Is everyone back in the gym now?

[nephrofox]

Hi

So from 2019 until lockdown I had a PT and was really enjoying lifting weights.
Over lockdown I have really struggled to maintain the routines. I've been walking, running etc but none of it has the effect that proper weights did.

My old routine was variations of deadlift, squats, chest press, assisted pull ups & dips etc. Deadlift max of 85kg (120% bw) so not something i can replicate at home with tins of beans.

All along I've been thinking all would be well once the gyms reopen. Expect now they are and I still don't have the childcare or full covid confidence to go. Should have seen that one coming really.

Is anyone else in the same position? Were you all more organised and found proper replacement routines when the gyms were shut? Can anyone advise?

I'm in Scotland so our gyms haven't reopened yet. I miss it

I am about to go back to my outdoor gym bit not indoor. In lockdown I used a pull up bar at home, and did press ups and dips in the garden. I also did lots of online classes and finally settled on les mills on demand, which I really recommend. It isn't heavy weights obviously but intense and huge variety.

Since they re-opened I have been using the outdoor calisthenics parks. Have you tried them? there is an app that shows all the locations. If you get some resistance bands, you can use the pull up/chin up bars even if in a gym you use the machine. and low bars so you can do press-ups with different grips, parallel bars for dips etc. I used to do deadlifts (bit over bw) and squats but have found bodyweight training at least as effective. There are also a lot of PTs now doing sessions in parks and also running small group classes and I'd consider them before going back to my main gym but that's partly because I don't want indoor classes and it isn't actually that good for calisthenics

I'm back in the gym and back doing PT. Our gym feels very safe. Lots of space - possibly because many members are nervous about it and not hurrying back. If you can get childcare but remain nervous now might be the best time to brave it, if your gym is as quiet as mine.

Yes, I'm back at the gym. Over lockdown, I started running again, which was fun as I've got faster after 2 years of weight-training.

Then when it was allowed to meet up with another person outside, my PT and I met up twice a week in the park. Lots of running, press ups, burpees, and bodyweight exercises, and a bit of lifting - heaviest plates he had meant the max for a deadlift was 50kg. But gosh that was nice to lift.

Now back at the gym, and getting back into heavy shit. 65 kg deadlifts for 3 sets of 5, and the other day, pushing the sled (Prowler) at 200kg along a 10 metre track for 20 lengths (10 up & back). The last round was tough, but gosh it was great to be back with heavy stuff.

The only annoying thing is that I spasmed my back doing weighted squats during a park workout, and it's still a bit grumpy, so I'm not doing weighted squats yet.

My PBs were 87.5 kg deadlift & 65 kg back squat before lockdown. Those took 2 years (I''m 60) so it's going to be a long climb back.

My gym (commercial chain) is being very safe and honestly the amount of disinfectant wipes would be enough to send an alcoholic off the wagon. There is always someone cleaning, and they've shut off some equipment. My PT and I are good at the 2 metre distancing - means I can't get back to pull ups as I always needed his assistance, and sometimes (as a treat) he would stretch me - I'm quite flexible and having someone really pushing down on my legs etc really helps push things a bit further - but again, that can't be done.

But I'm not going back to the Pump classes I used to do - the group exercise studio is fairly enclosed, and there doesn't seem to be much possibility of safety even with half the numbers in a class. In contrast, the main gym is huge with very high ceilings and windows open all the time.

All very interesting thanks.

I have been doing small group sessions in the park - body weight circuit style sessions. Not particularly hard but it has been nice to feel muscles working again.

I do have a 12kg KB at home. I think I need to just plan out the next 5 weeks building up the body weight & KB exercises and then once the kids are back at school in September I can reconsider going back to the gym.

It feels nice to have a plan again after being in limbo for so long

Just to add (to my epic) that my gym is pretty quiet - I train in the mid-morning usually (around 9:30 or so) and there are usually only about another 3 or 4 people in the training areas & maybe one or two in the free weights and another couple of people on the machines & maybe half a dozen on a variety of aerobic training machines (eg treadmills, bikes). I don't use the showers & sadly the sauna is closed. Although I wouldn't use that.

Scotland here too, desperate to get my hands on a barbell 😟 I’m just eating instead. It’s going to take forever to get any level of fitness back.

I managed to get a barbell and some plates and have done some body pump online

I had my annual check up at my GP practice a few weeks ago - I thought I'd probably put on some weight during lockdown, but I hadn't. I've actually been eating better because I'm at home all the time, and so cooking from scratch for each meal. Saves a lot of money, too.

So you may not have lost as much fitness or put on as much weight as you think. And remember, it takes a certain amount of body weight to lift weights!

@dementedpixie, where did you get your barbell from?

I think my indoor high street chain gym will be pretty safe too for daytime training on my own or with partner but I don't need it at the moment. If I go back in the winter, I may switch to a budget no frills chain rather than my Virgin one as I won't want classes, pool, sauna etc.

@ItalianHat I built up to full pull ups using a resistance band for assists - could you do that?

dispo)+asc&start=48 we got plates here and a barbell from gorilla sports but looks like they have bars here now

No we bought a Peloton instead. Need to find something to do around weights etc but getting used to the bike first.

dispo)+asc&start=48 don't know if other link works properly

I had my annual check up at my GP practice a few weeks ago*

@ItalianHat is that an NHS GP?

£260 for an Olympic bar on its own though 😟

I'm not using an Olympic bar though. I'm using a studio one I suppose so its cheaper

Cancelled my gym sub three months ago. Cheap bench, bars and weights has eaten the saved money but I'll be back in the positive again before the end of the year (£360).

I miss swimming, but I'm not spending time indoors in moist environments while people exercise and exhale maskless.

I'm back in the gym but limited to an hour. I do cardio only unless it's quiet, I then use a weights machine.

Yes once the schools are back I can go during the day once or twice a week.

Right now I'm stuck to peak times and so it just doesn't feel like the right thing to do.

Although the air con would be nice today 😂

I wear a mask everywhere else out in public, but not at the gym (although I would if it were required). But I'm very careful about social distancing, and rarely get within about 3 metres of anyone (other than my PT) when I'm there.

Prices for weights have gone up astronomically since lockdown. I wouldn't consider going to buy any for now.

I'm back at the gym. There are anti bacterial wipes and sprays everywhere. Some people are using masks in the gym. I'm going at different times so normally it's empty but now it's later so a little busy.

Great, thanks @dementedpixie.

I'm really tempted by a studio set...

People at my gym are good at cleaning the equipment before and after use. I've only seen one person use a mask.

I'm in Scotland, and our gyms open tomorrow. Can't wait - the gym I'm at has adapted one of the indoor areas into a second gym to allow distancing, temperatures are being taken before you enter the building, and copious cleaning stations, and you're not allowed to take in your own towels. I don't ignore risks (in fact, risk assessments are part of my work), I'll go next week and as long as it feels like precautions are being adhered to, I'll be back regularly.

Apart from strength and fitness, the gym is a big part of maintaining my mental health.