When you’re a personal trainer, it’s important to keep your body in shape to ensure you have the proper fitness skills to provide clients with the utmost care. Staying fit is not just a mission for the client, but also if you want to become a trainer as well. It can be hard for both trainers and clients to stay fit when gyms are going through constant on and off closures due to the pandemic.
Once the pandemic started, it became normal to soon switch over to in home routines or distanced routines without much of a choice. The switch isn’t easy considering not everyone may have the largest space at home to workout. There are many factors including income, space at home, number of family members, and even the amount of equipment that can factor into the experience of an at home workout. Getting over all of these hurdles is possible, but it can be difficult. The reason why it’s hard is because although there are physical hurdles to get over, the idea of switching in and out of gym and home workouts during a pandemic can take a toll on confidence and motivation.
Although there are many benefits to working out in cold weathers, sometimes it is not a plausible idea for people working in extremely cold weathers. Los Angeles residents, you can probably ignore that first sentence. Since many can’t work outside as easily and the CDC recommends staying inside as much as possible, it’s important we know how to transition to at home workouts. With that being said, preparation is key and we want to help you ensure that your at home workout experience can keep you in a routine that elevates your motivation.
#1 PLANNING IS EVERYTHING
Take some time to think about what has worked for you and what hasn’t worked for you in the past when you have worked out at home. Do you like a majority cardio exercise? Hiit Workouts? When is the best time to schedule a workout at home? Is anyone in your way?
These are the certain types of things you should be aware of. If you only like working out alone, be sure to workout only when you know that everyone in your home will be out of your way. If you need a specific amount of space then be sure to prepare where you are going to move around furniture. This planning does not just apply to external factors but also the pieces of the workout itself.
What things work for you normally? If alternating committing to a specific set of muscles is too much work for an in-home workout then you can exchange some targeted days to brief full body workouts. Do you find yourself ignoring your core and flexibility throughout the week? Dedicate some workouts just to your core and designate specific time after workouts to get some thoughtful stretches in.
#2 TRY TO MAKE IT EXCITING
This tip is something to be extremely aware of. Working out doesn’t have to be torture (unless that’s what you prefer). Think about what aspects of working out you like and make sure that those are included. Don’t just focus on what works and what doesn’t work, but what do you enjoy that makes you work up a sweat? It’s important to do things that you live when you exercise to increase motivation and keep the process exciting.
#3 INCORPORATE NEW TECHNOLOGY
If you are not sure what is exciting or what works you could always try incorporating different types of technology or apps that can give you a new perspective. You know what they always say, there is an app for everything. Yoga, Hawaiin Dancing, High Intensity Interval Training, Kickboxing, anything you can think of! The wonderful part of all of these apps and what they bring to the table is entering a new world without even living in the comfort of your living room.
Another great aspect of these apps is the fact that you can find yourself in the privacy of your own home. The gym is nice, but wandering eyes, waiting for machines, and cleaning up areas is always a hassle. When you’re at home all you have to worry about is you and your space. With privacy, comes less competition. This new found sense of privacy can also increase your functioning because the only competition you’ll have is yourself.
Another thing to be considered would be a service that has regular workouts. CorePower, Peloton, Apple Fitness, and Daily Burn are all apps and services that provide you with regular workouts. These interactive virtual experiences get you motivated and also feeling as if you are in a room with others.
Many gyms and studios also still host classes online via live stream. It is common to join a yoga session from a local studios live stream on facebook live or youtube live. Research some local gyms and studios online and see what types of online classes you can tune in to.
#4 PLANNING YOUR LOCATION
The home isn’t necessarily always the ideal place to have work out. First and foremost, it must be said that not everyone can afford an in home gym or studio. Especially in places like Los Angeles or New York, it may not even be that possible to find empty space in a living area. The point is, everyone’s home may not be the most spacious and even if it is, other peoples schedules may get in the way.
It is important to plan out where you are going to workout. Is the living room free from 3p-5p everyday? Perfect. Slide over that table and get your work out! What about your bedroom? It may seem like there won’t be much space to work out but rack your brain up. Is there no way you can shift a desk over to give yourself a little workout area?
#5 PLANNING OUT YOUR EQUIPMENT
The number one issue we run into when we’re opposed to working out at home is the fact that it doesn’t quite do it like it does at the gym. There’s no row of treadmills, no line of rowing machine, not area for heavy lifting, etc. It seems like the issue is a lack of equipment but there are ways to get around that without having to purchase massive amounts of gym equipment.
Figure out what pieces of equipment can get you various types of versatile workouts and start from there. First things first, dumbbells. These are basic bars that assist you with workouts that can be used for push or pull workouts and workout your upper body. An addition or substitute for a dumbbell would be a kettlebell. Kettlebells can give you basic workouts like goblets squats and all the way down the line to reverse lunges with single arm overhead presses.
Two cheap purchases you can get from any local store would be resistance bands and yoga mats. Firstly, resistance bands seem like just a small piece of elastic but they can take your workouts from a 5 to a 10 by adding, well, resistance. Using a resistance band in alternate ways can help you build strength and break a sweat from at home. Speaking of sweat, a yoga mat will also help with that. Pulling out that mat for your workout will not only give you a new feel of the place by getting you in that workout mood but it also makes for a nice cushion against the ground. Sit ups, push ups, and stretches will be much easier and sanitary from your yoga mat than the ground or carpet of your home.
Aside from equipment you can buy from stores, you’d be surprised how many conventional items in your home can act as equipment for your workout. For instance, a simple dining room chair can be used to do glute bridges. A low and sturdy table can be used for tricep dips. An empty wall can be used for wall squats. The opportunities aren’t necessarily endless, but you can’t say they aren’t bountiful.
To add on to this concept of equipment: we want to point out that it is all up to the person working out. You don’t technically need equipment to do a workout but it helps if that’s what you are interested in. It is totally possible to have a successful and beneficial workout all relying on pure body weight and gravity. A simple high intensity circuit with no equipment can get your heart rate up in no time just like a workout with equipment would.
#6 DON’T WORKOUT ALONE
As if we aren’t alone enough during this pandemic, why be alone during your workout journey. There are many ways to get other people involved while staying safe. Do you have someone in your home that would be willing to work out on a regular basis with you. Maybe if you two or a group of you set up a routine, it would be beneficial to have someone there to motivate you.
The person you are working out with doesn’t even have to be in your home. You can set up virtual meetings to workout with others and keep each other in check. As stated above, many places host online workouts through live streams, maybe you both can tune into that at the same time on a weekly basis. It’s not only a great way to stick to your routine but it’s a fun way to connect on a different level with a friend or loved one.
This could also be applied with apps. A lot of fitness applications like the apple watch and the peloton keep track of your fitness regimes so they let you keep up a little bit of healthy competition and connection.
#7 STAY POSITIVE
On top of all the literal preparation you need to consider, you should not forget the most important part. Staying positive. Working out at home during a pandemic may not be the easiest thing so it’s good to remember to go easy on yourself. Focus on what makes you happy while breaking a sweat and remember that it’s not the end of the world if you don’t feel your best or not everything is perfect. The situation isn’t perfect, so there’s no need for you to be a perfectionist.
Appreciate your efforts and be positive about sustaining a consistent workout to get your body the healthy movement and wor it needs to be successful in your journey. All the obstacles may change, the methods in which you overcome them should stay the same: commitment and gratuity.
