It’s fair to say that fitness enthusiasts across the UK have breathed a collective sigh of relief recently upon the announcement that gyms are scheduled to open their doors again on the 12th of April.
After 12 months of uncertainty and fatigue, many across the country have understandably surrendered themselves to the lockdown lifestyle, snacking, snoozing, and Netflix-binging the time away, however for some of the UK’s most dedicated fitness addicts, lockdown was just another challenge for them to face, and presented an opportunity for them to put their functional fitness skills to the test!
In this post, we have spoken with Paul, a fitness fanatic to share some of the fun and innovative methods he’s been using to keep his fitness regimen going during lockdown!
Paul
Paul Thomson is a UK-based competitive bodybuilder and fitness coach, helping his clients reach their personal fitness goals as well as keeping himself in peak physical condition with a meticulous diet and training plan.
We chatted to Paul about how he and his clients have continued to push towards their goals during lockdown.
What do you feel are some of the biggest challenges people have faced when it comes to fitness during lockdown?
“Obviously with the gyms being closed, most people haven’t had access to the equipment and apparatus they’re used to. Stockists quickly sold out of home fitness equipment and those who did have equipment to sell were hiking prices up, adding huge price tags to their second-hand weights and equipment, making it difficult and expensive to come across any decent equipment.”
For clients of yours who didn’t have their own home gym, what innovative solutions did they come up with in order to keep pumping up?
“First of all it became about creating a dedicated space in which to train. Some clients created a fitness space in a spare bedroom, others in their garden shed; I even have one client who has added a huge squat rack in his living room!”
“Then it became about finding a way to create adequate resistance; many were able to source some flexible resistance bands from the internet, which can be used creatively to work various muscle groups. Other clients even went as far as filling up 10-gallon drums or water, and even welding together some home-made weights using iron and concrete!”
Do you feel the UK health and fitness community will be any different once lockdown is eased and the gyms begin to open their doors again?
“Yes. I think many of the people who have splashed out on expensive home fitness equipment or created a dedicated space in their home for training might not return to the gym.”
“People have had a whole year to create new habits and new solutions to meet their fitness goals, and for those who have fully adjusted to training at home, heading to a local gym might now be a thing of the past.”
So that’s how Paul has been keeping active during lockdown. Remember to check out Paul’s Instagram to see what he’ll be getting up to in the future, @p.thomson73.
What fitness practices have you been up to this past year? Let us know on Twitter: @SureStoreLtd.
Home fitness fanatic Paul showing off his regimen by lifting weights.