At-Home Bodyweight Workouts: Stay Fit During the Coronavirus Lockdown

Two 11-minute at-home bodyweight workouts from the greatest generation improve your mental well-being and get you through these uncertain times

There's a lot of hype about staying fit with at-home bodyweight workouts during the Coronavirus quarantine these days. The lack of access to workout facilities and trainers combined with new at-home responsibilities like homeschooling the children make it seem impossible to get a workout in. At the same time, we all know positive physical well-being is closely allied with mental and emotional fitness, all of which are essential to go about our daily tasks.

It's great being home, but it's no vacation.

Back in the late 1950s, Dr. Bill Orban, a Canadian public servant and academic in the field of physical fitness, developed two groundbreaking training programs for the Royal Canadian Air Force. They required little time and space and no equipment.

The programs, 5BX (Five Basic Exercises) for men, and XBX (Ten Basic Exercises) for women help members of the RCAF, regardless of location or means, maintain a high level of physical fitness and readiness for emergencies demanding the extended physical exertion. The workouts require no facilities or equipment, take only eleven to twelve minutes a day to do, and can be done in a space the size of a prison cell. 

With these "at-home body weight workouts," Dr.Orban put physical fitness within reach for everyone.

No gym, no weights, and no time to stay fit!

The 5BX and XBX are at-home bodyweight workouts that enable you to get fit by yourself. Anywhere. Anytime. At your rate of progress. In only eleven minutes a day. And, since they are progressive, you can avoid unnessary discomfort.

What makes these plans unique is that they are simple, easy to do, easy to follow. Balanced and complete as they cover strength development and cardio conditioning. Motivating because there are clear cut "targets for fitness" based on age and body build with graduated standards to check your progress. Finally, the progressions enable you to set your fitness levels and pursue them at your rate.

At first glance, the program might seem confusing.

It has six charts arranged for the easiest to the most challenging. Each Chart has 5 or 10 exercises, depending on the program you're following, including a warm-up exercise. While the exercises work the same body areas in each Chart, they increase in difficulty as you move from Chart 1, the easiest, up to Chart 6, the most difficult. Each Chart also has 12 fitness levels within it that vary only in the number of repetitions to perform.

But it's easy to follow.

Just start with the lowest level in Chart 1. Perform each of the exercises for the required number of repetitions within the allotted time. Do the same Chart and level for 1 to 8 days, depending on your age, then progress to the next level. Keep doing this until you reach your desired fitness level.

What to know about "targeted fitness levels."

While the program suggests "targeted fitness levels," only you can decide what level is right for you. I often hear people comment, "I'm already at my suggested fitness level, so this program isn't for me." That's not true unless you're performing at the highest level on Chart 6, which is a level found only in champion athletes. Otherwise, you still have room to advance and challenge yourself with increased exercise difficulty or the number of repetitions.

But aren't these at-home bodyweight workouts outdated?

If you think these programs are outdated, think again. Some trainers might indeed argue with Dr. Orban's exercise selection in the original programs. But, his routine is sound, and scientifically proven to such a degree that most of today's programs follow the same or a very similar protocol. Just look at Martin Gibala's The One-Minute Workout. In it, Martin's studies debunk the notion that it takes at least an hour to get in a good workout—more if you factor in the time required to get to and from the gym.

Today, we call this HIIT, pronounced "hit," for high-intensity interval training. And, it all started with Dr. Orban and his 5BX and XBX programs.

Don't let these times get in the way of your fitness.

Physical fitness doesn't mean bulging muscles, and it doesn't mean spending at least an hour to "get in a good workout." Sound physical health has a positive effect on our mental well-being, especially in today's uncertain times. It enhances and improves vitality, appearance, and personality. The uncertainties we face today demand a high standard of physical fitness. With the 5BX and XBX program, you can achieve these standards in an enjoyable, well-balanced way for a total investment of 11 to 12 minutes a day.

Start your at-home bodyweight workout today.

With TriadXP's mobile fitness app, you can get guided 5BX and XBX workouts with voice and video cues for all the levels and Charts. No pen, no paper, nothing to look-up. Just pop in your earbuds, pick your Chart and level and go. TriadXP systematically tracks your times, repetitions, and distances and logs your results for you to monitor your progress.

Click here, for more at-home bodyweight workouts.

TriadXP, bringing you the most in mobile-exercise programs, your favorite trainers, and go-to workouts. Train anywhere, anytime; however, you choose. Perform, track, and log a wide variety of time, rep, distance, and resistance workouts distraction-free. Let's Get Moving!