If I had to rank all the things I dislike most about COVID-19 completely disrupting my daily life, taking the gym away would be at or near the top.
I want nothing more than to be able to go back to Power Shop and lift again like old times. When you’re stressed out and need some release, there’s no place better for it. But I knew closing the gyms was the right thing to do since they all have customers who never clean equipment after use or wash their hands after using the restroom. I’ve seen some stuff in my day, and I’ve worked out in all kinds of gyms and fitness centers around the country.
My greatest fear was that losing access to the gym would make it extremely challenging to maintain my body the way I wanted to. Now I know that was unfounded. Not having the gym went from being a problem to being an exercise in problem solving. I don’t think all of us know how much potential we have right under our noses in our homes or offices.
Take my “home gym” setup for example. There are a few things that are normal: I have one dumbbell (don’t ask about the other, I don’t know where it is), one resistance band and a pull-up bar I borrowed from work. Then I had to get creative. I’m using a cooler kind of like a plyometric box for step-ups and to prop my feet up on for decline push-ups. I wedged a broomstick through the backs of two of my kitchen chairs so that I can do weird-looking inverted rows. Part of my bed frame is tall enough for me to grip and do triceps extensions against my own bodyweight. For everything else, all I need is myself.
And now that there are tons of free home workout videos popping up on the Internet in response to the pandemic, it’s easier than ever to not only find workouts but also to find enough to give you plenty of variety. My muscles are so confused right now! I’m not able to replicate exactly what I was doing in Power Shop, but it’s not the end of the world having to switch to three rotating full-body workouts a week.
I don’t plan on committing to this 100 percent homebound workout style after the virus is under better control and it’s safe to re-open the gyms. I’ll be back at Power Shop immediately. But this has been a surprisingly great way to both stay fit and pass the time while I’m at home and everything’s closed.
If you’re not taking this time to try and challenge yourself with something new, why not? We’re not all exactly lacking time anymore.