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It's been impossible to buy any kind of home fitness equipment for a couple of months now. I've seen kettlebells going for $500 on Amazon. People definitely th

It's been impossible to buy any kind of home fitness equipment for a couple of months now. I've seen kettlebells going for $500 on Amazon. People definitely thought they were going to jump into home fitness with both feet, but just like New Year's resolutions, I doubt that many of them stuck with it. If I had to guess, there are two groups of people who are taking advantage of the quarantine to better their fitness routine: people who were already serious, and already had a home gym; and people who are doing something that doesn't take a whole lot of equipment, like yoga.

neutronicus 6y ago
The other side of the fitness coin is diet, and the two hours a day returned to me have been instrumental in improving that. People may come out of quarantine simultaneously less fit and less fat. Fitness-wise, there's only so much you can do with a 4-8-month-old in a third-floor apartment, but jogging a couple miles with a stroller is kind of nice at any rate.
- thomascgalvin 6y ago
  This might be a case where perfect is the enemy of good. People overestimate how much and how hard they have to work to make a positive impact on their fitness. You don't need to join Crossfit, run ten miles a day, or lift for forty-five minutes, five days a week. For someone who is sedentary, jogging a couple of miles with a stroller is a huge improvement. So is twenty minutes of yoga. Consistency is more important than going all-out, all the time.
  - sickcodebruh 6y ago
    Even _walking_ a couple miles with a stroller is significant!
  - neutronicus 6y ago
    Personally I've been pretty hardcore about various kinds of fitness (including the synecdoche of the day, CrossFit) so it's been an adjustment to be the dumpy dad jogging behind a stroller. I will say that I really wish I could lift weights or at least do pull-ups right now because I'm getting all kinds of random aches I don't get when my upper body's in shape.
  - lazyasciiart 6y ago
    Caveat: jogging strollers aren't recommended for babies before at least six months, because they don't really have any neck muscles to handle changes in direction or stopping. Wait until they can hold their own head up and look around. BUT you can use that time to try running with an empty stroller at least once, it feels pretty different and also you might notice some unexpected obstacles along your normal route!
- jldugger 6y ago
  I mean, the average person doesn't really need much equipment if the goal is to lose weight (in contrast with the niche hobbyist market of building muscle). There's a ton of bodyweight exercises[1] you can use that require no gym or even weights. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodyweight_exercise https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodyweight_exercise
  - neutronicus 6y ago
    A decent body weight program is going to require a pull-up bar and if you rent that's a tough ask
    - jldugger 6y ago
      Maybe I'm just bad at physical fitness but I've never been able to do a pull-up. Seems like the kind of thing that requires both upper body strength and a lean body, which is kind of where I want to finish, not where I get to start from.
vangelis 6y ago
I grabbed some big landscaping rocks. They're heavy, asymmetrical but smooth, and make for a good workout.
chimen 6y ago
Get a TRX equipment and work with your body weight. I train all my muscle groups with it. It weighs about 500 grams and can fit in any backpack.
- thomascgalvin 6y ago
  I had a TRX setup, but switched to wooden gymnastic rings. The rings are a lot more durable.
- taylortrusty 6y ago
  Dumb question - how do you use these in a home? I looked up their TRX kit but they all seem suited for gyms? https://store.trxtraining.com/trx-full-body-workout-bundle/ https://store.trxtraining.com/trx-full-body-workout-bundle/
  - dillondoyle 6y ago
    There are a lot you can buy with door anchors. Basically little discs or like a fabric 'bump' which goes the top of the door, which you close, and then you pull the opposite direction of where the door swings open. I got these ones before lockdown panic - though I use them with my pull up bar which allows one to do a lot more exercise than if you're stuck with a door block you. The pull up bar doesnt leave any marks though I also have an old house with solid wood frames i've wondered hw secure it would be resting on the lip of a cheap mdf narrow frame https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0787N367J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0787N367J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b...
cellularmitosis 6y ago
Door pull-ups are a pretty good hack. Your t-shirt and shorts cut the friction enough that your body just slides along the door surface. Place a sock under each palm for a more comfortable grip. Between that, push-ups, planks, going for a walk, and running up some stairs, you can keep a baseline of fitness which isn’t too shabby.
asdff 6y ago
Certain equipment has had a run, but you can get resistance bands all over the place. I bought 150lbs of resistance for $40, and I just looked and there are still plenty in stock. I think people have to get more creative with their physical fitness. You don't need freeweights to achieve great results. Here is an excellent guide: https://yoga-horizons.com/pdfs/Fatmans-Guide-to-Cable-Training-2.pdf https://yoga-horizons.com/pdfs/Fatmans-Guide-to-Cable-Traini...
megameter 6y ago
Seconding all those saying resistance bands. They are the perfect complement to daily walks or jogging since weight is minimal and they easily sling over the shoulder. I see more people using them every month. For ideas on how to use them I suggest looking up Undersun Fitness on YT.

