Exercise during the pandemic

O

OldCorpse

Rockin the Boat
I've written before about exercise here - my start of a HIIT program etc. - but now the situation has changed, so I thought maybe a new thread might be useful and we can exchange tips :)

Here in LA, CA we can still jog outside, though our mayor has recommended everyone wear a mask - not a problem for me. Unfortunately, parks and recreation areas are mostly closed, so I now jog along the residential streets in my neighborhood. Traffic is light, but there are plenty of joggers here - I'm not the only one who had this idea :) So, careful with running out into the street while trying to avoid other joggers on the sidewalk. The other thing is that I used to jog along a track in the athletic park near me - and now I'm running on concrete or asphalt... there is some worry that running on such hard surfaces taxes the knees, ankles and feet, but I think this has been somewhat debunked, assuming you're not doing like more than 3-4 hours a week.

However, gyms are closed and people must exercise at home. We're "sheltering in place" :)

So, what should we do, especially if we have not prepared and bought any equipment? I have some rubber bands so I can do the whole RBT (thanks for the recommendation, Matt Gottshalk!) and a few dumbells, pull up/chin bar, roller wheel etc., but no real machines. What's probably most useful at the moment is bodyweight exercises.

There are various books with the same idea, all variations on the title of "Convict Conditioning", but in practice, what's most useful?

I have started with squats - again, bodyweight only. It seems the biggest bang for your buck as far as conditioning and number of useful muscles exercised. Doing burpees scares my cat so that's out :)

But squats are super fun - it's easy to do it with decent form, and it's a really good exercise. If you do nothing else, this might be the one you want to stick to. I personally started with 300, but only do it 4 times a week - Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri - it's important to give it a break to recover. The 300 I do in one swoop, about 10 minutes, so some 30 a minute. I intend to push this to 500, so it's about 15 minutes. I read a very interesting book by Gretchen Reynolds (fitness columnist for the NYT), called "The First 20 minutes" - to boil it down, in any exercise, it's the first 20 minutes that give you 80% of the health benefit (actually it's more like 90%), and escalating beyond that, leads only to marginal gains. So again, bang for the buck - how can I extract maximum benefits for minimum time put in (the original idea behind HIIT).

Therefore, doing squats - most muscles involved, for 15 minutes 4 times a week, strikes me as a very good ratio of effort/time to health return. YMMV.

What do you do to keep in good shape during this "shelter in place" time that seems to encourage folks to just lounge on the couch :)?
 
I went outside a couple of days ago, saw a neighbor, a female in her 70's? "DLD, aren't you going crazy under the quarantine? I just walk over to the supermarket, buy something light and walk back". (it's a mile each way). Well, that's her solution. There are people walking their dogs at 3 AM. Technically, they shouldn't be doing this ... but no one is giving out citations to dogs.
 
I have a weight machine and treadmill in my basement, since I have to endure the long Canadian winters. At the end of last year, I read an article that if a man can do 40 pushups in a row he reduces his risk of dying of heart disease by 96 percent. I had been doing bench presses and bicep curls for years, so I thought that wouldn't be a problem. I could barely do twenty in one go. Started incorporating push ups and now I'm up to 30, and my chest has really popped in a way it hadn't before. It's changed the look of my upper body more than any one thing I've ever done. I really hate doing them though.
 
My wife and youngest son are doing circuit training every other day. It involves boxing, running, weights, skipping and quite a lot of shouting. A few mins on a static bike, a walk with my dog and a couple of glasses of red wine work just fine for me.
 
I used to do a modified version of this in college when I was on the crew team (as a coxwain but I trained with the crew teams) and for various periods after college -- we called it the 20 minute bar drill. It involved a straight bar of 45 lbs, but it can be done with dumbells/other weights. It's basically HIIT; the way I did it was I had 6-8 different exercises, 10 reps of each exercise, that I would repeat for 6 sets with a minute inbetween, and altogether it ended up taking about 20 minutes. I got totally ripped doing this exercise 3 or 4 times a week. It's very intense, and by the end of it you can barely hold the bar any longer.

https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/total-body-training-with-only-a-barbell.html

The above link has more exercises than I did, but maybe the ones you do aren't as important as how intensely you do them.
 
