Make the most of your home workouts using the ‘Application of Tension’
We have all found ourselves in a rather surreal situation of late which means home training is an absolute must. The gyms are closed, outdoor exercise is being kept to a minimum and home training sessions are rapidly becoming the new norm.
You may not have access to the wide variety of equipment your gym had to offer, so how can you make the best of a what you have and greatly improve the quality of your sessions?
This article is not about how to recreate a gym using random objects but how to enable your body to use itself more whilst training with load and therefore get a far more effective workout with what you have to use.
If you’ve been trained by the coaches at Body Development you’ll be familiar with the term ‘push and pull though mud’ or ‘apply tension to your training’ and by training we are referring to weight training, not cardiovascular exercise.
For example if you’re performing a biceps curl, rather than just performing the movement, think of pulling up through mud and then pushing back through mud. Immediately the brain will recognise that in terms of a situation you might know, or one you can imagine. You’ll naturally start to apply more tension to the movement and the effectiveness of your workout will rapidly increase.
Another really easy way to practice this method is by training with a towel.
Take a hand towel, roll it up, hold either end and pull it apart hard whilst performing a biceps curl but don’t stop pulling the towel part throughout the entire movement.
You’ll feel your muscles working with one another, with the towel to create tension throughout the movement.
You can apply this principle to any exercise thats usually performed with weights.
We’ve been teaching this method for many years to both our members and the coaches whom we mentor. With the correct application of tension the exercises will feel a lot harder than they used to.
Try it, you’ll be surprised how effective this method is and how it positively impacts the quality of your sessions no matter what kit you have available.
Karen Crudgington is the co founder of Body Development and works on developing and delivering classes and personal training sessions at Body Development, Bath.