Last week I went back to the gym for the first time in four months. It felt very different than the work outs that I’ve done since the lockdown happened. If you were anywhere on social media at the beginning, the message was that you should walk out of the lockdown having learned something new. Well let me tell you, I’ve learnt a lot.

I own a lot of fitness equipment at home. But the only one that resembles anything at the gym is my barbell and plates. I own no bench. I have a squat rack, but currently have mobility issues. So the only traditional workouts I can do are deadlifts and front squats.

Because I was now working from home I was in desperate need to be active and stay in shape. So I quickly had to be resourceful and find new workouts that would keep me in shape, but also target all my muscke groups.

Going Functional

Everyone these days does some sort of WOD workout. But it took me a while to figure out how to put a WOD together. Sure, there’s a lot of WODs online, but none really motivated me. Mostly because I didn’t understand them. It took me a long time to figure that out. So I did what I could with what I had.

What I did worked. I burnt calories. I improved my fitness. I lost some fat. But just as important, I don’t think I lost any muscle. And by the time the gyms reopened, I had figured out the secret to putting an effective WOD together. I’m now able to get my heart rate up fairly quickly. But also I’m able to pace myself.

Back to the Gym

It felt weird going back to the gym and just moving weights around. It felt like moving my couch from one wall to another. Sure, it’s good for getting strong and looking good naked. And then your exhausted from sore muscles. But it lacks a sense of accomplishment now.

I remember in high school when the gym teacher told us that often girls would outrun the guys; now I know why. I also know why the Crossfit winner is known as the fittest man or woman on earth. Doing cardio, weight lifting and gymnastics in one session is intense all while pushing your body to its limits. So having learnt all that to just lifting weights is boring.

Going Forward

The Whoop has been a great help in improving my fitness. This means that I’m now capable of doing more physically and mentally. So I can do a couple of functional fitness sessions a week and also go to the gym. And also still run and go cycling. I want to get even better at this before fall and winter comes so that I can set myself more goals.