I wish I had the forsight to buy a barbell and some weights before things really got crazy.

The used market for weights is insane right now, and all stores are sold out for the most part.
 
OK, I'm gonna lay a doozy on ya guys :) This one is gonna be EPIC as far as useful tips!

This is based on the Japanese Dynamic Flamingo Therapy (JDFT) and here are the scientific papers showing that this WORKS:

1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18974448

2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17142934

3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17013734

To boil it down: they had people (including very old people) stand on one leg for short periods of time. The various studies found different effects depending on duration, but basically, it

a) Improved balance and diminished the number of falls

b) Made the bones in the leg and hip stronger

c) Prevented or ameliorated bone loss, osteoporosis and fractures

Here is my MODIFIED DYNAMIC FLAMINGO THERAPY - MDFT that combines the benefits of the JDFT with muscle benefits and oral health benefits:

Stand on one leg - f.ex. RIGHT leg while brushing your teeth - BUT, bend the leg a bit so you are not standing on a straight leg - holding this pose really mobilizes and strengthens the leg, butt and feet muscles. It's harder than it looks! If you hold it for 6 minutes or so, you start feeling the muscle work - it's like holding a pose in yoga.

Now, use an electric toothbrush - for two reasons: one, you get a better cleaning, and two, the timer in the tootbrush alerts you to when your 6 minutes is up; I have an Oral-B and I can set if or 3 minutes, so I do 3 minutes for my upper teeth and 3 minutes for my lower teeth. I therefore stand for 6 minutes on one leg slightly bent.

THIS STEP YOU CAN SKIP - I do it because I'm obsessive and find oral health critical for the rest of your health (there are papers showing cardiovascular and even Alzheimer's impact): I switch to the other leg for about 3 minutes and use an ordinary hand toothbrush and go over my teeth AND TONGUE AND GUMS (since gums/tongue don't get brushed by the electric toothbrush).

In the evening, I reverse the process. I now stand on THE OTHER leg while brushing my teeth for 6 minutes and 3 minutes respectively.

The next day, I alternate which leg I start with - if yesterday I started with the right leg, today I go with the left leg first.

I do this 5 times a week - on Sat and Sun, I just brush my teeth without the MDFT - give my muscles a break.

Let me tell you - my dentist and periodontist are both amazed at the health of my teeth and gums!

Here are the benefits of my MDFT:

i) You improve your oral health dramatically, because it forces you to brush for 6 minutes (and an additional 3 minutes of gums and tongue) - your whole body will thank you for your oral health!

2) You improve your balance - this is so important, and often neglected in all those who exercise otherwise

3) You improve your leg bone health

4) You improve your muscle strength and stability in your legs

5) You HAVE to brush your teeth anyway, so this is a massive efficiency gain - you kill multiple birds with one stone!

I've been doing this for quite a while, and I can tell you, I find the benefits fantastic - it doesn't take any extra time, I have to brush my teeth anyway - but my oral health is fantastic, and my balance excellent, I put on socks and pants standing on one leg with no problem, and find it useful in life.

Hope you find this a fantastic fitness and health tip!
 
That sounds like a really great way to brush your teeth, OldCorpse -- it's time that's otherwise lost to the ether. However -- 9 minutes seems like a really long time to brush your teeth. I remember reading somewhere that 2-3 minutes is the optimal duration. But maybe it doesn't hurt to do longer. I think my electric toothbrush does 30 second intervals (x4 = 2 minutes).
 
Well, I'm not a dentist or periodontist, so I can't give you a scientific answer. All I can give is personal experience - and when I asked my periodontist about how long I should be doing it, he said based on my results "it appears to be working, so stick to it". That said, I am a bit obsessive, and for example go to have my teeth cleaned by my periodontist 4 times a year, which is more than most people do - insurance only covers 2 cleanings per year. Sure, I spend more money ($125 per cleaning), but I figure I come out ahead with fewer fillings, crowns etc. But again, I'm not a dentist, so YMMV.

