Training During Quarantine

I believe there are three types of At-Home training styles…

1.       Cardio Crazies – all the running, jumping, and burpees your heart can take (literally)

2.       If you build it, they (the gains) will come – building racks, creating weighted elements, & making strength happen with whatever you have

3.       Long periods of couch squats and side planks – (I’m not judging)

For some of y’all, quarantine has doubled your daily duties with extra cooking, cleaning, teaching, working, refinancing, and stressing; so, staying sane and completing 1-3 training sessions a week is an impressive feat. On the other hand, some of y’all can’t sit still and are getting 2-3 training sessions a day! We all handle stress in our own ways and finding motivation to train at home can be difficult for many of us even without a pandemic!

Here are some quick tips to help find some balance:

• HIIT and cardio training are fantastic modalities, but you should also have a strength element. Too many reps can cause overuse injuries, so plan to pick up something heavy, lunge up a hill, or incorporate isometrics (squat hold, balance drills, planks, etc) at least once a week.

• For those training multiple times a day – TAKE A REST DAY! This can be active recovery (walking, foam rolling, or stretching), but you should schedule some lighter or minimal movement days.

• Activities like playing with your kids (2 & 4 legged), doing yard work, and cleaning your house still qualify as movement. Organized training sessions are great, but not mandatory. Human beings managed to get strong, stay healthy, and be fit WAY before gyms and lifting became a thing…movement is movement.

• If you lack motivation, do just 3 minutes a day of a specific movement. You have time for 3 minutes, (it takes longer than that to decide what to watch next on Hulu) – that’s just 21 minutes a week…

  • Example: Squats on Monday, Push-ups on Tuesday, Lunges on Wednesday, Supermans on Thursday, Squat Jumps on Friday, Pike Push-ups on Saturday, Planks on Sunday.

Keep it simple. Staying healthy does not require intense training. There is a difference between being physically “fit” and being healthy. Yes, you can use this time to focus on training and “changing your body,” but you can also use this time to rest and reset – you do not have to come out of quarantine ripped. Move in a way that serves you and your mindset. Be kind to yourself.

“Move in a way that serves you and your mindset.”

-Georgia