My DIY Home Gym + Quarantine Fitness Routine
It feels a little funny to be writing this post right now, because, to be honest, my fitness routine has sort of gone off the rails over the past few weeks. After getting a nasty cold at the end of September, which coincided with my brother visiting from Oregon, I’m just now getting back into the swing of things. Isn’t that the way things go, though? While it would be nice to think of our own habits and rhythms as unwavering, the reality is that life is unpredictable – when it knocks us down, we have to choose to get back up. That was very much my reality back in March when the pandemic hit the U.S. (or at least, hit the U.S. publicly) and our stay-safer-at-home orders went into effect.
After ending 2019 on a low note, I had worked hard in January and February of this year to get back in the gym for my own wellbeing. Regular exercise and movement are integral to my mental health – especially for managing my ADHD and sleeplessness – but until the pandemic hit I was largely reliant on access to a gym for any fitness that wasn’t related to a sport. So when I found myself suddenly quarantined along with the rest of the world, one of my first thoughts was “but what about the gym?” I deeply regretted not buying that Peloton on Black Friday! Up until this year, I hated working out at home. I enjoyed the stimulus of the gym and having “a place” to go for my workouts. And as annoying as it was to wait for some dude to finish using the Smith machine, it was the only access I had to heavy weights, which are my favorite part of working out. Even though I used to be an avid runner, at the time I couldn’t imagine myself working out at home. I hate following workout videos. I thought I was screwed and as such, my fitness routine fell by the wayside as we stayed indoors and anxiously watched the news.
Around May, though, I’d had enough of the anxiety and sleepless nights. My body needed movement! With the arrival of spring weather in Maine, I finally bit the bullet and started running again – and quickly fell back in love with it. Why had I waited so long? (Oh yeah, the weather) It wasn’t so much the running part that I loved – two months largely spent on the couch doesn’t make getting back on the horse any easier! – but running outdoors again, and trail running, reminded me why I started in the first place. While the world had come to a screeching halt, nature hadn’t, and on my daily runs, I had a first-row seat for spring’s metamorphosis. Observing the seasonal changes in our city while I ran gave me a new-found appreciation for running outdoors. For watching bare branches sprout shoots of green leaves, then flowers. For listening to bird calls, easier to be heard without the normal din of traffic. As much as I love running, though, I still missed weight room and I found myself frustrated and stir-crazy on bad-weather days when I couldn’t get out for a run. And it turns out I wasn’t alone – a quick search for home strength training equipment, affordable dumbbells, and even resistance bands turned up sold-out products with months-long waitlists – or jacked up prices due to high demand. So I got back to basics and reconnected to my DIY ethos - if I couldn’t get to the gym, I’d piece it together at home, dumbbell by dumbbell.
My DIY Home Gym
First thing first, I needed to find weights. I missed lifting so much! I don’t do any powerlifting (yet!), but I like lifting heavy and incorporating weights into my workouts. It makes me feel grounded and connected to my body, and aids my running by strengthening the rest of my body. Plus, who doesn’t love to feel strong? Actually finding the weights, though, was tough. I started with Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace – depending on where you live, you may have great success on these sites. But living in Maine where there are just fewer people, what few listings there were went fast and in some cases were more expensive than buying new. So I started asking around and my first bit of luck came from my dad’s basement. While doing some maintenance work for him I stumbled across a weight rack and a few dumbbells that he’d planned to give to my cousin. Well, my cousin’s loss was my gain and I walked away with a good starting point. On another occasion, I mentioned my search for two 15lb dumbells to some friends while doing a distanced backyard hang, and my pal ran to his basement and emerged with exactly what I needed. Score! lesson: don’t be afraid to ask around! Below, I’ve listed everything I cobbled together to create my DIY home gym, some of which I purchased, some I already had, some I sourced from family and friends:
Weighted Jumprope: for quick bursts of outdoor cardio between weight sets
Two 40lb Dumbbells: Occasionally used together for farmer’s carry, more often used solo for deadlifts, single-leg deadlifts, and goblet squats
One 20lb Dumbbell: Still looking for its match, but I use this for single-arm workouts and some squat workouts.
Two 15lb Dumbbells, two 10lb Dumbbells, & several 3lb hand weights: Used for various exercises but mostly arm workouts.
Resistance Band Set: Can be used solo or in addition to weights for added difficulty/resistance
Two 10lb barbell plates & one 35lb barbell plate: I use the 10lb plates for situps and crunches by holding them close to my chest while I exercise, and I use the 35lb barbell plate for squats, good mornings (I hold it across my chest instead of my back shoulders), rows, and squat-to-overhead-lifts (whatever you want to call that)
Jade Yoga Mat: Used for yoga, stretching, floor exercises, etc. My favorite yoga mat ever is the Jade Voyager – zero hand slippage!
Foam Roller Set: Used for stretching, releasing muscle tension, and post-workout foam rolling. Learn how to foam roll here
Training sneakers & running sneakers (linked to the pairs I use). Investing in inexpensive training sneakers makes an enormous difference for lifting/HITT workouts!
