8 tips for home workouts with Team Oakley

Do you miss the gym, your workout buddy or your team? The home workouts created by these top athletes will inspire you to find new ways to stay fit while you’re stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oakley (@oakley), a maker of sunglasses, sport performance and lifestyle glasses, has posted home workout videos from the #TeamOakley athletes to Instagram Stories and TikTok with the hashtag #FortheLoveofSport so they can easily be found in one place.

“Staying fit during these times can certainly be a challenge — it’s so easy to just lounge and binge TV,” says Oakley athlete and champion cyclist Caroline Buchanan (@cbuchanan68). But a fitness routine will help give you a sense of normalcy in times that are anything but, she says. “So, try to create a regular routine that keeps you active,” she says. Need home workout ideas?

Tips for a fun home workout

Put on your favorite workout tunes and gym clothes, and try (or modify) the workouts these Oakley athletes are using to stay fit. Here’s what you can do while while we’re all hunkering down at home:

1. Use your furniture

Couches aren’t just for eating popcorn and watching Netflix. For example, Buchanan used her couch to anchor her feet while doing core work. Here’s what she did — and how you can do this in your home, too:

Lying on your back of the floor, bend your knees (with a folded mat under them) and anchor your feet under your sofa with your heels touching the floor and your toes touching the underside of the sofa.

• Fold your hands into a prayer position.

• Brace your core and bend forward slowly, moving toward the ground until you’re at a 45-degree angle.

• Drop your hands and push off the ground to get upward momentum.

• Rise to your initial position and repeat.

“You have to have fun with it!” Buchanan says. For example, if you’re doing a wall sit or a plank and want to add some extra weight, hold some books. If you’re doing pull-ups, load up a backpack and put it on for weighted exercise, she suggests.

“Get creative with those random things in the house,” she says.

2. Climb the walls

You may think you’re already climbing the walls but a literal wall climb can really get your blood pumping and strengthen your arms and legs. Here’s a simple wall climb exercise used by Olympic gold medalist alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin (@mikaelashiffrin) in one of her workouts:

• Start in a push-up position with your feet pressed against a wall. 

• Move your feet up the wall while moving your hands closer to the wall. Go as far up the wall as you can.

• Climb back down the wall and end in a push-up position. Repeat.

3. Look for support

You’re staring at the walls, so you may as well use them for support. Do a simple wall squat with your back against the wall or try this exercise from one of Buchanan’s workouts:

• Grab two light hand weights.

• Get in a wall squat position with your feet a few inches apart.

• Hold your arms straight out in front of you.

• Raise one leg, slowly extending it straight out in front of you so it’s parallel to the ground, then slowly lower it back to its original position. Repeat with the other leg.

• Continue, alternating legs for as long as you wish.

4. Get some equipment

Many of us are strapped for cash right now, but there are a few pieces of inexpensive workout gear that you may want to buy (or that you already have stashed in a closet). Here are a few simple home workout tools the athletes on Team Oakley are using:

• A pull-up bar. Shiffrin used a bar hanging from a doorway in her home to do a series of pull-ups.

• A balance board or ball. Olympic gold medalist snowboarder Sébastien Toutant (@sebtoots) posted a video of himself jumping from rollers to furniture to a balance ball. He finished his circuit across from a wall basketball hoop, making a long shot with his back to the basket while standing on a chair. (OK, maybe don’t try that one at home.)

• Resistance bands. Shiffrin did a simple workout using resistance bands on her arms and legs, while also throwing in some squats.

And if you own a more expensive piece of equipment that’s been collecting dust — like an indoor exercise bike or treadmill — now may be the time to start using it again. Shiffrin posted a video of herself breaking a sweat with an intense spin workout at home.

5. Enjoy the outdoors safely

Do you have a deck, patio or other private outdoor space? Getting some fresh air and views of nature can enhance your workout and your overall well-being.

Shiffrin worked out with resistance bands outside on her deck with a backdrop of a bright blue sky and snowy mountains. And pro beach volleyball player and Olympic medalist April Ross (@AprilRossBeach) did sit-ups while bouncing a ball off a wall in the yard with her dog.

6. Step it up

Do you have stairs either outside or inside your home? Stairs offer a great — and free — piece of workout equipment.

One of the ways Shiffrin is staying in shape: running (and jumping) up and down the stairs outside her house. Want more ideas? Here are seven stair workouts you can do at home.

7. Turn it into a game

Toutant had some fun golfing in his living room, putting across a rug instead of a green. If there’s something you love doing, try to improvise a way to do it inside. And if you’re a golfer too, try some indoor golf drills to sharpen your skills.

8. Learn something new

RELATED READING: Why you should consider Oakley glasses

The art of working out at home is finding new ways to get your exercise. Olympic medalist snowboarder Ståle Sandbech (@stalesandbech) lifted his little brother to help him work his legs in preparation for heavy landings. Whatever new way you find to stay fit at home, it will provide a great conversation piece once you’re back together with your friends and family again.

If these #TeamOakley athletes can get in a great workout without leaving the house, so can you. So get inspired, start moving and remember to post your at-home workout too, all #FortheLoveofSport.

Working out may keep you fit and also help you cope.

“Being physically active does release endorphins that help keep you positive, and it’s consequently a huge stress reliever,” Buchanan says.

AND, YES, IF YOU ARE SHOPPING FOR SUNGLASSES... Check out the Oakley sunglasses collection at Frames Direct and other online eyewear retailers.

READ NEXT: Can Exercise Improve Cognitive Performance?

Page published on Friday, March 20, 2020