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New fitness habits being created during Covid?

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131–140 of 179 posts

Re: New fitness habits being created during Covid?

#131
post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it heavily depends on the individual. Personally I've gone from nearly sedentary to running ~35 miles per week (and lost ~15 lbs in the process).

While it's an amazing progress, make sure not to overdo it. Muscles get used to increased stress quickly, but joints (especially knees) and tendons not so much - and those also heal much slower after a stress-induced injury.

A really good point! I'd run a bit in the past - though not to this extent - and it's amazing the degree to which injury management becomes a part of running. I'm definitely an amateur compared to most people, but I've already learned so much about random human anatomy each time something breaks...

Re: New fitness habits being created during Covid?

#132

The only people I know who seem to feel really good about their COVID fitness levels are those who prioritized it before the pandemic and are so committed that they were willing and able to figure out alternatives. People who didn't prioritize it or struggled to get into sustainable schedules are doing poorly. Even some of my friends who had really good routines fell into pretty serious depressions at the start of it…

Woah there cowboy. I've been on waiting lists for any serious at home gym equipment since April. Not a peep, but I refuse to pay Marketplace/Craigslist scalpers. I was lucky to get resistance bands and those have been working well at least. Having a long ass commute and a dog to attend to meant my life was pretty much office and home. I was always too exhausted to consider a serious workout routine. However, since sh…

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Re: New fitness habits being created during Covid?

#133

The only people I know who seem to feel really good about their COVID fitness levels are those who prioritized it before the pandemic and are so committed that they were willing and able to figure out alternatives. People who didn't prioritize it or struggled to get into sustainable schedules are doing poorly. Even some of my friends who had really good routines fell into pretty serious depressions at the start of it…

Woah there cowboy. I've been on waiting lists for any serious at home gym equipment since April. Not a peep, but I refuse to pay Marketplace/Craigslist scalpers. I was lucky to get resistance bands and those have been working well at least. Having a long ass commute and a dog to attend to meant my life was pretty much office and home. I was always too exhausted to consider a serious workout routine. However, since sh…

I've been on waiting lists for any serious at home gym equipment since April. Not a peep, but I refuse to pay Marketplace/Craigslist scalpers.

If you're just interested in general fitness, no equipment needed, there are any number of online workouts to follow that will give you a great whole body + cardio workout using nothing more than your body weight.

(though I bought both a spinning bike and a set of dumbbells at the beginning of quarantine... I've finally reached the point where the dumbbells aren't quite heavy enough for everything, so I've been watching eBay for a good deal on additional weight plates since as you noted, it's hard to find workout equipment)

Re: New fitness habits being created during Covid?

#134
post #67

What's a gym? COVID made me forget. COVID also gave me more time to do things especially without the commute. What did I learn to do with 0 équipment? 1) Want to lose fat? You can run outside. You can also swim outside if you're lucky. It's free. Or you can walk briskly. Even better for losing fat. Want to improve your technique? There's plenty of instruction on YouTube and online. 2) Want to get strong? You can foll…

Strength training is extremely hard to do without equipment. It's a common misconception that body weight or minimal equipment is an adequate substitute. Iron Wolf is not strength training, it's endurance. I'm not knocking him, it looks like a great workout, but any intermediate barbell lifter will lose strength and size on this workout. There's simply no substitute for heavy compound barbell movements.

The amount you lose when training at BW is considerably less than not training at all - studies show retention of size for months and months - and in a pinch I absolutely would go for a program that emphasizes bridges and planks and hanging. As for the rest - training goals can be multidimensional and this influences the optimal methods a lot. Training for martial arts, for example, tends to mean training for overall coordination and mobility, as well as strength and stamina. Judo players, MMA players, they can be strong, they can benefit from weights, but they aren't bodybuilders or powerlifters or strongman competitors. Eddie Hall, a strongman champion, has been covering his training for a boxing match on his YT channel, and while he does still do his presses and squats, he's slimmed down a ton.

There is an argument around calisthenics having too many compound movements and gaps in difficulty progression, which makes it hard to overcome specific bottlenecks. But what calisthenics absolutely is great at is mobility and CNS engagement. Combine calisthenics with a yoga mat and doorframe bar with bands training to add more granular progression and isolations, and you have some really good overall coverage with minimum equipment.

NB: One major reason we have historically seen more material about weights than bands is that it's easier to compare weight progression apples-to-apples. Bands change difficulty with slight changes in grip position, hence results are harder to compare.

Re: New fitness habits being created during Covid?

#135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One tip that helped me a ton – if you're WFH, turn your former commute (or some % of your former commute), and force yourself to work out during this time. I started that at the beginning of COVID and without exaggeration it's been life-changing. I put 0 pressure on myself to hit goals, I just run / do pushups / walk briskly, but I make sure to use the commute time on that rather than working more or browsing the int…

That's what I do -- I used to keep an hour blocked off of my calendar for "commute time", now I use that time to workout. At the beginning of the quarantine, I bought a spinning bike (I've been thinking about getting one for over a year, but going to the gym spinning classes a couple times a week was relatively convenient since the gym was near work). I also invested in a set of dumbbells. Now I work out 5 days a wee…

I hear you! As a lazy slob, I find that it's really important to remove any possible obstacle to working out that my mind can latch onto. So being locked down with nothing fun to do and time back from my commute has actually been a godsend for my physical fitness.

