Ever since gyms closed in March, Ive been working out at home.
Heres what Ive learned.
Find the right spot
In the gym, things are where they are.
At home, you get to pick where you do your lifts.
I had hoped to lift in my garage, but the ceilings are too low.
If I want to hold anything bigger than a dumbbell, I have to take it outside.
And here it gets more complicated than you might expect.
I dont need much: just a platform and a barbell.
But there are still issues.
For one: My driveway is bumpy and gravelly.
Thats fine for some lifts, but I need a smooth, hard surface for others.
No problem,I have a horse stall mat.
I can drag it outside.
For another: The area isgenerallyflat, but not perfectly so.
It took some trial and error to find the right spot to put the mat.
You also want to be aware of whats around you.
If I drop the bar, where will it go?
Now, if I drop the barbehindme, which sometimes happens on snatches, it will roll.
These are the things you have to think about.
(Those are approximate numbers that change with the seasons.)
You have to watch the weather, too, of course.
Its important to have a rain plan.
Yesterday, in fact, a downpour started just before my workout was due to start.
If it were to rain for days on end, Id have to make some more drastic changes.
My go-to rain workout is power cleans and seated presses, both of which I can do indoors.
Id put my hoodie over my shoulders, and sip coffee from a thermos.
Other hazards will vary with your climate.
Weights and other equipment can be hot or cold to the touch after they spend time outside.
You may have to be wary of falling pinecones or overhead branches.
Dont go back in the house
My house is full of people.
For a while, my program had pull-ups on it.
We have a pull-up bar in one of the bedroom doorways.
But going inside is a trap.
Kids will want things from you.
Best to stay out of the house entirely, until the workout is done.
So I found a place to do pull-ups outside.
Its weird, until its home
The first few weeks of lifting outside were just plainweird.
All the sounds, sights and smells were different.
My bumper plates didnt bounce the same way the ones at the gym always do.
I had to watch for kids out of the corner of my eye.
Everything just felt wrong.
I kept showing up.
And after a while, I felt more comfortable.
By now, I evenlikeit.
My red camp chair in the garage with a water or a coffee in the cupholder, thats home.
The place where I set my tripod when Im taking form check videos, thats home.
The exact four-foot-by-six-foot spot where my mat goes every morning?