There are a few tips about this - for example, it is recommended that you NOT brush your teeth for 30 minutes after eating, because due to food processing in your mouth, your tooth enamel is temporarily weaker (due to acids), and brushing at that moment would strip it away. Also MY periodontist (who is NOT your periodontist) believes in brushing BEFORE breakfast, as what causes destructive bacterial effects is the film that bacteria develop over your teeth in a colony and release acids that erode your enamel. When you brush your teeth, you remove bacteria and disrupt their colonies, that's very important. So when you now eat, after having disrupted their colonies, you have fewer organized bacteria that can take that food and create acids. But if you brush only AFTER the meal, they are giving them plenty of material with the food. Brush before the meal, disrupt them, eliminate them, and the food can't do as much harm. That should last you awhile, then in the evening you can brush after your last meal and allow your saliva to rebuild your tooth enamel.

In general, don't overbrush - you'll not only strip your enamel, but push your gums. Instead, use soft brushes (wrt. hand brushing) and brush GENTLY. The electric brush is not as destructive. So yeah, 9 minutes is a lot (actually close to 10 with all the water flushing), but how much is your overall health worth to you? I figure a couple of healthy habits are worth keeping - it becomes a regular habit you don't even think about and it's doing wonders for your overall health. YMMV.
 
Kettlebell USA or Kettlebell Kings.

Pavel Tatsouline StrongFIT or Mark Wildman Fitness ...

Tapp Brothers . Jump Rope Dudes ...

Start slow ...

Nothing else comes close
 
I've trained on and off most of my life (because in my head I'm a professional wrestler), and just as with selling tons of video gear I've also gone through my share of changes with home fitness equipment, and one of the best investments I've ever made was purchasing adjustable 10-90 lb dumbbells.

https://www.bowflex.com/selecttech/1090/710000.html

You can do pretty much every single exercise the body needs if you have a bench (or an exercise ball if you're an advanced lifter).

But adding a barbell with at least 200-300 lbs of weights and a squat rack is even better.

Squatting is part of the big 3 (chest, deadlift, squatting), so it's one of the best exercises you can do for pure and simple muscle building and strength. For me, it's something new and different everyday. Some weeks it's heavy (3-5 reps max) and some weeks it's light (10-20 reps) depending on the body part.

Consistency and constant changes in how you lift and variety in your cardio training will shred you. Run, climb, swim, jump, crawl; anything and everything. Move your body.

The most difficult part (and just as important) is the kitchen workout. I have been on a major calorie deficit (but lots of protein) these past few weeks and it's been the perfect storm for sculpting.

___

[I don't recommend anything to anyone; it's just what I personally do.]

___

EDIT: P.S. There are more budget-friendly dumbbells than the ones above, and even 10-50 lbs are great for most people.
 
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I used to swim a few days a week but that is out now. I have a Pilates ladder barrel that takes up lots of room but is nice to do few exercises on. Luckily I live in an area with 8 ft paved shoulders on both sides so lots of room to walk and jog without crowding up on others. I’m running out of my oatfiber/konjac noodles so might have to try and make some myself. Down to my last chayote (they work well as a filler, low carbs calories). I had started grinding my own spice last fall so I’m well stocked. Found my old weights in the basement but no bar but am trying a few things . I have filled a couple of gallon water jugs with dirt for some hillbilly curls.
 
NorBro said:
I've trained on and off most of my life (because in my head I'm a professional wrestler), and just as with selling tons of video gear I've also gone through my share of changes with home fitness equipment, and one of the best investments I've ever made was purchasing adjustable 10-90 lb dumbbells.

https://www.bowflex.com/selecttech/1090/710000.html

You can do pretty much every single exercise the body needs if you have a bench (or an exercise ball if you're an advanced lifter).

But adding a barbell with at least 200-300 lbs of weights and a squat rack is even better.

Squatting is part of the big 3 (chest, deadlift, squatting), so it's one of the best exercises you can do for pure and simple muscle building and strength. For me, it's something new and different everyday. Some weeks it's heavy (3-5 reps max) and some weeks it's light (10-20 reps) depending on the body part.

Consistency and constant changes in how you lift and variety in your cardio training will shred you. Run, climb, swim, jump, crawl; anything and everything. Move your body.

