The Covid-19 pandemic has caused shutdowns and stay-at-home orders not only nationally, but also internationally. During this time, businesses are either deemed as essential or nonessential depending on the significance they serve in regards to supporting everyday life. Due to this, gyms, recreational facilities and fields, and parks have all closed until further notice, having been considered as nonessential.

“It’s important to stay active now just like it was before, us being under quarantine doesn’t mean we should just stop everything going on,” Madison Lindholm, a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) and Orangetheory Fitness Coach, said. “Many people have fitness goals such as adding size, increasing performance, losing weight, etc. which is why I think many people become discouraged with gyms being closed. It’s important to remember that even though we have these kinds of goals, the main focus should be your overall health and taking care of your body.”

One doesn’t need the heaviest weights or the most advanced exercise machines to stay active. Instead, people in the fitness industry are recommending implementing more bodyweight movements to refamiliarize oneself with their mind-muscle connection (MMC).

According to Brent McGrath’s article on MMC on bodybuilding.com, it is “…where the mind meets the body. The brain releases a chemical neurotransmitter called “acetylcholine” to communicate with muscles in the body.”

When this is done, the number of muscle fibers being used while performing a particular movement are increased. Consequently, resulting in a better-quality muscle contraction, and thus, a better workout. To best accomplish this, one must ensure that their mind is focused on each and every rep as well as the muscle that is currently working.

Often, once people start incorporating more weight, they are placing their determination simply on setting a [new] personal record (PR), resulting in their mind focusing on the wrong goal and thus, increasing risk of injury. Instead, any mental energy should be directed towards contracting these target muscle(s).

Depending on what people have access to, Lindholm recommends the use of resistance bands, small dumbbells, or even using common household items like canned foods or cases of water.

“It’s not necessarily about having the heaviest items it’s about being smart with what you’ve got,” Lindholm said. “Utilizing pre-exhaustion techniques, slow tempo, high rep counts, isometric holds, pulsing reps, focusing on mind to muscle connection, etc.” are all things that people can look further into to improve their home workouts.

In addition, Mikayla Walter, a Group Fitness Instructor at Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU) Recreational Sports and Trainer at 9Round Kickboxing in Richmond, Virginia, recommends high intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts due to its effectiveness with little to no additional equipment needed.

However, some people might initially be discouraged to work out inside their homes. Here, they either no longer feel like they are in the right atmosphere to better themselves physically, they don’t think they have the necessary equipment to accomplish their goals, or they aren’t getting the push they might need, such as from a personal trainer or group fitness instructor.

“For myself when I’m lacking the motivation, I just remind myself that it’s harder to get back on track when you fall off or I’ll tell myself things like “it’s only 90 minutes out of your entire day and then you’re done,”” Lindholm said.

It is important to note that people are motivated differently and one thing that works for one person might not work for the next.

Walter plans her home workouts the day or night before so that she can look forward to the next day and what she is going to achieve.

Both Lindholm and Walter recommend a variety of apps and fitness gurus that they either use or follow on social media, such as Instagram. Some apps and websites include YouTube, Les Mills (lesmills.com), bodybuilding.com, and the Peloton app (onepeloton.com).

On Instagram, there are a variety of fitness gurus and CPTs that one can follow depending on what they are trying to achieve. Some pages include @coachmarkcarroll – someone whose methods work on a variety of people; @massy.arias – someone who is strong, functional, in great shape, and posts creative exercises; and @sarahdarrellfit – someone who posts very motivating content.

One of Danville’s personal fitness studios, Silly Fitness, is also offering a 4-week home workout program for those who don’t want to go through the hassle of creating their own workouts. Here, they are providing exclusive access to workout content, exercise descriptions, and demonstration videos.

If you would like to follow Lindholm’s fitness page on Instagram, her handle is @madisfitness.