Nowadays, it has become sadly familiar to be “locked” out of the gym. For example, the fitness centre may close due to government restrictions, or maybe your QR code is no longer valid, or who knows what other reasons.
At first, you think you will manage at home because after all you know what to do and you also know that it’s enough to have a bit of space on the floor and maybe a chair and you can work out. However, you decide to wait, right? Why not take a day off and you can think about the home workout tomorrow? That’s precisely the best way to pave the way to a disaster. I am talking from a personal experience here!
Let me get something straight here: working out at home S U C K S! (I am using an expression that I don’t usually use, but this time it fits perfectly). It sucks, especially for gym rats and people who fell in love with fitness at the gym. Working out at the gym is like praying at the church; it just makes you feel closer to God (or fitness in this case) 😅
I’ll tell you more, it’s harder to work out at home than working (smart work) from home. Because at least in the latest, you have a boss or an economic reward that pushes you to perform. But who cares if you work out or not? Nobody!
But that’s not you. You work out for yourself, for your physique and for your overall wellbeing… therefore, you must avoid the incoming disaster to skip way too many workouts. It drives you crazy thinking about it. I know.
Below are my personal bits of advice that I’d like to share with you. The more I follow them, the more “real” my home workouts feel.
1.Start straight away: yes, yes, yes, I mean today. Let’s say you were meant to work out at 14:00 this afternoon, but you can no longer access the gym. Well, your day was already set to have that slot of time for the gym. Then keep it like that. You will work out at 14:00; it doesn’t matter if at home, at the gym or on the moon. 14:00 o’clock was the established time, and it will stay like this. But what do I do at 14:00? I don’t have any machines, my apartment is not a gym! That is when you need to look at my advice number 2 – write a plan.
2.Write a plan: we all know, or at least we should know, that we won’t go anywhere without a plan. And how sad is it to get lost in your own apartment? Let’s avoid that. Sit down, pen and paper and write down a possible workout that you could do at home. I don’t have any machines, I don’t have any weights, I don’t have anything. That may be true, but trust me, there are thousands of videos on YouTube about workouts without equipment. If for some reason, YouTube is hacked and all the videos are deleted for eternity, you can always do something. For example, abs crunch on your rug (or a towel) and do some push-ups in front of the fridge. The most important thing is to write down your workout plan as you would do it when you go to the gym. Let’s say 3 X 30 sit-ups, 3 X 15 push-ups, 3 X squat touching the couch and so on. A plan!
3.Act as if you were at the gym: as I’ve already mentioned in advice 1, you must keep up with your original schedule. You are at home now, right? Let’s take a vacation, let’s watch some series, have a phone call with a friend while working out, maybe I stop here and there to fix my eyebrow or the shape of my beard, and why not try that jacket that I didn’t wear for such a long time? Please don’t do be like me in 2020!😡You are at the gym! It just looks like your apartment, but your mindset must be at the gym! If you are custom to work out at the gym at 14:00 o’clock with your phone on flight mode, listening to your badass songs, why at home should it be any different? This step is essential. Act as if you were at the gym, and sooner than later, you will be on your way to avoid a possible disaster. And if you are losing your way... ask yourself: would I be really reorganizing my closet if I was at the gym? Remember, this is an act, so you have to act as if you were at the gym, and at the gym, you don’t reorganize your closet during your rest between sets! Focus! You are at the “gym”, and you are working out!
4.Wear the same clothes and shoes: this is crucial. I know you are at home and you want to feel comfy. You want to wear your ugly Hello Kitty pyjama and those horrendous slippers to work out since you are home. Isn’t that right? What can you expect from such behaviour? Can you actually believe that you will be able to pull off a proper workout? Or, since you are so well-prepared, once you start your squat touching the couch once down, you will never raise your ass again? And maybe by miracle, the TV will switch on, and next thing you know, your workout is over! If you want to have a meaningful workout at home, you must dress up accordingly. Shoes included.
Now, picture yourself: you are wearing your shorts, your singlet, your shoes, setting your playlist, headphones on, program on hand. You are set to smash your workout! Have fun! And stay away from the closet! 😬
BONUS tip: Do not fall into the trap to buy equipment, resisting bands and the like. Do you know why? If I decide to buy something today, I may just say, “I’ll wait until they arrive.” Then you have already fallen short of my advice 1, you will begin by postponing. You will end up being the protagonist of your own disaster. Start with what you have and where you are. The rest can be added later, but for now… start now!
I was happy to write this post to answer a person locked out of her gym in South Korea. I hope it helps!
With Gratitude,
The Luca Bonafede
Amsterdam, 07/02/2022
Leave a Reply