Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Stuff I Like: Quarantine Fitness.

Hi y'all! If you follow me on my personal Instagram account you know I've been working out in the worst gym ever:


(yes, that's the same wall I use for my outfit pics!) 

Welcome to my spare bedroom. It's everything you don't want in a gym - tiny, not much equipment, full of judgmental cats. Since January I've been working (online) with a coach to get back all the muscle I lost last year when I hurt my shoulder. I was just staring to make real progress with my lifting at the gym when the Coronavirus hit and now I'm working out with not much equipment in a very small space. I know I'm not alone in this so I thought I'd share some of what's been working for me.

Equipment:


This is my yoga mat (which I talked about here) and it's still really good! It gets a lot of use and is starting to show some wear, but it's still going strong and I would buy another one. I use it for yoga, obviously, but also use it to protect the floor when I do kettlebell workouts.



When the gym closed I panicked and started pricing weights. They are...SO expensive. I settled on an adjustable kettlebell which was not inexpensive, but gave me a weight range between 5 and 40lbs. Not ideal, but DEFINITELY better than nothing. I was worried about the quality and even more worried when it showed up damaged. (The plastic piece that stabilizes the plates was cracked in several places.) I got a refund and was told to keep it so I've been using it anyway and I'm so happy to have it. It's good for deadlifts, squats and rows, not great for swings or anything too vigorous. I don't know that I can really recommend it but it's sold out anyway, so I guess it doesn't matter. If you're going to invest in weights, I'd just get regular kettlebells or dumbbells.



I also bought a set of inexpensive mini-bands which are fine for arms but I wish I had a bigger range - they're kinda wimpy for lower body. This brand - Arena Strength keeps popping up online and looks like a solid product for legs. Let me know if you've tried them!

So, to recap: My space is limited and my equipment kinda sucks but the workouts I'm doing are good and I can do quite a lot with what I have, plus bodyweight exercises. Which brings me to...

Workouts: 

Now, obviously I have someone writing workouts for me, which helps a lot. If you don't know what to do and can't spend the money for a coach, there are tons of free and low-cost options out there. I can't tell you what the right workout is for you, but here are a few I know about:


For a crossfit/bootcamp type workout, the WOD Women account on FB is posting a no-equipment workout every day. (You can also get a weekly plan at their Barbell Beauties site.)


If you do interval type workouts, I highly recommend the SIT app. It's free and super simple - just an interval timer that keeps track and beeps to let you know when to move and when to rest so you don't have to keep stopping  and resetting your phone's stopwatch.


I also really like @achievefitnessboston because they know their stuff and are excellent at breaking down exercises. They've been posting some fun at-home moves you can do with little or no equipment on their IG, so definitely check them out. They're also doing virtual classes for $9 each which I haven't tried yet but I suspect it's probably worth it, based on the kind of content they post on IG. (Plus, they just seem like nice people.)


Also, I was able to sign up for the Peloton app for a free three-month trial. Aside from cycling workouts they also have fitness classes, yoga, and outdoor walk/run classes led by instructors. I've done a few of the fun/power walk options which is nice when you need to get outside and want to do more than take a stroll. I also tried a few of the Peloton yoga classes but didn't care for them because they're what I call, "fitness yoga." Meaning, poses without the intent. The whole point of yoga is that its moving meditation so when you take that out it just feels like you're doing weird things with your body. It wasn't for me.


If you don't have a local yoga instructor doing streamed classes (my first choice) I really like Yoga With Adriene on YouTube. She has an enormous catalog of free yoga classes for all levels and her dog is really cute. What more could you ask for? Other than in-person classes where they clean the floor because you keep forgetting? Ugh.

I'd love to hear what you guys are doing - apps you love? Equipment to recommend?

11 comments:

  1. So, have you tried the Peloton cycling classes? Do you need *their* bike? I'm in New England so, while I'm getting outside more and more (on my own in a rural area); it's been Zwift for me.

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    1. I haven't and I'm honestly not sure how it works.I don't think you need a Peloton bike but I suspect you need at least a smart trainer? I only have a crappy trainer that I hate, so I will basically do anything to avoid riding indoors!

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  2. I have been doing various pilates workouts on YouTube, and it has become clear to me that I need some kind of yoga mat even with a carpeted bedroom. My question to you is, what yoga mat does not immediately collect gross cat hair? I only have one pet but he seems to get FUR everywhere. Also, he looks a lot like Daniel.

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    1. I'm not sure that mat exists! Mine is a proper sticky yoga mat, so it definitely collects a bit of fur. I just sweep/vacuum a lot.

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  3. Thank you, and I meant to say thank you for the post in the first place!

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    1. You are so welcome! We're all in this together.

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  4. I love Barre3 and I believe they have a 15-day free trial right now. Their workouts have been a mainstay for me for over three years and are my lifeline as I WFH.

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  5. DownDog yoga app is free right now. Until 5/1. I like it because it offers a lot of options. Need a 15 stretch break? Need an hour long restorative? Need some low back stretches? Choices!

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  6. I love yoga with adriene! I haven’t been doing a lot outside of walking and prenatal yoga since I’m currently gestating a human, but she does have a TON of videos.

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  7. I also have someone writing workouts for me but both of the gyms I belong to right now (Lifetime fitness and Orange theory) have live and online options. I know many really like the peloton options and you do not need a smart bike to participate (if you just follow their ride). For weight options, I purchased the ironmaster flexible dumbbells, kettle bell and straight bar along with a step up bench option. I can't recommend ironmaster more. Their products are great quality and very easy to change weights. It is virtually sold out but thankful I purchased what I did. If I knew this was going to last this long, I may have purchased a tad more or differently (maybe a real bench) but this can absolutely get me through. Good health to all and keep up your fitness!

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    1. If I had known, I'd definitely have bought some handweights or kettlebells for sure. Sounds like you have some really good options!

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