We train at home:

When the need arises to quickly improve the figure, someone immediately goes to the nearest gym, fitness center or swimming pool. Or start morning runs🤔.

And someone begins to surf the Internet in search of exercises for their own home workout program. Many considerations can contribute to the choice of activities at home, such as “I don’t have time to go anywhere,” “I’m embarrassed about my body,” “I never did it,” “everyone will look at me like a stuffed animal,” “I don’t know anyone there,” “First, I’ll tighten up my uniform so that I’m not ashamed,” etc. 😧.

At first glance, the advantages of studying at home are peremptory:

Access to the “own gym” is 24/7, and classes are free;
No complexes in terms of the level of physical fitness (after all, there is no one to compare yourself with);
The ability to stay in the comfort zone: avoiding forced dating and stressful schedules;
Lack of control on the part of the coach, emotionally liberates, allowing you to do exercises for pleasure;
The ability to leave the workout at any time and switch to urgent household chores (for example, if a small child requires attention) and the same ease of continuing the lesson😇.

But, the cons are not so fun:

Unprofessional approach to the formation of their own program;
Not a working environment interferes with the quality of the exercises;
Lack of awareness regarding the correct performance of physical exercises;
Mismatch of load and preliminary preparation☝️.

Gymnastic exercises for general development cannot harm health a priori - if personal factors are taken into account when choosing loads and work modes: age, gender, level of physical fitness, the presence of chronic diseases and physiological characteristics. For, so to speak, "seed", that is, to awaken your interest in doing exercises at home, below we give examples of some effective and simple exercises😌.

Beautiful waist, ab workout at home
At home, the press can be pumped in a thousand and one effective ways, and without any special reservations! Start with the classic torso raises from the “lying on the floor” position. The exercise is dangerous only for women who have recently given birth🙃. When doing independent exercises after childbirth or cesarean section, do not forget about caution and compliance with the load. It is not necessary to load the abdominal muscles earlier than six months after natural childbirth, and not earlier than a year after a caesarean section. Under the supervision of a specialist, it is possible earlier, however, in light versions. People with high blood pressure should also be careful.

To everyone who did not fit the description - swinging the press never hurts. If simple sit-ups become too easy for you, pay attention to other exercises🙃.

It is not recommended, or rather, almost ineffective: twist the hula hoop (hoop). Just don’t say that you are still trying to “knock” at the waist in this post-Soviet way? After all, this exercise should only be performed by rhythmic gymnasts☝️! For other people, twisting the hoop is a completely worthless undertaking: the “rotational movement” brings little benefit to the figure - compared to swinging the press, for example. Therefore, if you decide to spend a certain amount of time on improving your figure, choose more natural and intense movements😃.

leg workout at home
For slender and strong legs at home, there is a win-win advice: squat! After all, this exercise is really very effective. After squats, you will find pleasant "prizes" for your efforts: strong legs, fantastic buttocks, no cellulite. The main thing is to choose a technique that involves the muscles responsible for the tone of the buttocks. Do not associate such exercises with those performed in school physical education classes. To increase the mass of the buttocks, you need to perform deep squats, almost touching the heels with the buttocks😁. If you squat using the same technique with dumbbells, you will get a strong back and a toned abs as a bonus.
Who should not "get carried away": people with problem joints (osteochondrosis, arthritis, coxarthrosis), and overweight people. If you feel like the deep squat is putting too much stress on your joints, move on to squatting when your hips stop in a phase parallel to the floor☝️.

Heart Workout
Jump up! With a multifunctional trainer that can fit in your pocket! That is, with a jump rope. Jumping rope (skipping) burns calories more efficiently than cycling, swimming, or tennis sets. 10 minutes of training provide an effect for the cardiovascular system equal to 3 km overcome in 6 minutes. cycling or 2 km run. Consider your own weight (it should be within the normal range), the strength of the joints and the elasticity of the tendons, monitor the stability of blood pressure😇. It is clear that this simple and effective exercise in the apartment can be performed if the size of the living space allows - do not forget about lamps and chandeliers; objects within the radius of your "simulator"; neighbors living on the floor below.

Strengthen the whole body
Plank - "Challenge". An exercise that came from yoga, in which you do not need to move at all, quickly won thousands of fans! During the execution of the "bar" various muscle groups are involved: both superficial and deeply located. Static exercise is quite safe for almost everyone☝️. The exceptions are people with problems with the spine - due to a rather large load on it, and people with arterial hypertension (high blood pressure). In order not to break your back, learn how to properly distribute the load. The elbows should be placed perpendicular to the shoulder joints, the muscles of the buttocks and legs should be kept in the maximum possible tension, the abdominal muscles should be drawn in.

