Read

At-Home Workouts Based on Your Fitness Personality

Published:
January 8, 2024
November 18, 2020
Crush your next at-home workout based on your fitness personality while gyms are closed during the pandemic.|Crush your next at-home workout based on your fitness personality while gyms are closed during the pandemic.

Pandemic-related restrictions have left many of us without a gym to go to, right when we seem to need wellness and self-care the most. Or — if gyms are open — many of us still feel wary of sharing equipment amidst a pandemic.

For avid gym-goers like me, the gym experience is about so much more than the space itself. It’s about fitness equipment, belonging, social connections, personalized training, and accountability. This might be why pandemic-related gym closures have felt so challenging.

But a closed gym doesn’t have to be the end of your fitness routine. Here are some alternative ways to work out when gyms are closed, based on your personality. See where you relate, then read on for some creative tips to exercise when the gym is closed — in the way that works for you.

The Equipment Enthusiast

This type of gym-goer chooses a gym solely based on its fitness equipment. If this is you, you balk at the idea of backyard bodyweight workouts or a rainy jog through the city. You sincerely miss the cardio machines, free weights, and more found at your local gym — and that’s entirely understandable. Pandemic-related gym closures have been particularly hard on this type.

Although there’s no simple fix, workarounds do abound. If home workouts are in your future for the foreseeable future, purchase the most important home fitness items within your budget. Research home workout equipment reviews to guide you. If you are in a quarantine social bubble with some friends or roommates, you may even share purchased exercise equipment among your group.

If it is safe and permitted to do so in your area, take advantage of public outdoor exercise equipment. Many cities offer outdoor parks with equipment such as pullup bars, sit-up benches, and more. You will need to make your own risk assessment and take precautions, of course, when using public equipment. Dress for the weather and follow any usage guidelines required by your city, and you might just find a new love of outdoor exercise.

The Fitness Class Fan

This type of gym-goer most values the gym for its workout classes. If you fall into this category, you rarely exercise solo. You know that you are far more likely to stay motivated while working out in a group — and you find it to be more fun!

With the gym closed, your greatest challenge right now is finding ways to make exercise feel social and inspiring. One way to do this is to connect with your friends over social workout apps such as Strava. Your feed will show one anothers’ recent runs and mile splits, which the inner competitor in me finds quite motivating. Sometimes I do run a little faster knowing that my friends could soon see it on their feed. You and your friends can give each other in-app cheers for progress as well. If running’s not for you, there are similar apps in your fitness mode of choice.

As another alternative, some fitness companies now offer socially-distant classes outdoors. And of course, there’s the (now-ubiquitous) virtual fitness class option. While not quite the same as sharing a studio, seeing others (virtually) sweat can be enough to keep you inspired through your workout.

The Personal Training Devotee

This type of gym-goer is likely to value the gym because of their personal trainer. They rely on the trainer’s guidance on proper exercise form, as well as personalized guidance on nutrition and workout planning.

If this is you, you’re in luck. Many personal trainers have adapted their services to alternative COVID-safe settings (i.e., offering personal training sessions outdoors if weather allows, or live online). Mobile apps for fitness routines, as well as personal trainers’ YouTube and social media accounts, could be supportive for this type of gym-goer as well.

The Accountable Athlete

For this type, the gym equates to accountability to commit to exercise. The most important thing about this type of person is not what they do at the gym, but rather, the fact that they need the gym to motivate them to workout.

If this is you, contemplate just what it is about the gym that motivates you to exercise. Then seek to replicate that another way. If it’s about “getting your money’s worth,” you might choose to invest in exercise equipment or an online fitness class subscription that you’ll be incentivized not to abandon. If personal training appointments or fitness class registrations once provided the accountability you need, find another way to make those commitments — some of the tips above can help.

I’ve seen some people stay accountable to gym visits simply because they promised to meet a friend at the gym. If you’re missing that standing gym date, see if that person would be willing to make other COVID-safe workout plans. Do what works for you to feel like your fitness plans are accountable to someone or something, even when the gym is not an option.

While it’s challenging to lose our go-to gym workouts for now, perhaps we can reframe this as an opportunity to find new ways we love to exercise. It’s worth the effort to keep our bodies healthy — it leads to a healthier mind and spirit, too.

Creators:
Marye Colleen Larme
Published:
January 8, 2024
November 18, 2020
On a related note...
4 Resources to Turn to After a Divorce

4 Resources to Turn to After a Divorce

Patty Breen

3 Questions to Ask Before Getting Married

3 Questions to Ask Before Getting Married

Emily Mae Mentock

What Training for a Triathlon Taught Me About Resilience

What Training for a Triathlon Taught Me About Resilience

Tim Pisacich

Figuring Out the ‘Right Time’ to Start A Family

Figuring Out the ‘Right Time’ to Start A Family

Sofía Muñoz Abou-Jaoudé

Free Download: Financial Checklist for College Students

Free Download: Financial Checklist for College Students

Grotto

"In the Waters of Lourdes"

"In the Waters of Lourdes"

Josie Kuhlman

4 Tips for Top-Notch Networking

4 Tips for Top-Notch Networking

Molly Cruitt

How to Add Almsgiving to Your Lent This Year

How to Add Almsgiving to Your Lent This Year

Jessica Mannen Kimmet

This Young Breakdancer Found Healing in Hip Hop

This Young Breakdancer Found Healing in Hip Hop

Grotto

How to Accompany a Friend Through an Unplanned Pregnancy

How to Accompany a Friend Through an Unplanned Pregnancy

Sarah Portner, LMSW

What Gratitude Journaling Taught Me About Happiness

What Gratitude Journaling Taught Me About Happiness

Lillian Fallon

6 Steps to Addressing Your Workplace Burnout

6 Steps to Addressing Your Workplace Burnout

Tony Oleck

6 Tips for Breaking Your Phone Addiction

6 Tips for Breaking Your Phone Addiction

Marye Colleen Larme

How to Embrace Being a Highly Sensitive Person

How to Embrace Being a Highly Sensitive Person

Krista Steele

Healthy Communication Tips for Conflict Resolution

Healthy Communication Tips for Conflict Resolution

Julia Hogan-Werner

"Bike Man" Has Kept His Community Moving for Decades

"Bike Man" Has Kept His Community Moving for Decades

Grotto

5 Things I Wish My Guy Friends Knew About Marriage

5 Things I Wish My Guy Friends Knew About Marriage

Jonathan Lewis

‘We Needed an Influx of Love and Joy’

‘We Needed an Influx of Love and Joy’

Sarah Pelrine

Kick off the New Year, Windy City-Style

Kick off the New Year, Windy City-Style

Jennon Bell Hoffmann

3 Ways Your Mind Can Help With Body Positivity

3 Ways Your Mind Can Help With Body Positivity

Claire Krakowiak

newsletter

We’d love to be pals.

Sign up for our newsletter, and we’ll meet you in your inbox each week.