ES 700 Indoor Home Spin Bike (here’s an affordable home spin bike option): Ok, so I got really lucky with this one. As I mentioned, I’d been seriously considering a Peloton pre-pandemic (and pre-losing my job due to the pandemic), but could no longer justify the cost due to – GESTURES BROADLY – all this. One of my mom’s neighbors had given her this bike and it wasn’t getting much use at her house, so I gladly took it off her hands. It’s basic and certainly not as tech-integrated as a Peloton, or at all, but Chris and I changed out some parts and it’s now serviceable as a cardio option on bad-weather days. Here’s what we added:
Spin bike pedals compatible with LOOK ARC Delta & Shimano SPD clips (if purchasing new clips for your home spin bike, you’ll need to make sure your clips and shoes are compatible!)
Road cycling/spin shoes. We specifically chose spin shoes and bike clips that were compatible with a Peloton bike, just in case we decided to invest in one in the future.
Exercise/Equipment mat. If you’re purchasing a large piece of equipment – or even just lifting weights at home – I’d highly recommend this. This mat protects our floors from the weight of the bike and is large enough to also rest the weights on while we’re not using them, preventing more floor damage.
Not bad for most of it being free, right? While there are certainly some pieces that I’d like to add (still looking for that second 20lb dumbbell!), this set-up changed the game for me when it came to working out at home. I absolutely despise bodyweight workouts (mind-numbing!), so having the weights available made a huge difference and on nice days this summer, I loved using them on our patio. If you’re looking to create your own DIY home gym, I’d suggest looking at buy/sell/trade groups and sites like Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace, and searching for local buy-nothing groups. And don’t be afraid to ask around! Personally, I didn’t have much luck with buying used equipment but found it all through family and friends.
Now that the weather has shifted, so too has my routine, but below I’m sharing a general peek at how I structure my quarantine home fitness routine.
Quarantine Home Fitness Routine:
I’ve been asked frequently on Instagram about my fitness routine, especially when I’d post peeks to Stories. While I don’t follow any videos or online fitness classes, I do follow a general structure that looks a little like this:
Run: 2-4 times per week
Weights: 2-4 times per week
Goal: 4-5 workouts per week (usually in the morning) with one active recovery day and room for sports/activities in between. Working out in the morning is key for me to “get it over with” even though I really enjoy it!
That’s it. That’s the general structure. When building my routine, it was important for me to focus on longevity. I’ve burnt myself out far too many times by going too hard. Since I was already feeling daunted by my wavering motivation, I felt like keeping things open and fluid made the most sense while being the kindest approach for my body and that started by outlining my goals: Did I want to get stronger and gain muscle? Yes. Was I looking to lose a bunch of weight? No. Did I want to create a routine that lasted? YES.
Over the summer on days when I ran, I typically did 2-4 miles depending on how much sleep I got and how I was feeling. Lifting days were structured like HIIT workouts: I’d warm up with the jump rope, transition to four to five sets of 10-15 reps of several targeted moves, moving quickly from move to move, then finish with the jump rope and some stretching (sometimes jumping rope between sets and always incorporating some sort of “explosive” move – e.g. jump squats).
Now that fall is here, and since I’ve been getting back into exercising after being sick, my routine has shifted yet again. Right now I’m focusing on running 4-5 days a week, and lifting for 15-20 minutes after my run. It’s prime running weather right now, so I love getting outside as much as possible. My biggest hurdle (track joke!) right now is thinking about winter. I’m going to try to run outdoors year-round, but I know there will be days when it’s not possible and I’m not as into the bike as I thought I’d be (Chris likes it though). So if we stay in our apartment I’m honestly thinking of investing in a used treadmill. I know I’ll use it, and there are tons of options on Craigslist!
On active recovery days, I aim for 10k steps a day and ideally some sort of activity, whether it’s a walk on the beach with Chris or a hike. And I always leave room for changes. If I have a long hike or surf session planned on a day when I’d typically run, I skip the run. If I’m going paddle boarding or doing something slower, though, I’ll still workout because I’ve learned that, while meditative and maybe slightly beneficial for the abdominals, paddleboarding doesn’t provide much resistance!
So that’s where I’m at! Phew! If there’s one thing I’ve learned from the past several months of this god-forsaken pandemic, it’s to be gentle with myself and always check in with how I’m feeling. If I really don’t want to run, I’ll do something else active or switch things up. Fitness and working out is fun for me, makes me feel more stable, helps me sleep… basically, exercise makes me feel more human – and I want to keep it that way. Working out shouldn’t be a punishment! So when things start to feel too routine, I switch things up.
One thing I always keep with me though is my mantra: Imagine where you’d be a year from now if you kept going. The focus of that quote – for me – is on progress, not perfection. While my routine may not be perfect, I can see progress in the number of pounds I can lift over my head, in how much less red my face is after running (improved cardio fitness!), and in how much easier hiking and other activities are because of the lifting I do on other days. By “keep going”, I mean getting back up when I fall off the horse, starting again when life goes sideways. it’s always worth it!
