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So the Gyms are closed and everyone’s ass is in danger of being dirtier than normal because of the toilet paper crisis of 2020 but you need to maintain those gains my bros and broettes. So what do you do if you don’t have a home gym? In this article I’m going to show you how to maintain strength at home with these tips.

SUPPLIES

• Bands. If you have bands and a stick/PVC pipe you really don’t even need the rest of the things below but it’s always great to have options.

• Buckets. 5 gallon buckets are great because you can load them up with anything to make them as light or heavy as you need and they have a handle built in. Fill them with dirt, old coins, whatever. use your imagination.

• Gallon jug, laundry detergent container or even an Empty protein container. This will act the same as the bucket but without a handle The cool thing about these is they have a lid, so you won’t have to worry about things falling out.

• Back pack. Now back packs are another one of those things we take for granted. This has tons of handles, they hold lots of weight and you can do front squats and back squats without having to hold a bar.

• Tie Downs (straps). Straps can be uses the same a TRX system. They just don’t have a handle but who cares right? Inverted rows, strap push ups, rows etc. Really versatile.

• Kids. Kids are great to workout with for a couple reasons. 1) They get bigger by the second, so as you get stronger it’s like they are self regulating and auto adjust for your needs. 2) They are included. Most people leave the kids at home and go to the gym. When you train with them, they get to interact with you in a fun way.
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Now That you have some options to choose from for “equipment”, let’s talk about how to make things harder without weights.

CHANGING STIMULUS TO MAKE THINGS HARDER

So you’re a 600 lb. squatter and band squats just won’t cut it. Here is a list of techniques you can utilize to make things exponentially harder.

• Tempos. Now I’m normally not a fan of tempos with the main lifts because I believe the lift should be performed as explosively as possible but are great for times like this and great for assistance work. They make a weight that is normally easy, MUCH harder. Play around with the tempos here. 4 sec down – 1 sec pause – 4 sec up, or 5-0-1, the possibilities are limitless. The added time under tension will not only help maintain muscle mass, but will most likely show you some technical flaws you can work on.

• Shorter rest periods. As Powerlifters, we normally take longer rest periods to recover between heavy sets. Normally not less than 3 min and up to 10+. By utilizing shorter rest periods you will not only make the lighter work harder but you will work on your conditioning as well. This will translate greatly to your regular training once it picks back up. 30 sec to 3 min is a great range to stay within.

• Drop sets. Drop sets are a great way to make a workout much harder and get in that extra volume. Chasing a pump is not a bad thing. In fact, the pump helps increase blood vessels in turn allowing more nutrients to flow into the muscle and over time with proper nutrition increasing muscle size that you can turn into potential strength. BOOM! SCIENCE!

• Cluster sets. These are kind of like doing a high rep set but with really short breaks. Think about doing 30 reps on push ups but you can only get 15 reps. Take 10 secs and go again. Now you get 10. Take another 10 sec and you get another 10. That’s a cluster. You just did way more reps than you normally would and you made the workout much harder.

• Circuit. As Powerlifters we rarely do longer bouts of cardio. This is a great way to not only get that in but to make lighter weight feel heavier.

• Bio-mechanical disadvantageous exercises . In Powerlifting we want the most bio-mechanical advantageous position possible, but this is a great time to work on disadvantageous positions. This will help build strength in weak areas as well as help us get out of those bad positions during a big lift when it inevitably happens. As an example, think of close grip bench press. Not dangerous but much harder than a grip that is perfect for your build. Another example it Deficit deadlift or super close stance squats. These are all much harder than a normal lift made for the lifters leverages.

• Plyo/balistic. Think Jump squats, clap push ups and kettle bell throws over a bar. It’s impossible to use heavy weight and still move fast. This is going to work on your fast twitch muscle fibers, making you faster when you come back to the weights.

SAMPLE WORKOUT

• Day 1 90 sec rest on everything
• Kid tempo squats. 6-2-0 / 5 x 10
• Back pack Front squat 4 x 10
• Box jumps 5 x 8
• Super set seated leg curl with bands and crunches 5 x 15 / 5 x 25

• Day 2
• Clap push ups cluster sets 4 x 20 *90 sec rest
• Neutral grip strap push ups (hands close to body against band 4 x 12-15 *1 min rest
• Back Pack french press 5 x 12 *1 min rest
• Super set band tricep push downs and bucket curls 4 x 12-15 *90 sec rest.
• Burpees 10 x 10 *30 sec – 1 min rest

• Day 3
• Sumo bucket “Kettle bell” swing with banded good morning drop set. 5 x 15/10
• Glute bridge with added weight from bands or back pack 4 x 10 *90 sec rest
• Inverted rows with straps 4 x 10 *1 min rest
• Bucket or back pack One arm row with standing band rows as a drop set 4 x 10/15 * 2 min rest
• Mason twists with protein container 5 x 20 * 1 min rest

• Day 4 everything 90 sec rest
• Single arm back pack or band squat thrusts. 4 x 12 per side
• Bucket upright rows 3 x 15
• Band pull a part 3 x 15
• Circuit
• Kid Bicep Curls 5 x 10-15
• Back pack “stone loading” 5 x 10
• Planks 5 x max holds

I hope you guys enjoyed this article and found it helpful. Don’t forget to sign up for our news letter to get update on new articles,tips and sales click here