neutronicus 6y ago

The other side of the fitness coin is diet, and the two hours a day returned to me have been instrumental in improving that. People may come out of quarantine simultaneously less fit and less fat. Fitness-wise, there's only so much you can do with a 4-8-month-old in a third-floor apartment, but jogging a couple miles with a stroller is kind of nice at any rate.

thomascgalvin 6y ago
This might be a case where perfect is the enemy of good. People overestimate how much and how hard they have to work to make a positive impact on their fitness. You don't need to join Crossfit, run ten miles a day, or lift for forty-five minutes, five days a week. For someone who is sedentary, jogging a couple of miles with a stroller is a huge improvement. So is twenty minutes of yoga. Consistency is more important than going all-out, all the time.
- sickcodebruh 6y ago
  Even _walking_ a couple miles with a stroller is significant!
- neutronicus 6y ago
  Personally I've been pretty hardcore about various kinds of fitness (including the synecdoche of the day, CrossFit) so it's been an adjustment to be the dumpy dad jogging behind a stroller. I will say that I really wish I could lift weights or at least do pull-ups right now because I'm getting all kinds of random aches I don't get when my upper body's in shape.
- lazyasciiart 6y ago
  Caveat: jogging strollers aren't recommended for babies before at least six months, because they don't really have any neck muscles to handle changes in direction or stopping. Wait until they can hold their own head up and look around. BUT you can use that time to try running with an empty stroller at least once, it feels pretty different and also you might notice some unexpected obstacles along your normal route!
jldugger 6y ago
I mean, the average person doesn't really need much equipment if the goal is to lose weight (in contrast with the niche hobbyist market of building muscle). There's a ton of bodyweight exercises[1] you can use that require no gym or even weights. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodyweight_exercise https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodyweight_exercise
- neutronicus 6y ago
  A decent body weight program is going to require a pull-up bar and if you rent that's a tough ask
  - jldugger 6y ago
    Maybe I'm just bad at physical fitness but I've never been able to do a pull-up. Seems like the kind of thing that requires both upper body strength and a lean body, which is kind of where I want to finish, not where I get to start from.

vangelis 6y ago

I grabbed some big landscaping rocks. They're heavy, asymmetrical but smooth, and make for a good workout.

chimen 6y ago

Get a TRX equipment and work with your body weight. I train all my muscle groups with it. It weighs about 500 grams and can fit in any backpack.

thomascgalvin 6y ago
I had a TRX setup, but switched to wooden gymnastic rings. The rings are a lot more durable.
taylortrusty 6y ago
Dumb question - how do you use these in a home? I looked up their TRX kit but they all seem suited for gyms? https://store.trxtraining.com/trx-full-body-workout-bundle/ https://store.trxtraining.com/trx-full-body-workout-bundle/
- dillondoyle 6y ago
  There are a lot you can buy with door anchors. Basically little discs or like a fabric 'bump' which goes the top of the door, which you close, and then you pull the opposite direction of where the door swings open. I got these ones before lockdown panic - though I use them with my pull up bar which allows one to do a lot more exercise than if you're stuck with a door block you. The pull up bar doesnt leave any marks though I also have an old house with solid wood frames i've wondered hw secure it would be resting on the lip of a cheap mdf narrow frame https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0787N367J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0787N367J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b...

cellularmitosis 6y ago

Door pull-ups are a pretty good hack. Your t-shirt and shorts cut the friction enough that your body just slides along the door surface. Place a sock under each palm for a more comfortable grip. Between that, push-ups, planks, going for a walk, and running up some stairs, you can keep a baseline of fitness which isn’t too shabby.

asdff 6y ago

Certain equipment has had a run, but you can get resistance bands all over the place. I bought 150lbs of resistance for $40, and I just looked and there are still plenty in stock. I think people have to get more creative with their physical fitness. You don't need freeweights to achieve great results. Here is an excellent guide: https://yoga-horizons.com/pdfs/Fatmans-Guide-to-Cable-Training-2.pdf https://yoga-horizons.com/pdfs/Fatmans-Guide-to-Cable-Traini...

megameter 6y ago

Seconding all those saying resistance bands. They are the perfect complement to daily walks or jogging since weight is minimal and they easily sling over the shoulder. I see more people using them every month. For ideas on how to use them I suggest looking up Undersun Fitness on YT.