[Collegiate Exercise] Dorm Room Fitness

In the midst of homework, exams, parties, and other college distractions, finding time to hit the gym can be difficult.  I've compiled a set of exercises that you can do from your dorm room.  For just twenty minutes a day, you will see results from these simple exercises!

Keep in mind that is is important to make an effort to hit the gym to lift weights and perform cardiovascular exercise as well.  On days when your schedule is just too packed to hit the gym for an hour, perform these exercises in your dorm and you will look and feel better!

My room is about 15' by 12'.  In just this small space, you can make a difference in the way you look and feel!

Although the push-up one of the most common exercises, many people perform this exercise incorrectly. 

• Begin with your hands at about shoulder width apart.
• Keep your hands directly beneath your shoulders.
• Your body should be in a relatively straight line from our heels to your shoulders.
• Lower your body down to the ground using your core (abs) and upper body.
• Lower your body just until your chest touches the floor.
• Now just push up with your arms, and chest muscles.

Be sure that your back remains straight, and does not sag.  The buttox also tends to rise up on some folks, so make sure you keep your buttox down as well.  Another issue comes when your hands are too far from your body, or too far in on your body.  Keep your hands directly under your shoulders when you begin the pushup. 

You can perform the following exercises in a circuit, performing 10 repetitions, and then moving on to the next exercise.

Don't fret if you can't do these perfectly yet.  As your upper body gets stronger, you will be able to perform them cleaner and you wil be able to do more of them.

Your core is an important part of your body, and the classic sit-up is a perfect abdominal exercise.

• Sit on the ground in the seated position.
• Keep your feet flat on the ground, and slowly lay your back down on the ground.
• Now place your knees at about a fist's distance apart.
• Move your hands up your thighs, and move up to the original seated position.
• Do you best to keep your feet on the ground during this movement.
• Once you are at the sitting position, you have completed one repetition!
• Now slowly bring yourself down with your back on the ground and then perform another sit-up.

Just like the push-up, perform 10 repetitions and then move on to the next exercise.

The scull is another abdominal workout.  It is short for the form of rowing, called "sculling," where this exercise takes the form of this style of rowing.

• Begin by sitting on the ground.
• Bring your legs in to your chest, with your arms spread out.  (Making your body like a T).
• Now extend your legs out, and bring your arms in to your chest.
• Now bring your legs back in to your chest, and spread your arms back out like a T once more.
• Note, try to keep your knees as close together as possible when you bring your legs in.
• This is a tough exercise, but very effective.

Perform ten repetitions of these "scull" abdominals.  Then move on to the next exercise.

Triceps are an important muscle in your arms, and can make a difference in your arm strength when you perform tricep exercises.

• Find a computer chair, or your desk chair in your dorm.
• Sit on the ground, with your back rested on the front of the chair.
• Lift your arms, and place your hands on the cushion behind you.
• Push up with your arms, and lift your body off the ground.
• Now let yourself down to the ground, and repeat.

Perform ten repetitions of this exercise, and then move on to the next one!

The other important muscle in your arm is the bicep.  This exercise is not a repetition exercise, but rather an exercise of resistance.

• Begin by twisting a towel, so that it is in a twisted, straight line.
• Step onto one end of the towel with either your right or left foot (depending on which bicep you want to exercise.
• Grab the other end of the towel with your hand.
• Now try to create some tension in the towel, and enough so that you feel some pressure in your muscle.
• Keep this tension up for about 30 seconds, and repeat until your biceps get tired.

Door pushups are also a good exercise for both your arms and for your upper body.

• Begin by putting your arms against the wall, and place your hands in the shape of a star.
• Extend your arms, so that you are leaning against the wall with them.
• Place your feet a few feet from the wall.
• Note that the further from the wall they are, the more difficult your exercise will be.
• Bend your elbows to about 90 degrees, and lower your body to the wall.
• Straighten your arms to their beginning state, and you will have completed one repetition.

I usually perform ten repetitions, and then move on to the next exercise.

Planks are a great resistance exercise for your abs, and you can perform these on your side as well.

• Begin by laying on your stomach.
• Put your elbows and forearms flat on the ground.
• Tighten up your stomach, and make your body as flat a possible.
• You will be able to feel your abs tighten, and this means you are working them out!
• Keep your head up, and make sure your buttox does not droop, and your bax does not sag.
• These are common mistakes that come as you get more fatigued.

30 seconds to a minute is a typical length of time for your planks.  As your abs get stronger, you will be able to do the planks for a longer amount of time.

Your legs are important too!  For your legs, we can do some squats for your thighs and gluts. 

• Begin with your legs wider then shoulder width apart.
• Keep your back straight, and lower your body by bending your knees.
• Get your body into a seated position, and then push back up.
• Do this slowly, and make sure that your muscles are being stretched and contracted.
• Straighten your legs up, and stand back up straight.

Perform ten repetitions and then go on to the next exercise.

For the stronger bunch out there, elevated push-ups are a more difficult, but an even better workout than regular push-ups.

• Find a desk or a chair, and place your feet up on to them.
• Now, refer to Step 1, and perform a push-up just as described.
• These are slightly more difficult, so you may need to do two sets, with five repetitions.

Another great thigh exercise is called the lunge.  Although this is best used with a weight in each hand, this is still a great aerobic and muscular exercise.

• Begin with your feet at about 75% of your shoulder width apart.
• Step forward with one leg, (left or right, they will alternate each time).
• Bend your body until both of your legs are at 90 degrees.
• You should step about 2-3 feet from your original position.
• Now just push back up with your front leg.
• You can switch legs now, and repeat the steps once again.

Do your best to lunge 10 times on each leg.  That would be a total of 20 repetitions.  If you have some weights to hold on to, that would make this exercise even more beneficial!

Another fantastic abdominal workout is leg-lifts.

• Begin on your back.
• As you lift your legs, lift your arms up to meet your legs.
• This is essentially a crunch, except your legs are straight, rather than bent.
• I usually perform 12-15 repetitions of this exercise.