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Workout regimens in quarantide

EJCC

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What have y'all been up to these past four months?

Discounting this past month, better known as Let's Not Talk About It, It Suckedâ„¢, I've been mostly doing bodyweight exercise challenges. Getting back into running, slowly but surely, as I get less agoraphobic and gain running buddies (two friends in my house's closed loop). Hoping - perhaps with too much optimism? - to buy some equipment and start using it at home in the next few weeks or so.

The challenges I've done (with significant modifications, or only doing part of them):

30-Day Core Challenge | ACTIVE

The 31-Day Burpee Plan | Fitness | MyFitnessPal

Circuit Workout: Do This Daily for 7 Days to Get Big Gains | Spartan Race

Currently doing the "7x4 challenge" in the annoying-but-effective "Female Fitness" app. Which I wouldn't have chosen, but I'm doing it with my housemate, so. Her call.
 

Luminous

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I admire that you're doing those workouts!

I hate exercises like that and I can't force myself to do them. I am best at committing to a exercise routine involving something I enjoy, which is largely dance and/or aerobics. I've been primarily doing belly dancing for an hour most days for the past few months. I love that it works abdominal and butt muscles without doing traditional crunches and such. I love it so much I wind up practising belly rolls while I'm doing other things and was tempted to do them while waiting in line at the store. :D
 

EJCC

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I admire that you're doing those workouts!

I hate exercises like that and I can't force myself to do them. I am best at committing to a exercise routine involving something I enjoy, which is largely dance and/or aerobics. I've been primarily doing belly dancing for an hour most days for the past few months. I love that it works abdominal and butt muscles without doing traditional crunches and such. I love it so much I wind up practising belly rolls while I'm doing other things and was tempted to do them while waiting in line at the store. :D
This was me for a long time, with running (trail and road) and bouldering/rock climbing. But then:

1. I had to go to PT because my muscles were developing unevenly and I developed arm numbness and a pop in my neck (from climbing) and knee pain (from running).
2. I had to stop running and rock climbing due to quarantine.

Have had to rebuild from scratch, and make sure to do it in such a way that I'm not overdeveloping any particular muscles at the cost of others.

Edit: also, I am unfortunately both a rock/metal fan and white, and therefore have two strikes against my dance ability. :laugh:
 

Luminous

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Edit: also, I am unfortunately both a rock/metal fan and white, and therefore have two strikes against my dance ability. :laugh:

I am also. ;) if it's fun, do it! We all get better with practice.
 

EJCC

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I am also. ;) if it's fun, do it! We all get better with practice.
Hah, now I'm trying to imagine punk rock workout videos. Would it just be flailing around?
 

Luminous

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Hah, now I'm trying to imagine punk rock workout videos. Would it just be flailing around?

LOL that is how someone I know refers to some of the videos I do. Exactly that phrase.

 

Siúil a Rúin

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I've been doing a lot of stretching with a goal to do splits in each direction and to also regain my back extension flexibility I had when younger. I have some interest in exploring aerial dance after the pandemic because there are local classes. I was crazy flexible when younger, and so some may not regain all of it, but would like enough to try that style of dance.

I also have been bellydancing from before all of this for a couple of years, but I'm so lucky my original studio in the Southwest offers zoom classes during the pandemic, so I get to work with my favorite teachers. They added two new Tuesday classes, and I've been taking a choreography class on Wednesdays, a burlesque bellydance style level 2 techniques on Thursday, a tribal style on Friday, and a Raqs Sharqi classes on Saturday, and a zills class on Sunday, but sometimes I've been having headaches. I also teach an intro bellydance class on Saturday mornings. :bunnyd:

It is such a natural style that it never stresses my muscles like traditional exercise, but allows for the natural flow of the neuromuscular system. I put pressure on myself to want to develop faster, but I feel good about being comfortable following along in up to level 2 classes. The studio's level 3 classes are still a bit difficult for me, but I've come a long way. That is their highest level.

I'm trying to learn a combo to participate in the studios montage class video. It is a meaningful challenge for me to be a part of it. I have until July 9 to get it submitted.
 

Morpeko

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I admire that you're doing those workouts!

