Afterthe coronavirus closedfitness facilities and forced people to stay at home, fitness-loving folksfacedan unprecedented dilemma: how to stay in shape without a fully stocked gym.Thankfully, you don’t need that much equipment to get in a really solid sweat session. With the right tools in your arsenal, you can challenge your body in a surprising number of ways, keeping it strong and healthy for your futureoutdoor adventures.
Need some inspiration? Here, five elite athletes share the at-home gear that’s helping them train during social distancing. Just one of these versatile, effective tools may be all you need to crush your next climb, trail run, open-water swim, kayak trip, or stand-up paddleboardsession.
Pro-Tec Athletics Resistance Bands ($15)
Last year was a nightmarefor professional ultrarunner Dylan Bowman. In April, the second-place men’s finisher in the broke his ankle on a run; just three months later, he separated his shoulder and suffered a concussion in a bike crash. The injuries were a wake-up call for the 34-year-old athlete to focus more on what he calls the little things:targeted strength training and physical therapy. Lately, he’s been relying on to get the job done. In between runs near his home in Portland, Oregon, Bowman (who is sponsored by Pro-Tec) uses the latex bands, which come in a three-pack, offeringlight, medium, and heavy resistance.He focuses ondaily hip- and glute-activation exercisesthat build muscularstability from his ankles up. One of his to-go moves? A minute-long. “It’s such a basic movement, and 60 seconds doesn’t sound like a long time, but it will absolutely get your glutes fired up,” he says. The bands are also great for other bodyweight exerciseslike clamshells, , , squats, and hip bridges.
TRX Suspension Trainer ($130)
Slalom-canoe phenom Evy Leibfarth, 16, has been using her newfound free time at home to explore the many uses of the . For Leibfarth—who the first and youngest American woman to qualifyfor slalom canoe at the Tokyo Olympics—having a strong, stable core is the key to podium finishes. These adjustable resistance-training strapshelp her work this important muscle group with just her bodyweight. Recently, the Bryson City, North Carolina, resident has been using her TRX trainer three times a week for 45-minute-long sessions, affixing itto the top of a door with an anchor (included). “In the absence of weights, it’s been really helpful,” she says. One of her favorite TRX ab moves is a suspended push-up:she hangs her feetonthe handles, and performs a crunch in between reps. The tool is also great for strengthening the shoulders, legs, and “pretty much anything,” Leibfarth says.
Fitness Gear Jump Rope ($22) and Peloton App ($13 per month)
Before the pandemicshut down swimming pools across the country, professional open-water swimmer Ashley Twichell was training about 20 hours a week in the pool. Nowthe only place the 31-year-old Tokyo Olympics qualifier can practice her stroke is at a lake near her home in Cary, North Carolina, where she currentlyswimsthree to four hours a week.To fill the rest of the gap, Twichell has been doing core, bike, and run sessions with the and quick cardio and calf-strengthening circuits with the . The latter“can be a killer workout in ashort amount of time,” says Twichell, who uses her jump ropetwo to three times a week in 10-to-15-minute bursts, alternating intervals of jumping (40 seconds) and resting (20 seconds). Jumping rope is also an excellent warm-up before bodyweight workouts.Download the Peloton app for and .
Transgression andProgression Training Hang Boards ($225)
Professional climber Steph Davis, 46, has been busy during self-isolation constructing an outdoor wall in her Moab, Utah, backyard. The is seriously sweet—but also damn costly. As a more budget-friendly alternative for at-home training, Davis suggests climbers consider the . Developed by climbing coachEva López, these hang boards (available in two different varieties, catering to different ability levels) come with a training program that López designed based on her doctoral thesis on load progression in training.Davis, who has the more advanced version of the hang board mounted on a crossbeam inside her home, says the tool is “really, really good for finger strength.” She typically uses it twice a week fortwo months at a time, thentakes a break to avoid injuryand to mix up her workouts.(As of press time,Transgessionproducts aresold out, but according tothe company, they should be available again soon. Davis also recommends hang boards.)
Olympic Barbell ($385)
Professional stand-up paddleboarder Danny Ching and his wife, Leah, who competes in outrigger canoe paddling, typically complement their on-water workouts with regular HIIT-style weight lifting, spin classes, and swimming at their local gym. But since that’sshuttered temporarily, the couple, based in Hermosa Beach, California, has shifted tospin sessions on a stationary bike and backyard strength routines. For the latter, they use a to execute a variety of moves, including overhead squats, cleans, deadlifts, lunges, and bench presses. “Just using that 45-pound weight, you canhit most of the muscles you’d need, front and back,” says Ching, 36. The tool also helps himwork his smaller stabilizing muscles, which are paramount on a paddleboard.