SEE HOW OUR TRAINING HAS IMPROVED DURING CORONA AND YOURS CAN TOO
Training during corona virus lockdown can be great and here is why.
If you live in any major city in the world, it’s likely you live a life of constant hustle. It’s expensive and fast paced. To succeed or just get by, everyone is under constant pressure to be productive.
This leads to rushing everywhere. On our commute to work, back home and then to drive kids to sport.. Often we can’t even slow down to eat a meal properly, let alone invest time and energy into health and self care.
*Sydney siders spend an average of 71 minutes commuting to work daily.
HEALTH
This global health pandemic has affected our daily lives more than anyone dreamed possible, and if you have been watching the news and mainstream media. It’s all negative. The focus is on what has been taken away from us. However, there are positives to appreciate.
Excluding the health hero’s who work on the frontline, this pandemic has given us a unique opportunity to slow down. We have been given a large dose of our most valuable resource: time.
Given that this is a global health pandemic, it makes perfect sense that we use some of our free time to invest back into our health.
TRAINING DURING CORONA
Gyms are closed, training in groups is temporarily banned.
This means only one thing.
Change.
Your training will have to be adjusted in some way. But who says that has to be for the worst?
Does it automatically imply that your training has to go out the window, or turn into something lame?
No!
We’ve heard and seen a lot of the “do what you can” sentiment..
This comes from a mindset of loss. “I can’t do xyz anymore, so I will just do this thing which is inferior but it will do, I guess.”
If that is your mindset going into your training. Your results will suck and your motivation to continue will dwindle with each additional day without your beloved gym.
“Do what you can” is a very positive mindset, if you literally are in a rock bottom situation.
This excludes you if you have the right to go outside to exercise daily. If you have some floor and wall space. Maybe some basic props and an internet connection.
So if you find yourself stuck somewhere in a really difficult situation.. Then yes “do what you can.”
Otherwise do something worthwhile. Do something that will produce a result you want and will positively impact your health.
Whilst you may be attached to your particular training method and gym routine. In most cases, you will still be able to achieve a similar stimulus.
STRENGTH TRAINING DURING CORONA
When you think strength training, you probably think heavy weights. If you don’t have access to those, you may have conceded that all strength training is out the window.
Gaining muscle mass without access to heavy weights might be a struggle, however maintaining your muscle mass is far easier.
Worried that the last few years of weight training is out the window? You don’t need to be.
Use body weight, light weights and band resistance in your strength training.
In addition, to make things harder, use;
Tempo: to increase time under tension. Example splits squats 5 x 5 @ 5050 per side.
5 seconds down
0 seconds at the bottom
5 seconds up
0 seconds at the top
Length: use body weight exercises where your limbs are stretched out further away from the body. Front lever, back lever, planche, L sits for instance.
Single leg, Single arm work: Increase the difficulty of the exercises you are doing by performing them single leg or single arm. Not only will this increase the difficulty in terms of strength work, but also challenge you in terms of balance, coordination and structure. You may uncover a bunch of asymmetries in your mobility and strength that you can address.
Ideas: single legs squats and lunges, single arm push ups and pull ups.
FLEXIBILITY TRAINING DURING CORONA
Every athlete in every sport and discipline would benefit from moving better. The problem is that this domain of fitness can be viewed as the least sexy and therefore is always put down the bottom of the list of priorities.
If you are a lifter, runner, general gym goer or sports girl/guy.. You are leaving an incredible amount of gains on the table by neglecting range of motion and end range strength training.
This is a generalisation but in our experience it’s true..
Most people prioritise strength, cardio and then maybe if they have time, throw in a standard pigeon stretch or two at the end of their session while they start opening emails on their phone.. This approach never produces results for them in terms of flexibility.
Flexibility needs to be treated with the same importance as strength, power and cardio.
Here’s what we know.. we have at least another 90 days of lockdown, so use them wisely. Get your spinal movement back, achieve a deeper squat and arms that go all the way above your head.
TO WRAP UP
- Your body doesn’t know that the gym is closed. It doesn’t know about corona virus. Your body wants to be moved and challenged as usual.
- The only thing your body recognises and adapts to is force. So choose whether that force is strength training, cardio and mobility or alternatively office desk force.
- Closed gyms, minimal equipment and strict rules about group training is not a valid excuse to let your health and fitness suffer.
- There are many things out of our control that have happened to us. We didn’t ask for this and we miss the gym too, but we are always in control of how we respond.