I hate exercises like that and I can't force myself to do them. I am best at committing to a exercise routine involving something I enjoy, which is largely dance and/or aerobics. I've been primarily doing belly dancing for an hour most days for the past few months. I love that it works abdominal and butt muscles without doing traditional crunches and such. I love it so much I wind up practising belly rolls while I'm doing other things and was tempted to do them while waiting in line at the store. :D

I relate, I find it hard to partake in challenges like that; I find myself only able to commit to something I enjoy. It's cool that the OP is able to keep at something like that.

The only workout program I've ever enjoyed doing was martial arts. I used to do it for 6-11 hours a week before the quarantine. My world felt like it shattered once the school closed due to quarantine. It was an intense fullbody workout that I truly looked forward to almost every day.

I've been trying to practice on my own. The school I go to provides biweekly online classes, but they're quite unenjoyable and I find them to be ineffective in me learning the moves or even working a sweat. Better than nothing, I guess.

My parents bought me a grappling dummy as a graduation present. I've been trying to spar and wrestle with it a few times a week, practicing drills and such. Better for me than the classes, but still not enough.

Other than that, I've only been doing shitty YouTube exercise videos for about 10-30 minutes every other day as an attempt to keep my stomach flat. Sometimes going on walks. Weirdly enough, I haven't been gaining weight since the quarantine. I actually lost ten pounds but I guess that might have been muscle.
 

Luminous

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I relate, I find it hard to partake in challenges like that; I find myself only able to commit to something I enjoy. It's cool that the OP is able to keep at something like that.

The only workout program I've ever enjoyed doing was martial arts. I used to do it for 6-11 hours a week before the quarantine. My world felt like it shattered once the school closed due to quarantine. It was an intense fullbody workout that I truly looked forward to almost every day.

I've been trying to practice on my own. The school I go to provides biweekly online classes, but they're quite unenjoyable and I find them to be ineffective in me learning the moves or even working a sweat. Better than nothing, I guess.

My parents bought me a grappling dummy as a graduation present. I've been trying to spar and wrestle with it a few times a week, practicing drills and such. Better for me than the classes, but still not enough.

Other than that, I've only been doing shitty YouTube exercise videos for about 10-30 minutes every other day as an attempt to keep my stomach flat. Sometimes going on walks. Weirdly enough, I haven't been gaining weight since the quarantine. I actually lost ten pounds but I guess that might have been muscle.

Hope you'll be able to find better online classes. Maybe you can find better ones you have to pay for, since you're no longer going to in person classes?
 

Morpeko

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Hope you'll be able to find better online classes. Maybe you can find better ones you have to pay for, since you're no longer going to in person classes?

Thank you. I don't know if paying for online classes would be super helpful since it's difficult to learn martial arts without being able to practice with a living being, and even so, it seems like a lot of schools around me are not accepting new students even if they are just meeting online.
 
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I've been following workout videos from some fitness channels on Youtube. I enjoy dancing workouts a lot, I also like simple workout videos. I always try to add something of my own in these workouts, like a pair of light dumbbells or resistance bands. I get bored pretty quickly, so I generally try to do something different everyday; some fitness youtubers make programs in which they suggest a series of different workouts every day, and that's great because this way I never get bored and actually enjoy working out as part of my routine
In March (which is when the quarantine started in my country) I was stuck in the student house close to my university for three weeks and couldn't go back to my home because they found two positives there, and since I had nothing to do I started doing heavy workouts every day, which was a terrible idea in the end because the working out every day plus not getting enough sleep combo caused my cortisol levels to go over the roof, and I actually ended up gaining some weight rather than losing it :unsure:
Ever since I've been able to go back home I started doing heavy workouts 3-4 times per week at most, and the remaining days I just go running for a while, I take walks or just take it as rest day. Ever since I've been doing this, I've gone back to my pre-quarantine weight :D
I do a combination of (light) weights-resistance training and cardio, and I also do some stretching every day when I wake up and before going to bed, and after every workout. I also wanted to start actively introducing some yoga in my workout sessions
 

Siúil a Rúin

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One word about bellydance as exercise. If you want muscle tone, it's probably not the best approach and weightlifting or other traditional exercise is better. I've yet to see a professional bellydancer that has sculpted muscle tone, especially in the stomach. I think it is because it addresses the deeper muscles in the core, but because it is dance, it is also as much about releasing muscles quickly, using minimal muscles to achieve speed, and so it just doesn't ever bulk up. Even the thin dancers have slight pooch and never hard surfaces. It goes against the nature of the dance.

