We’re clearly living through a very strange moment in modern human history.
While it can be tempting to give up on exercise (what better excuse to sit on the couch and fester than a pandemic), we should all 100% be continuing to move, and I would encourage you to do it with virtually with other people.
CrossFit REP closed our group classes on 3-16-2020 after hearing about the situation that medical professionals were facing in Italy, and when we saw major sports organizations in the US cancel there seasons we new things were getting real, really fast. We decided to move all of our classes to virtually coached Zoom classes, and I have to say that I’ve been surprised how well everything has gone. We’ve structured our classes to be done with basically no equipment (we have people who have been using backpacks or duffles weighted with canned foods).
Here are several reasons why should absolutely commit to keep moving, and why you should find be doing it with a group online.
- Continuing to exercise is vital to support a strong immune system and our mental health. This is such an obvious point that I’m not even going to link any of the thousands of pieces of peer reviewed science that support this. With that said, you’ve probably heard me talk about cortisol and stress before. Now is DEFINITELY not the time to start exercising three times a day and pushing your heart rate through the roof everyday just because you’re doing 40lb dumbbell squats and not 300lb backsquats. More isn’t better, better is better. ESPECIALLY now. Keep moving, but do it intentionally.
- Humans are social animals. Now, more than ever, we need each other for a sense of normalcy. The best part of my day is seeing the people I’ve been used to spending several days a week with in gym, even if it’s through a computer screen. Of course it would be nicer to see each other at the gym, but it’s also really cool to see people’s houses (I mean that in least creepy way possible), and being able to workout without commuting ain’t half bad either.
- Don’t lose those gains bro! One of the epiphanies I’ve had with the “limitation” of limited equipment, is that this actually a powerful way to train. Loading one side of the body causes our core to have to stabilize against the rotational pull of being loaded unilaterally. Not only does this have more carry over to real life (how often have you had to pick up a barbell in your life outside of the gym?), but it is also a great way to make us more resistant to injury. The more anti-rotational core stability you have, the lower your likelihood of injury becomes. Also,the Bilateral Deficit; To use the quads as an example, when both quads are contracted, the muscles are not able to contract as forcefully as when ONLY ONE muscle contracts. If you needed another reason, unilateral training is an amazing way to work on symmetry, and decrease imbalance from right to left.
Please keep training, and don’t hesitate to pass along our info for a free week of at home workouts to anyone you know who could use a kick in the glutes!
See you in health!
