Many sports and athletes feel in crisis when gyms are closed or inaccessible.
In the various forums and social media pages dedicated to fitness we often read their questions on how to exercise at home without losing both physical shape and athletic performance. In fact, the answer is not obvious.
Training in the gym offers many benefits for those who want to stay in shape.

On the one hand, the possibility of using specific machines and tools, where you can do exercises that can hardly be replicated at home, unless you have the same machines. On the other hand, the consultation of a coach who often provides ad hoc training, in the form of a card. This card is then difficult to translate into a home workout.

The questions of those who love to train at home being used to the gym are answered by an Olympic athlete , Caroline Buchanan , 29, Australian cyclist, 8 times world champion for BMX and candidate for the Tokyo 2021 Olympics.

Such an athlete has to train both in the gym and outdoors, so if she has to stay at home she is penalized doubly. Also because as an athlete she was also quarantined for safety following the Covid-19 emergency. Let’s see what she recommends.

HOW TO PRACTICE AT HOME IF YOU ARE AN ATHLETE?

• Get yourself a home card right away.

  Better to throw in black and white (or to the PC) a training routine, trying to maintain the same goals (toning up, losing weight, strength training, etc.). The basic objective is to maintain the results obtained.

• Don’t forget to take care of yourself.

  This also from the food point of view, avoiding cheats (although normally you would do them by going to the gym), taking advantage of this time to rest more.

• Send your new card by email to a passionate friend like you but competent to get some more tips.

• Do you lack the tools and space you would like? Be creative.

  There are many online videos of home workouts, with items like pots, empty suitcases, tables, chairs or sofas, stairs. On this point Dcomedieta offers you a tip. Go to youtube, write your specialty in English (bodybuilder, cyclist, weight lifter, dancer) by combining the phrase “home workout”. Suddenly you will find tons of examples and tutorials that can inspire you. For women I recommend watching the “living room” videos of the athlete and personal trainer Kaisa Keranen, who has a youtube page called Kaisafit.
  For men, however, an advice is to maintain the results by trying Calisthenics, for example by looking at the exercises proposed on the Calisthenics Movement page .

• Another piece of advice that Caroline gives is to think about training with a more open mind.

  For example, aiming to improve flexibility and mobility, through yoga (she recommends the youtube channel Yoga with Adriene ) or pilates also for men, as in the videos of Dave Findley, who uses rubber bands a lot. These workouts will come in handy when you get back to the gym as you will be more coordinated and flexible. It is a big mistake to underestimate them.