If you have gathered all your willpower and firmly decided to train at home, remember a few simple tips:

Approach the choice of exercises consciously.
Don't get hung up on the same exercises, variety will help keep you interested in your workouts.
Do not neglect the advice of specialists.
Perform exercises with high quality, correctly, without making any discounts to the home environment.
Avoid common mistakes when exercising.
Do not be afraid of muscle pain after heavy loads, accustom yourself to the fact that this is an integral part of a quality training process;
Enjoy every lesson!
Muscles hurt after a workout - what to do?

Everyone who has found strength in himself and started playing sports is familiar with the burning sensation in the muscles after a strenuous workout😅. But often, instead of such a (even somewhat pleasant) sensation, acute muscle pain appears ... Especially often beginners suffer from this, who mistakenly chose the level of intensity of their classes☝️.

Someone even consciously waits for this pain, since, according to many, such sensations in the muscles are a sign of an effective session. However, not everyone supports this point of view, because muscle pain brings certain inconveniences and stiffness of movements😧.

This phenomenon has a scientific name - "krepatura". Usually it occurs within one or two days after class and lasts in the acute phase for up to three days, then the syndrome of acute muscle pain (another name for krepatura) becomes noticeably weaker and disappears over time😌. So, let's figure out what can be done to make it pass as quickly as possible?

Consider the following points:

cause of muscle pain
how to relieve the symptoms of krepatura;
prevention of post-workout muscle pain.

Why do muscles hurt

First reason

In a nutshell - muscle microfractures. I will try to explain as clearly as possible: muscles, as you know, consist of fibers, an important part of which are "myofibrils" - special thread-like structures that provide muscle contraction. During intensive training, myofibrils also work intensively and are destroyed, that is, they simply break. As a result, a lot of unnecessary free radicals are formed, which leads to the entry of excess water into the cell, which literally “swells”, stretching its membrane (the outer shell of the cell), and just on it there are pain receptors that signal problems with pain sensations🙃. In general, my explanation is very simplified, the scientific interpretation of the process is much more complicated, but such "scientific jungle" is beyond the scope of our blog. After a few days, excess water will leave the cell, and your health will return to normal🤔.

The second reason

I must say right away that this reason was recognized as the main one for a very long time, but modern researchers disagree about its validity. Part categorically denies, taking as a basis the idea of ​​damage to myofibrils, and part still adheres to the old theories😁. Until scientists come to a unanimous conclusion, we also cannot exclude the influence of this factor.

So, it is caused by large muscle loads, when at the cellular level there is work with a lack of oxygen, and as a result of the reaction, lactic acid (lactate) is produced. Subsequently, it will be excreted with blood. Nerve endings are irritated by it during intense loads🙃. As soon as the load stops and the muscles remain at rest, the pain gradually disappears. After two or three days, the pain will subside, but do not abruptly quit training. This pain must be endured, and it will pass by itself☝️.

Third reason

During intense physical activity in the body, the biologically correct balance of salts (electrolytes) and fluids changes (salts are intensively excreted with sweat, respiration, urine). This imbalance exacerbates the sensitivity of nerve endings, so pain occurs. After the restoration of the water-salt balance (replenishment with the food taken or with the help of sports drinks), this reason eliminates itself😌.

Fourth reason

These are microtraumas of ligaments and joints received during hard training, pain signals from which are perceived as part of muscle pain. In fact, a very common option, especially among inexperienced "athletes" who neglect the warm-up, the correct technique for performing exercises and an inadequately large load☝️. They are often accompanied by tears or muscle strains. Among the symptoms, there is usually inflammation of the ligaments and muscles, redness in the joints. As a rule, a more experienced athlete can easily identify this pain and distinguish it from post-workout muscle pain🤔.
How to relieve muscle pain after a workout
What to do if the pain is really strong and you don’t want to wait for it to pass by itself? Of course, there is a remedy for this disease. But this is not one action or a pill, but a set of ways to help relieve discomfort, tension and pain😧.

If you still overtrained, then there are several ways to cope with the pain that has already arisen:

1) A warm shower or bath (especially with special relaxing salt or aromatic oils) - this will relax the muscles a little, relieve pain. A sauna or bath can give a greater effect, since when visiting a steam room, the blood flow rate increases significantly and sweating increases, which allows the body to actively get rid of the “waste” that has accumulated after a hard workout☝️.

2) Massage - will disperse excess water from swollen cells (see the first cause of pain), which will significantly alleviate the syndrome of krepatura. It is desirable, of course, to use the services of professional masseurs, it is better to have a sports orientation. But self-massage is also suitable, the main thing is not to feel sorry for yourself and do it honestly☝️.