I think it is ideal for providing strength and flexibility in your core. It can also help with reproductive health and strengthens muscles for childbirth. I think it is also very helpful for the neuromuscular system and the flow of electrical impulses through the system. It helps to place those into alignment, and it helps you learn how to release muscles. It is quite therapeutic, and quite opposite to a lot of forms of exercise. It can leave you feeling sore from releasing toxins and so forth, but it doesn't leave you feeling like you've been at the gym unless you have other neuromuscular issues. It can really help you feel better.
 

Abcdenfp

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My treadmill has been a lifesaver, it is simply too hot to run outside and we were in a severe lockdown island wide so no one was permitted out unless it was your assigned day ( by last name , you had to travel with identification). So they are just now lightly lifting the lockdown. But now that we can go outside it is tooooo hot! So the treadmill and my apple watch 30 day challenges have been a great help.
 

Peter Deadpan

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I'm taking more of an intuitive approach to connecting to my body and my surroundings. I think that under prolonged stress or depression, people tend to get rather routine and rigid in their movements and posturing. Kind of like robotic 1, 2, 3 movements, sitting in the same positions, rolling out of bed the same way everyday, etc. I think this way of existing connects directly to ruminative thinking and emotional ruts as well.

One easy way to break out of this is to just switch up how you do things and move your body in different ways. Instead of sitting in the same spot on the couch, sit on an inflatable exercise ball, or even the floor. Move and twist your body in different ways, and do so without your normal distractions for a bit.

I've also spent some time working my glutes and plan on adding upper body routines as well. I am attempting to transition into a higher protein diet while increasing my overall calorie consumption because I want to bulk up a bit. I have for years wanted to attempt a total body transformation, and because I firmly feel that is directly connected to mental and emotional health, as well as pretty much everything else (drive, fulfillment, success, etc), I feel that now is the right time for me to engage in new activities and explore myself.

I've dabbled in the Wim Hof method a bit too... experimenting with breath manipulation and control. I was able to hold my breath after total exhalation for a solid two minutes. That's another thing I've always been interested in and I used to practice in the bathtub as a little girl all the time. The other part of the Wim Hof method is cold showers. Like truly fully cold. I've only done two minutes at a time as it is quite an intense shock to the system. I enjoy the mental endurance aspect of that more than anything.

I also just bought an upright punching bag. I've wanted one for yeeeears and scored a killer deal on a gently used one in the exact model I had eyed up before. I used to love kicking the shit out of a bag, so I look forward to its emotional value as well.

Other than that, when it isn't too obnoxiously hot out, I go for walks through my neighborhood, and regardless of temp, I go for long, sometimes challenging hikes through the woods. I am still obsessed with foraging, but also putting my body and mental stamina to the test. I'm still pretty shite at focusing on the experience itself rather than hyperfocusing on finding mushrooms, but it does help a tad to get out of my head.

Mowing my huge, sloped, uneven yard is the workout I never asked for, and I've also cut down several dead trees and pruned up some wild shrubbery out back in the woods. I have plans to clear out a landing at the top of the hill and build a shelter/cabin of sorts, but that's going to be a lengthy project and learning experience. I look forward to the blood, sweat, and tears and digging my hands into the womb of the earth. The finished product will be worth it.
 

Lark

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Not following any, largely because I work and am time pressed/poor but I'm interested in developing this.

Along with learning more about ICT and psychology and psychological therapies its among my greatest priorities.
 

ceecee

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We got one of those Elchelon smart connect bikes in February. It's very nice. Less strain on my knee than the treadmill.
 

Methylene

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Who needs workout regimens when you have stress.
Jk, I used to walk a lot (?) (10-20km) in quarantine, since I was lucky enough to have woods right behind my home.
 

Phoenix

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For me, it's just been about eating less lmfao.

I'm losing weight gradually since this whole thing started simply by maintaining a healthier diet.

Once all the sugar from my house finishes, I'm not gonna restock and buy sugar-free products instead which should help even more.
 

Lark

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I wish I had the space for a decent workout in my house, I dont, I would create a dedicated gym room if I could and I'd also like to do what was recommended to me once and install pull up bars on the door ways of the rooms I most frequently enter and exit with a set number of reps to complete upon entering and exiting, apparently its one of the best ways to build up your arms quickly.
 
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