10 Fitness-Related Self-Isolation Talents To Learn In 2 Weeks
If you’ve already completed all your computer games, learnt to knit, and play the piano better than Mozart, it’s time to master some fitness skills. We know you need things to do to get through self-isolation. Keeping yourself entertained and finding new skills to learn is most definitely the key to success. So, we have some new fitness talents you can try to learn to pass the time, so you’ll come out the other side even more talented than you already are.
1. Keepie-uppies
You can’t play football with your friends, so you might as well do it on your own. Take a football and count how many times you can volley it, or you could kick it against a wall. This was fun as a kid and it’s even more fun now. Make sure you don’t hit a window or your mother’s vase though — we all know how that ends.
2. Making the ultimate fruit-vegetable smoothie
Making smoothies gets your vitamins and minerals in but for the best kind, you need some fruit, some veg. It’s hard to get the balance right between nutrition and taste — that alone can be considered a talent. Too much veg and the taste is ruined, too much fruit and your macros are all off. So, experiment making smoothies with different blends and find the perfect one.
3. How to do a handstand
It’s a cool trick to do. Just be careful. Start by doing it off a wall and practice kicking your feet up. Here’s some tips and tricks for doing proper handstands. And when you mastered that, move onto the handstand pushup — it’s great for working on your upper body strength and good fun. It’s an injection of excitement into your self-isolation and a real talent to have at the end of it.
4. Planking for longer
Upping your plank will be impressive. Planking with straight arms is harder for some people than resting on your elbows, so try both. If you haven’t got the normal plank down yet, start there and build up. And if you’re planking over two/three minutes nice and breezy, then you’ll be impressing your gym buddies when you’re back. Once you’re mastered normal planking, try some plank variations.
5. How to cook protein pancakes
Food is going to be a big part of life right now. You’ve got all this extra time for a leisurely breakfast, so why not make the most of it? You might as well learn some good recipes for protein pancakes, which are an easy way to get protein in for breakfast and they’re delicious. Experiment with different ingredients and toppings to make the ultimate stack.
6. One-armed chin up
Working up to the one-armed chin-up is not for the faint hearted. It can hurt the wrists, so be careful and practice proper form. Really you should be able to do a good 20-rep set of pull-ups before trying the one-armed, so get pulling. You’ll see some great improvements in your upper body strength and physique if you can master this one.
7. Yoga
Doing yoga is not all breathing and balancing. It’s going to increase your flexibility and strength and if you keep it up, you’ll find there’s many different ways to practise it. Use it to relax and recover, or really get a sweat on — you’ll be shocked by how hard it can be. After all, bendiness is a talent and can be harder than you think. You’ll feel great after too. Yoga’s breathing and stretching also has strength training benefits for all you bodybuilders, so there’s no reason to shy away.
8. The splits
This is a great party trick, but you really need to build yourself up for this one to stretch and progress over time. Don’t rush it. You also need to stretch everything — not just your hammies. Your groin, hips, back, glutes, calves, even your upper body to warm up. Don’t force or bounce your way down and be prepared for it to take weeks. Over the weeks, build yourself up and see where you can get to on the splits — even if it takes longer, don’t worry. It’ll be worth it for the gasp your friends give when you effortlessly slide down mid-conversation...
9. Touch your toes
Although a lot of people can touch their toes, a lot of you also probably can’t. This might be a step down from the splits, but it can be just as difficult for some. Trying to touch your toes regularly will get you further down so if you can’t do it now, try doing it for the next two weeks and see where you get to. It’s also a great move to stretch out after a workout, so easy to tag on to your session without any thought at all.
10. One-armed push up
And finally, the flashiest talent of all. The road to the one armed push up may be long, but it’s definitely worth it. Push-ups top the list for bodyweight exercises, so doing the one armed one is impressive and harder than you think. Our guide to one-armed push-ups will carry you through though. Can’t quite get this? Clap push ups are equally as cool in our books.
Take home message
There are loads of talents to learn while we’ve got all this time to try them. So, set yourself a challenge — gold star if you can do all 10 of these. It’ll keep you busy, spice up your home workouts, and help you keep your fitness up. And the best part: when you walk back into the gym, you’ll impress all your friends with your new fitness talents.
READ THIS NEXT:
10 Sports & Fitness Films To Save You From Stay-At-Home Boredom
We know you've got nothing better to do...
3 Unbeatable Banana Bread Recipes | Social Distancing Essentials
Are you even isolating if you haven’t instagrammed your banana bread?
Evangeline has taken part in competitive sports since a young age. As a qualified RYA Dinghy Instructor, she understands the importance of proper nutrition for fuelling extreme and endurance sports, especially due to her experience in Team GBR Squads and captaining and coaching her University first team.
In her spare time, Evangeline loves running – especially marathons. On the weekends, you’ll find her taking on water sports or hiking up a hill. Her favourite evenings are spent taking on a HIIT session or squats in the gym before digging into some spicy food and a ton of vegetables – yum!
Find out more about Evie's experience here.