3) Swimming is a great option, it is not in vain that many athletes practice it. Regular swimming for 15-20 minutes at an easy pace is great for relaxing muscles, increasing blood circulation and thus effectively relieving pain. It is especially good if you can go to the pool right after a hard workout😌.

4) Be sure to drink plenty of water, and it is useful to replace part of plain water with isotonic sports drinks, that is, specially enriched with electrolytes that normalize the water-salt balance; It is also good to drink natural green tea😁.

5) Healthy sleep also helps fight “krepatura” (be sure to read the article, but keep in mind that it’s normal if after hard training sleep is longer than the average recommended by experts) 🙃.

6) Stretching (preferably daily) of the muscles contributes to the faster removal of free radicals from them, and lactate (or in other words - lactic acid), which is the cause of pain in the muscles after intense training. (Although, as we have already said, some experts believe that the cause of muscle pain after training is exclusively micro-ruptures and inflammation, yet the scientific world has not yet finally made a unanimous decision on this issue😃. And stretching exercises help in any case!) .

7) A very good effect is the repetition of those exercises, as a result of which the muscles began to hurt, BUT with a very low intensity, one might say, in the “warm-up” version, that is, a small number of repetitions and a reduced weight load. It is also not bad to lightly load, literally in the warm-up mode, the antagonist muscles. That is, if the biceps hurt a lot, then do some light exercises for the triceps, if the pain is in the pectoral muscles, then take care of the back ... well, the principle is simple and understandable🙃.

8) Eat foods containing vitamins and fatty acids, which help relieve inflammation in the muscles.
"A" (liver, leafy vegetables, carrots, eggs and red fruits);
"C" (fruits, vegetables, citrus fruits, juices, tomatoes, potatoes);
"E" (vegetable oils, egg yolk, oily fish, nuts and grains);
Fatty acids (vegetable oils, animal fats, fish).
9) With frequent or intense training, the body's need for lipoic acid (it's also vitamin N, thioctic acid, thioctacid, alpha-lipoic acid) increases. This vitamin-like substance, in short, takes part in all types of metabolism in the body😁. In relation to our question, we note its ability to successfully cope with free radicals (see the first cause of pain), as well as enhancing the action of the vitamins C and E mentioned in the previous paragraph. Lipoic acid is sold in pharmacies, BUT we simply recommend that you pay more attention to foods that contain a lot of it in your diet😌. These are beef and pork (primarily offal - kidneys, liver, heart, and then meat), dairy products, cereals and legumes, nuts. Of course, you should not neglect vegetables and fruits, there is less lipoic acid, but still, food must be varied☝️.

10) Painkillers. Give preference to ointments or balms based on natural ingredients (essential oils, resin, bee or snake venom, pepper or mustard extracts, etc.). The most undesirable, extreme option is the use of drugs from the group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), that is, diclofenac, ibuprofen, ketoprofen and others known to everyone. If you can’t bear muscle pain at all, then it is better to use NPSV in the form of ointments, since when taken orally, you strike at the cardiovascular system, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract and disrupt the water-salt balance (see the third cause of pain)☝️ .

Preventing muscle soreness from exercise

Firstly, training should be regular, and the loads should be proportionate and logical. Do not think that after completing a hundred jumps in the first workout, you can easily and freely repeat it in the next lesson. And in three weeks it is impossible to pump up the press to “eight packs” if you have never played sports before😌.

Secondly, you need to perform a warm-up before classes to warm up the muscles, as well as a mandatory hitch after the main exercises. Despite the fact that such simple actions will significantly reduce pain, many people neglect them ...

Thirdly, the correct execution of exercises, especially if you are doing weights! Often you can see a picture of a person in some unthinkable bodily antics trying to do something, just asking for muscle tears or sprains😧...

Fourth, eat right, that is, balanced. No hard diets, especially if you are doing intense workouts. The body needs nutrients and building material to repair depleted and damaged muscles.

Fifthly, there are interesting conclusions of American experts that for those people who have been engaged in physical education recently or not enough, muscle pain after training may be associated with insufficiently strong heart function, that is, they do not have time to wash out products from the bloodstream. decay. So pay attention to your functional endurance and increase the efficiency of the heart muscle (the best way is running, if it is impossible, circuit training)☝️.

The main rule is not to stop playing sports, and then gradually you will forget about muscle pain, because with each workout you become stronger and more resilient, you will recover much faster. If severe muscle pain, despite all your efforts, lasts more than three days, this is a serious reason to see a doctor, since the possibility of injury is not excluded.
Good luck! Do not get sick, do not "hose", do physical education!
There will be a second part later!
Good workouts for you!