quarantinedgymrat-blog

[quarantinedgymrat-blog]

Survival Guide for the Quarantined Gym Rats

The Coronavirus pandemic is spreading dangerously around the world, therefore most public places are being shut down. So many people, like myself, were heartbroken when the email from 24 Hour Fitness was sent out saying they are shutting down for the time being. The good news is, with social media, there’s an abundance of resources to help us gym rats stay healthy and not lose our precious gains. Jeff Nippard, a science-based bodybuilder, made a video giving tips on how to do workouts from home. 

Jeff goes further than just showing you different workouts to do, he also explains how to do them effectively. He shows variations from beginner to more advanced and what muscle is being targeted. He also explains that the amount of reps when doing at-home workout may vary because you will most likely be using little to no reps. Doing reps until failure is his approach to how to get an effective workout at home. He mentions the common concern of losing muscle mass during this time period and shows a study on how taking a few weeks off, or doing lighter weight, will not result in major loss of muscle. Even if a slight amount of muscle mass is lost during this time, it comes back easily. 

Depending on your fitness goals, diet plays a role in maintaining muscle mass and/or losing fat. For people trying to keep their muscle, it is important to either maintain your caloric intake or be in a caloric surplus. He also states that for people trying to keep fat off, a caloric deficit would be beneficial for them. Recently people have claimed that different diets will help prevent/cure the virus; Jeff researched these claims only to find there is no evidence behind them. 

It is important to stay safe and away from public places at this time, including gyms, to stop the spread of this virus. Although it seems as if life as we know it is gone, there are still ways to maintain our daily activities and stay on track.