The Physical Movement, Business: Supply, Demand, Exercise Equipment, Coronavirus & The Modern Exerciser

There is a strange phenomenon going on with fitness people who seem to have some time on their hands

There is a strange phenomenon going on with fitness people who seem to have some time on their hands

Perhaps it is the gym goers. Perhaps people are bored.

Its all positive, but interesting nonetheless.

It is the healthy ones for sure. (No one under the weather has this on their priority list).

Maybe it’s just in Canada.

But it’s happening. I can see it as I am in the fitness industry, in supply of equipment. Something quite strange as a result of this virus.

There is a super high demand for fitness equipment for home workouts right now.

Some specialty retailers are sold out of many items.

What could possibly explain this rush on fitness equipment?

One possibility is the forced explosion of exercising at home.

Gyms in North America are closed or in the process of closing due to coronavirus. Hotels with gyms are almost closed. Office places with gyms are not being frequented. That leaves the home for a workout.

These same gyms and trainers from them are providing streaming workouts, either via social media or other channel.

People are looking to get their workout in, follow along, but don’t have what the streaming workout is using.

Getting your workout in, without using equipment, while accommodating to different fitness levels is not as simple as it sounds.

That is where fitness equipment evolved from, as a tool for more efficient exercise. As we moved from industrial to information age, the need for structured exercise became more a necessity for good health.

Most modern regular exercisers use equipment to some degree, if you use the size of the fitness industry as a measure of its size. Peloton had revenue of $719 million in 2019.

To strength train, dumbbells, resistance bands, barbells, kettlebells all work efficiently as opposed to the rocks, wheelbarrows and sticks of yesteryear!

Indoor cycles allow us to have a cycling experience without worrying about weather, traffic & road conditions. They also provide a group experience. Cold weather climates can cycle indoors without a worry in the world. Makes cycling more accessible and efficient.

There are special racks for your barbells, special pieces of cardiovascular equipment to reduce impact or even integrate with technology. There are boxes to jump on, weighted balls to throw and inflatable balls to balance on. We can go on down the list.

Could you make up your own workout or get that from the outdoors? Yes. Some do and can. But we have grown reliant on someone else setting the workout up for us. Kind of like a lot of things. We eat out more often and we get our taxi service brought to the door via an app.

The modern exerciser has learned to rely on these tools. Nothing wrong with that. Being in the equipment industry myself, I have a strong bias towards good equipment.

The better it feels, the more I like it. A new challenge, a new feel. Anything that gets people moving has always been a good thing in my mind.

Many of the modern fitness trends have been driven by equipment

· Technology and trackers

· Dual action bikes

· The trend of content driven workouts via peloton

· Functional training and accessories like suspension trainers.

So now, there is NO gym & no equipment. Is there panic?

If your home is not equipped, then we are into no man’s land.

We have these apps and streaming classes but no equipment to follow along.

All we have is a space and our knowledge base to figure it out.

Where does that leave us?

Bodyweight workouts!!

Bodyweight exercises are strength training exercises that use the individual’s own weight to provide resistance against gravity.

Harrison, Jeffrey S (April 2010). “Bodyweight Training: A Return To Basics”. Strength and Conditioning Journal.

Bodyweight exercises can enhance a range of biomotor abilities including strength, power, endurance, speed, flexibility, coordination and balance.

Patel, Kesh (2014). The complete guide to bodyweight training. London, United Kingdom: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Bodyweight training can be adaptable to your fitness & experience level. Meaning progression (harder) and regressions (make easier).

Note: if you have not exercised in a while, you should get clearance from your doctor. That is tough these days has they have other priorities. So this is for people who have exercised in a while and need something to get them moving in a small space with no equipment.

Here we go:

Rule of thumb. Do what you can. Try again tomorrow. Any soreness, back off.

Pick a move from each section that works for you. Do 5–8 repetitions of each for 1 round, planks for time outlined below. Try 2 rounds to start, build to 3.

Push Up.

So much misunderstood on this move. We learned in high school, do as many as you can. Well, we know more about that now.

Adapt to what you can do, and slowly progress.

Level 1: Yoga push up on bench

Looks simple but deliberately effective. Moving methodically is the goal here. This version on the floor is harder.

Progression to Level 2: Push Up On bench:

Before jumping into standard version, test yourself on a bench or chair. Play with tempo.

Harder (level 3) : Hands free push up

A push up variation harder than the standard version.

Squat : Fundamental movement pattern.

Practice it. Use a chair if this is too hard.

Make look a little goofy, but effective and you can do this when no one is watching! Anything for added weight can do!

Core: Plank To Side Plank

30 s plank/15 s each side

Simple & effective core builder

Next level : Progression to 1 arm plank: hold for 15s or 30s.

Brace/squeeze core.

1 arm plank is advanced version of forearm plank. 15s usually does it!

Posture:

Wall slide: push lower back to the wall and sl ide arms to keep as much contact along wall as possible.

lower back to the wall and slide arms up and down, try to keep pressed on wall!

There are so many things we can with bodyweight exercises. Calisthetics and physical fitness were a thing in the 60’s pushed by US president John F Kennedy. This was 60 years ago!

The Federal Government Takes on Physical Fitness
In the years just after World War II, concerns about the fitness of US citizens, especially the young, attracted…www.jfklibrary.org

JFK's Fitness Programme (1961-1962)
Part of a mid-century scare about America's children and the future of the American military, the following post…physicalculturestudy.com

I don’t see any equipment involved here.

Simple

Effective

Daily.

At first glance, this could be implemented not only for our kids, but all of us who need simple, effective and daily!

Perhaps all of this craziness can bring us back to simple and effective. At least for a little while.

While I ponder that, I need to practice my wall slides!