Re: New fitness habits being created during Covid?

#136
post #67

What's a gym? COVID made me forget. COVID also gave me more time to do things especially without the commute. What did I learn to do with 0 équipment? 1) Want to lose fat? You can run outside. You can also swim outside if you're lucky. It's free. Or you can walk briskly. Even better for losing fat. Want to improve your technique? There's plenty of instruction on YouTube and online. 2) Want to get strong? You can foll…

Strength training is extremely hard to do without equipment. It's a common misconception that body weight or minimal equipment is an adequate substitute. Iron Wolf is not strength training, it's endurance. I'm not knocking him, it looks like a great workout, but any intermediate barbell lifter will lose strength and size on this workout. There's simply no substitute for heavy compound barbell movements.

I'm a bit lucky that I bought a barbell, squat rack and bench 2 years ago trying to save on gym fees.

I can't imagine what my fellow strength trainers are doing.

Re: New fitness habits being created during Covid?

#137
post #67

What's a gym? COVID made me forget. COVID also gave me more time to do things especially without the commute. What did I learn to do with 0 équipment? 1) Want to lose fat? You can run outside. You can also swim outside if you're lucky. It's free. Or you can walk briskly. Even better for losing fat. Want to improve your technique? There's plenty of instruction on YouTube and online. 2) Want to get strong? You can foll…

Strength training is extremely hard to do without equipment. It's a common misconception that body weight or minimal equipment is an adequate substitute. Iron Wolf is not strength training, it's endurance. I'm not knocking him, it looks like a great workout, but any intermediate barbell lifter will lose strength and size on this workout. There's simply no substitute for heavy compound barbell movements.

Before the pandemic I definitely would agree with this. I was doing a meathead lifting routine and BJJ 6x a week and was fairly strong. When everything shut down I started doing door pull-ups and Dylan Werner’s True Strength series and could not finish a single workout without stopping or cheating. 4 or 5 months later the gyms open up and I’m at least as strong if not stronger than I was before.

Re: New fitness habits being created during Covid?

#138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One tip that helped me a ton – if you're WFH, turn your former commute (or some % of your former commute), and force yourself to work out during this time. I started that at the beginning of COVID and without exaggeration it's been life-changing. I put 0 pressure on myself to hit goals, I just run / do pushups / walk briskly, but I make sure to use the commute time on that rather than working more or browsing the int…

I've changed to work out in the middle of the day (thanks flexible job) which is a fun but challenging diversion from work. For me it's super tough to do morning workouts, and after work I want to relax, but in the middle of the day I'm still in my work mindset so it's been a nice change.

I started doing midday workouts for exactly the same reason as yours and it has made a massive difference to me. It also helped me cut down on sometimes unhealthy cafeteria lunch (back when things were normal) in favor of salad/smoothie post workout, so I count that as a win-win.

Re: New fitness habits being created during Covid?

#139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Strength training is extremely hard to do without equipment. It's a common misconception that body weight or minimal equipment is an adequate substitute. Iron Wolf is not strength training, it's endurance. I'm not knocking him, it looks like a great workout, but any intermediate barbell lifter will lose strength and size on this workout. There's simply no substitute for heavy compound barbell movements.

I'm a bit lucky that I bought a barbell, squat rack and bench 2 years ago trying to save on gym fees. I can't imagine what my fellow strength trainers are doing.

Tons of push up, pull ups, squats with a 50lb bag of rice and picking up a 50lb bag of rice, losing 15% of body weight and crying.

Also waiting. Lots of waiting. Hopefully I'll get my rack, barbell and weights this month.

Re: New fitness habits being created during Covid?

#140
post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Definitely me. My main fitness hobby, a grappling martial art (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu), had to stop. My diet fell apart, and my fitness level dropped precipitously. I am rebuilding now, lifting again, drilling BJJ things, walking with my wife, etc. it was not an easy adjustment. I’d definitely say I hit some mild depression.

Just wanted to commiserate with you a little about the combat sports. I was in the several weeks into a training camp for my first amateur muay thai fight when my state's shelter-in-place order came out. Not being able to work with training partners and equipment (weights, heavy bags, and whatnot), and especially not having that as an outlet anymore has been really hard. Like you, I think I'm finally making a little…

thanks, it’s definitely hard. I know some people have been creating new healthy habits for themselves, but I was already very active as a runner and BJJ player. I should have taken it seriously and adjusted instead of being lazy. Stopping an extremely active life style cold turkey is like stopping medication. It sucks.

Plus it’s not like I can stop. I already got a little cauliflower ear. It’s blackbelt or bust now :)

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