I miss the gym. So so so so much.
I miss everything about it... the horrible music, the over crowded free weights section, the screamers, even the hovering gym creeps that don’t take social cues... okay, maybe not them.
One thing I actually do miss though, is the atmosphere of silent competition that paradoxically melds with a sense of fellowship and motivation. You want to be better than the person next to you, but you also have ultimate respect for the hardest workers in the room. You learn from them, and they learn from you, and you never stop growing in strength, and skill, and community.
This isolation has forced me to think beyond my normal routines. I have had to find ways to push myself to work harder, in complete isolation. In order to do this, I have been connecting with more and more bodybuilding and fitness professionals on social media, and learning new ways to reach my goals with the equipment (and the body) that I have. I have been taking free live Instagram classes (even though prior to this experience I despised IG live notifications) so that I can be pushed to the limits by someone else (and so I cannot take a break and curl up on my basement gym couch), and I have been making sure to thank and credit those trainers to let them know I need them to keep doing what they are doing. For example, the last few days I have had kick-ass workouts via IG live from @davidgoggins, @everybodyfights and @ulissesworld.
Today after doing an hour-long bis/tris/core live class, I decided to figure out how to incorporate resistance bands into my basement structures to replicate that back day cable machine experience I’ve been missing so much, and compiled what I worked out in the video below. It’s not pretty, my basement is messy and there’s nothing aesthetically appealing about it, but I'm grateful as hell for it... and it’s gym-creep free (except for my stalker Shar Pei Hound. Let me know what you think, and what you’ve been doing to stay creative and moving.
Do what you can, when you can, with what you got.
Get Strong. Stay Healthy.
XOXO Sari 🦁💛
Thank you Janet — I know you are staying strong out there 💪🏼💛
That is a great idea! I miss those machines as well but will try this! Thank u Sari for sharing 💖