The most difficult part (and just as important) is the kitchen workout. I have been on a major calorie deficit (but lots of protein) these past few weeks and it's been the perfect storm for sculpting.

___

[I don't recommend anything to anyone; it's just what I personally do.]

___

EDIT: P.S. There are more budget-friendly dumbbells than the ones above, and even 10-50 lbs are great for most people.
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⬆︎Now that is brilliant.
 
It's raining here in LA where I'm at, and the wife doesn't want us to jog on account of getting shoes wet and then having to dry them out, so no jogging today. I therefore am looking to see what can be done indoors for aerobic exercise. I'm looking at the other posts in this thread for inspiration.

Meanwhile, I have taken some lessons from this. For aerobic exercise to be effective, you want to engage some major muscle groups (usually involving leg muscles at some point), and you want to be able to do it for a prolonged period of time with your heart rate elevated - depending on intensity might even be 90%. This is where HIIT might be very useful.

But my lesson is that you need to develop more than one kind of aerobic exercise - you can't just rely on a single one. I mostly jog - but what happens when you can't, as is the case today? You need to have something else to fall back on. But in turn, you can't just go do it from a standing start. You need to develop the musculature that you'll be utilizing for that exercise. For jogging I have one set of muscles, but if I wanted to do, f.ex. something else, like rowing or Nordic track (though I don't have those machines), I can't just suddenly jump on a rowing machine or a Nordic Track machine and rip it for 40 or 60 minutes unless my muscles are ready for it.

Therefore having more than one aerobic exercise option means having more than one set of muscles ready for such exercise.

Biking is something that my muscles are ready for, as I bike fairly regularly and can easily do 2-3 hours of quite challenging biking (hill runs etc.). But with rain, and my wife being afraid of the bike slipping or traffic issues, biking is out. Same issue with tennis - I'm ready for tennis (it's a pretty good workout!), but again, rain and the courts are closed.

My conclusion is that I need to have another aerobic exercise ready to go that's indoors, as outdoors is covered by biking and jogging or tennis.

The same idea of having alternate ways of exercising extends to injuries. If you are, f.ex., prone to knee or feet injuries where jogging, biking or tennis is out the window, you might have to develop something else, like swimming - and that means getting those muscles ready, so you can just smoothly transition, and not have to first take weeks to prepare those muscles.

Bottom line: you need to develop enough "plan B" exercises to cover common scenarios - indoor, outdoor, or injury.
 
Doing body squats (and a lot of them) under a time limit as you mentioned on the last page is as good as it gets from an indoor "I-have-nothing else" cardio standpoint.

I would add jump roping, push-ups and pull-ups and I'd be set.

Most people cannot do more than a couple of pull-ups if any at all, and you'll be surprised with the cardio you're getting from such a straightforward exercise. (You would need a station or installed bar though.)

When I do push-ups, I like to use these handles as they make the exercise easier on my wrists if I want to be able to them for an extended period of time:

https://www.staples.com/Gofit-GF-PUB-Push-Up-Bars-Black/product_211171

You can also use light dumbbells or other objects and do shoulder presses and curls.

Treadmills, full-body cable machines, "chopping" rubber with a rubber axe (tough), digging and filling holes (that's outside), pushing heavy furniture around...you can find many creative ways to exercise if you don't want to use traditional iron for cardio.

Mixing and matching...

10 push-ups might be easy. But I'll add 10 pull-ups and 10-squats and then jump rope for 60 seconds (just a random example).

Running is unbeatable as the gold-standard of cardio, but there truly are many other possibilities with endless combinations that will provide you a heck of a workout.
 
To echo most here- weights, pushups (Battuta is SO right- I do 50, 30, 20), my mountain bike is on a stationary trainer. I know I could ride it on the street, but with a sick wife, don't want to risk it.
Can't swim in my condo pool (really miss it. That, and Mt. biking).

The latest, and best addition to my arsenal? Rowing machine! Legs, lungs, arms, chest, back. SWEAT!!! HIIT, all kinds of approaches.
There's tons of "The best, most neglected machine in the gym" stories, and they're true.
Got it 1 month before the Black Wave started... thank you Amazon (though I should've stocked up on TP at the time, too!).
 
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