what you can do:

Stretches

During long flights, stiffness is a common complain among travellers. A few repetitions of the following stretches at a moderate speed can help loosen-up the limbs and relax the body.

• Stand-up. Walk about for a few minutes shaking your hands and legs to loosen-up.
• With finger tips on both shoulders, rotate both arms clockwise and then anti-clockwise.
• Raise both arms gradually while breathing in, stretch them upwards, breath out while lowering them back.
• Place one arm in a 90 degree position horizontally across the chest and with the palm of the other hand, press against the elbow of this arm and stretch. Alternate the same with the other arm. This will stretch the triceps and part of the shoulders.
• With feet together, touch your toes with your fingers. This will flex the back muscles that become stiff by sitting over a long period of time.
• While standing, hold one foot by the shin and stretch to flex the hamstrings and calf muscles.

 

Isometrics

Popularised by the likes of Bruce Lee, Isometrics are static exercises that provide excellent overall muscle fitness without a single piece of equipment. These can be performed anywhere after a brief warm-up like spot-jogging or spot-jumping and a few stretches.

• Join both hands in a ‘Namaste’ position and press both palms together and hold. A few repetitions will work out the chest muscles.
• For biceps, with one arm in a 90 degree position (like when holding a tray), palm facing upwards, with the palm of the other hand against it, hold.
• For the entire lower body, go into the squat position and hold.
• While breathing is essential during Isometrics, beginners should hold for not more than 10 seconds, repeating each exercise thrice.

Calesthenics

While the yogic Surya Namaskar is therapeutic, Namaskar-dips and push-ups are great for the whole upper body. One can try squats and calf raises for the lower half, Step Up’s (stepping up and down a chair, bed or platform alternately with each leg) to lose weight. Tricep Dips can be done by placing both hands with elbows close to each other on the bed or platform, body in front, legs on the ground, crunches to keep the abs intact.

Burpees

A highly intense, simple and unique workout that covers both cardiovascular as well as muscle fitness, Burpees are often performed by military units during battle or when stationed in remote areas where gyms are unavailable.

While most individuals habituated to working out are well-versed with push-ups, Burpees comprise of a push-up and a jump with both hands raised. These are done rapidly in continuity over 3-6 sets. A good warm-up is essential, as is, avoiding them in case of any physical ailments, disabilities or injuries.

After each workout, a few minutes of cooling-down will normalise the heart rate and metabolism.