As the UK settles into life within the confines of self-isolation, an opportunity arises to focus on our fitness. Even if you don’t have a fully equipped home gym, there are a magnitude of resources out there to help you train and push your limits from your garden, garage or spare room.
We’ve reached out to our friends over at Castore, experts in premium performance wear, to see what they recommend during this period.
If you open up Instagram, you will be bombarded with personal trainers, influencers and gyms promoting their at-home training programs. With so many brands vying for business, you have the opportunity to trial a whole host of activities that you may have not considered before. From shadow-boxing demonstrations on Instagram live, to workouts from cult classics like Barry, F45 and Crossfit, the online fitness world is your oyster.
If you’re more of a fan of self-programming, you will need to get creative. Working through an endless cycle of bodyweight movement (air squats, burpees and press-ups) can become monotonous and a sure-fire way to fall off the bandwagon. If you’re after variety, there are a whole host of games and DIY equipment you can quickly and easily incorporate into your daily routine.
Craft your own sandbags using a rucksack, recreate the sledge with car pushes or pull out those huge bottles of antifreeze and use them as kettlebells. Alternatively, if you have a deck of cards to hand, why not deal half the deck and pick a movement for each suit and let the number dictate the reps?
Arguably, one of the biggest training struggles in the current climate is the lack of accountability. It’s easy to slip into the mentality that it’s okay to pass on training, cut your daily run short or shave off a few reps; this is where you must question your commitment. Building and sticking to a training schedule firstly gives a degree of normality but also a sense of purpose. Set weekly challenges to measure your progress, maybe see how many unbroken press-ups you can or try to personal best your mile time. Our advice is: don’t pick something easy, locate your weakness and transform it into a strength.
For many us, training gives us a sense of community and belonging and, despite not being able to hang out with your gym partner, class regulars or running group, there are plenty of ways to stay connected and competitive. For the runners, Endomundo or Strava, allows you to compete on a global stage with weekly challenges. If you’re a member of gym, ask if they’ll be running Zoom workouts to see your training pals sweating it out. You can even set up a WhatsApp group chat to share ideas, which is very simple but incredibly effective.
We know that one or two extra pieces of workout clothing can boost your mood and motivation in an instant. If you are interested in upping your style stakes, Castore is offering an exclusive 15% discount when you use the following discount code: CASTORELSC15-MT (valid until 4 May 2020).
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