Gymnastics at home: the most common mistakes to avoid for basic exercises

Keeping fit is a matter of consistency and willpower, but it doesn't mean that the only way to do it is with complicated machinery that we usually only find in the gym. Even at home we can get used to following every day, or frequently, exercise routines of various kinds: pilates, yoga and many other types of training more commonly practiced at home require only comfortable clothes and maybe a mat, or very few other accessories.

The basic exercises, if done in the right way, are really all you need, but we must avoid making a series of mistakes that are among the most common - especially in terms of having the correct posture.

Lunges

This is a great exercise for toning and strengthening muscles - in the glutes, quadriceps and hamstrings are among the most common targets of this exercise. However, it is often natural to put too much weight on one foot or to bend the torso.

Instead, it is necessary to start from an erect position, with the torso straight and not bent forward, and in the lunge movement, bend both knees, while one foot is forward. Your knees should bend 90 degrees, then stand up and repeat, and then switch legs.

Squats

There are those who do not bend their legs completely, and those who arch their backs or bring their knees together. Instead, the correct movement involves starting with legs apart, a little wider than the shoulders, and the back should always be kept straight. You can keep your hands together in front of you or use weights, with your arms alongside your body - but your back must remain straight, even if you bend forward a little with the torso: in short, do not arch the spine.

When lowering yourself, you should come down with your butt even a little lower than to the level of your knees before going back up. To get up, put pressure on your feet without unbalancing the weight on the toes.

Abdominals

This is one of the most challenging exercises for beginners, and the first few times you shouldn't expect to be able to get great results or get even be able to get up completely. It is also one of the exercises where mistakes are most easily made.

Try not to put your hands behind your head, which will cause your chin to bend towards your chest. It is better to cross your arms across your chest, or push your fingers on the sides of your thighs. So you don't even have to give yourself momentum by sending your arms forward. Plant your feet firmly on the ground, as wide as your hips, and don't move them. Use only your abdominal muscles to pull your torso up until you are seated and then come down very slowly. No sudden movements. Better to stop halfway and go back down slowly than to make fruitless efforts.

Push ups

One of the most common mistakes is to move the elbows outward, when they should be kept as close to the body as possible. Another problem is that of arching your back, which should remain straight, whether you keep your knees on the ground or not.

You can start by doing push-ups on the wall to understand the posture, and slowly train your arms to support your weight, then move to the ground, with your knees resting (but your legs half extended) and keeping your arms on a higher support, so as not to having to go down to the ground. Again, a stretched rubber band between your arms could give you the push to come back up.

Great job!