All bodyweight exercises that you can do in the comfort of your own home.
We’re in another Level 5 and everyone should stay at home except for essential reasons.
With a limit on the distance you can travel and gyms and leisure facilities closed, the type of exercise people can do is limited.
We originally spoke to Paddy O’Rourke, a chartered physiotherapist from Tipperary, working in Bath Avenue Medical Centre in Dublin back in 2017.
Paddy has experience with GAA teams and in private practice, created a list of exercises you could do at home to prepare yourself for an upcoming sports season.
They require no gym equipment to complete, so they’re perfect for anyone who is stuck at home for the next few weeks in lockdown and wants to get in a decent workout.
Paddy wrote a blog on Animal Flow exercises, which can be read in full below, with even more details and blogs on his website, which you can find here.
Bear Crawls
It might be years since you last crawled and you might think it will be easier now that you don’t have a nappy restricting your movement. Do 5 sets of 10 yards Bear Crawling and you might need that nappy again.
But with all of its toughness comes its greatness as it calls on all the intrinsic muscles around the spine, core and hips which are essential for being strong on the ball and remaining pain free during the season.
Clip via Final Round Training
Crab Walking
Crab Walking is as ugly as it sounds but will get your posterior chain firing more than Tony Montana at the end of Scarface. Glute activation is so important for preventing hamstring injuries and you’ll get plenty of that with this exercise.
It will also open up the shoulders helping hurlers strike the ball better and helping footballers strike their marker better. Begin with 5 sets of 5 yards and progress from there.
Clip via CrossFit®
The Frog Squat
The Frog Squat is a staple with most primitive movement coaches. It’s an exercise that looks simple but will leave your quads burning after just 3 sets of 15.
It’s a fabulous warm-up exercise before a match or training and it will strengthen your quads, glutes and hamstrings as well as improving the flexibility of your back and hips. A win-win.
Clip via Exercises.com.au
Kick Sits
A strong core is essential for every aspect of the game from competing in the air to getting inside your marker and with so many core muscles to work on (transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, internal and external obliques) why not get them all firing in one simple (hard) exercise.
Try 3 sets of 6 on each side and build reps and intensity as your body allows.
Clip via Fitlife Health and Fitness Coaching
Half Hindus
The Half Hindu is an excellent all body exercise designed by Zuu creator Nathan Helberg. Along with calling upon almost every stability muscle there is in your body, it also stretches the hip flexors, quads, hamstrings, calves, lower back…. you get the picture!
Try 3 sets of 10 and progress as able.
Clip via Fitlife Health and Fitness Coaching
A version of this article was originally published in 2017.
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