Most gyms do not open that late (or would be closing around those time). I myself understand the feeling of training so hard during the non-fasting season & to find yourself so tired & low stamina after the fasting month. So I started to look for an exercise that can help me maintain my stamina & strength (or get better) while allowing me to do it in a short time as I still need to rest well before the 4:00am Sahur.
I write this post to introduce a training method that would probably help Muslim athletes that still wish to train during the Ramadan, a training method that is very short (ranging from 10 minutes to 45 minutes: which even if you finish Tarawih at 9:30 can still finish this by 10pm), can be done at home or a small space area, gives you the benefit of cardio & endurance training. This training method is not "martial art specific" and instead is more about maintaining your stamina & strength (you might even find yourself improving if you have never done this before); if you are looking to do body building or weigh lifting, this exercise is probably not for you. I'm talking about circuit training.
(My circuit training: 10 exercises for 1 set @ 30 seconds each exercises. 30 seconds rest between sets. Maximum 6 sets. All done in 33 minutes.)
Circuit training is a form of conditioning combining resistance training and high-intensity aerobics. It is designed to be easy to follow and target strength building as well as muscular endurance. An exercise "circuit" is one completion of all prescribed exercises in the program. When one circuit is complete, one begins the first exercise again for another circuit. Traditionally, the time between exercises in circuit training is short (around 30 seconds), often with rapid movement to the next exercise.
A good circuit training should target the following area: Upper-Body (example: push ups), Lower-Body (example: squats), Core (example: sit ups) & Whole Body (example: burpees).
Advantages of circuit training
- May be easily structured to provide a whole body workout.
- May not require expensive gym equipment.
- Participants normally work in small groups, allowing beginners to be guided by more experienced individuals, as well as benefiting from the supervision of the instructor.
- Can be adapted for any size workout area.
- Can be customized for specificity; easy to adapt to your sport.
Check out the video below for 4 simple and effective circuit exercise:
The duration of some circuit training stations can be in the region of 30 to 60 seconds, and in some cases as long as two minutes. These circuits typically mean that the number of repetitions performed on each station is relatively high, putting each exercise further towards the endurance end of the intensity continuum.
Those wishing to optimize increases in strength or muscle bulk (hypertrophy) can reduce the number of repetitions performed and increase the weight to be lifted or increase the intensity, when hydraulics or elastics are used. On the other hand, longer station length is quite appropriate for any cardiovascular (aerobic) stations included in the circuit.
Consider the most basic of circuit workout:
30 seconds push up,
30 seconds squats,
30 seconds sit ups,
30 seconds burpees
& a 30 seconds rest = Total: 2 minit 30 seconds for 1 set.
If you can perform up to 4 sets, that will be a good 10 minute workout, which Im sure we can do quickly, grab supper, shower & enough rest for prayer next day.
* If you have problem with low energy before the work out: I suggest getting a REDBULL or MOUNTAIN DEW (caffeine) or a PROTEIN SHAKE or BLACK COFFEE or even a BANANA or APPLE, 10-30 minutes before the workout.
I hope this post will give you an idea how you can do really quick and beneficial workout, hope this comes in handy for the my Muslim friends as well.
i dont even have the energy to do sports during fasting month. hahahahaha.
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