Algonquin Adventures / Isolation fitness

**Posted by AlgonquinLakes** **Online!** 4/10/2020 6:51 pm

The thread on the ethics of paddling during isolation touched on this and it piqued my curiosity. How’s everyone getting their exercise through this? Do you have a home workout, use an online trainer or fitness program? I’ve got a couple of workouts that take about 40 minutes and at least get a sweat going, if not much else. Would be interested to see what everyone else is doing.

**Posted by hiker72** 4/10/2020 7:28 pm

My back pulled a serious hate-on for me a month ago and so I've been doing lots of stretches and core exercises to get myself back in order. Thankfully it's nothing permanent. Going forward, I plan on keeping up my stretching and core exercises. I also do a lot of (relatively) long distance running and plan on getting back to this once able. This typically involves one or two weekday shorter runs (5-8 kms) and a longer weekend run (10-18 kms). I find this great from both a cardiovascular and mental health perspective. Thankfully, I live in a rural setting so no worries about other pedestrians. I've also been thinking about getting back into a mild weight routine just to tone up the aging body a bit. This would involve dumbbells only, including arm curls, squats, presses, stair lifts etc.

**Posted by trippythings** 4/10/2020 9:08 pm

I usually go to the gym 4-5x/week and do heavy weightlifting. Used to powerlift but stopped a few years ago. This whole isolation thing is really non-ideal for my normal routine lol. To make it worse, I don't have any equipment at home and there's literally no doorframe that would even support a pullup bar. So I've just been doing a ton of jumping jacks for cardio and lots of bodyweight exercises. Put all my canned food into a box and was curling that. Finally got a pair of super-old-about-to-break (literally) 15lbs dumbbells, so that's at least giving me a margin of new exercises I can include. Still on the hunt for more dumbbells but as you can imagine they're basically impossible to come by right now. About 6 months of progress lost in the past 6-8 weeks.

**Posted by solos** 4/10/2020 9:52 pm

trippythings wrote:
...Still on the hunt for more dumbbells but as you can imagine they're basically impossible to come by right now...

Concrete! Curbside pickup at your favourite home improvement store and make whatever size and shape you want. About $7 for 30 kg.

**Posted by trippythings** 4/11/2020 8:21 am

solos wrote:
trippythings wrote:
...Still on the hunt for more dumbbells but as you can imagine they're basically impossible to come by right now...
Concrete! Curbside pickup at your favourite home improvement store and make whatever size and shape you want. About $7 for 30 kg.

Thanks that's not a bad idea. What would the process look like? I just searched online and most videos are to make circular plates to attach to a bar. But that would require more materials and supplies, spring clamps, etc.

**Posted by scoutergriz** 4/11/2020 11:16 am

you can always order some one and 5 gallon pails to fill with that concrete for dead lifts, and a piece of hardwood dowel can be used to make a dumbbell- fill a can with cement- insert the dowel (you can punch a hole in a piece of cardboard and place it over the top of the can to hold the dowel) let it harden, fill another can and insert the other end, let it harden too and presto, one dumbbell.

**Posted by TripperMike** 4/20/2020 12:20 pm

I've started doing squats at home while holding my 10 month old son. I usually take him for a walk every morning that I'm home, around 6 -10 km. Starting to consider putting some weight into a hiking pack haha.

Now that the weather is coming around I'm hoping to get out cycling in the wee hours around sunrise before the hoards hit the downtown Lakeshore.

**Posted by EddyTurn** 4/22/2020 1:59 pm

TripperMike wrote:
I've started doing squats at home while holding my 10 month old son. I usually take him for a walk every morning that I'm home, around 6 -10 km. Starting to consider putting some weight into a hiking pack haha.

I did the same carrying my kid in a carrier for his first 3 years and it got me in better shape at 60 than I was 20 years ago. It also helped with getting him comfortable in the woods, rain or shine, so canoe trips feel for him like a natural thing to do. (Also, carrying ankle weights on my walks, 20lbs combined, was very helpful.)

**Posted by RCSpartan** 4/22/2020 3:29 pm

I train Brazilian jiu-jitsu which I find helps with the physical and mental rigors of tough portages. As you can guess, I'm currently not training and to be honest, I don't know when it will be acceptable to get back to the dojo.
For now, I'm waking up and going for 45 min power walks each morning which gets a little bit of a sweat and really helps to clear the mind. I may start to throw the canoe on top of my head to make things interesting. It should also give me the right of way on the sidewalks, no?

**Posted by trippythings** 4/22/2020 5:22 pm

A very kind person here donated some of their old equipment to me, so now I've got a couple different dumbbells with adjustable weights.

I think I'm going to invest in more stuff as well when it becomes available, I can't see myself wanting to go back to my gym for a long time, even once it opens again. The number of people touching the equipment every day, the infrequency that it all gets properly sanitized, and the inevitability of touching your face while working out. I'll probably be training at home for a while.

**Posted by AlgonquinLakes** **Online!** 12/24/2020 1:07 pm

Revisiting this thread and wondering how people’s workout routines have changed over the past nine months. For me, I’ve been running a lot more since this started. By October I was up to three or four runs a week, usually three between 6-8 km and a longer one (12-15 km) on weekends. That’s slowed down now as it turns out running in cold weather is not high on my list of things I love, but I’m still getting out at least a couple times a week.

We also moved this summer and the previous owner of our new place threw in a bench and a ton of weights, so I’ve now got a nice little home gym.

It’s interesting, before the pandemic I was a bit of a gym rat, going 5-6 times a week. Now I’m not sure I’ll ever go back. For any who have ventured back to their gym, how are you finding it from a health and safety perspective? Are people pretty conscientious about giving space and cleaning equipment?

**Posted by trippythings** 12/24/2020 1:44 pm

AlgonquinLakes wrote:
It’s interesting, before the pandemic I was a bit of a gym rat, going 5-6 times a week. Now I’m not sure I’ll ever go back.

Same here. I was into powerlifting for years, then after I stopped powerlifting I still treated the gym as my second home... sorry, I mean third home after Algonquin

But I have no plans on going back. I've invested in a bunch of my own equipment now and will just continue using that.

I know a lot of people have taken up running but I personally don't enjoy it. I had a big running phase when I was in university but now I just skip/jump rope on my balcony for cardio.

Last edited by trippythings (12/24/2020 1:44 pm)

**Posted by BarryB** 12/24/2020 3:17 pm

Ah, the glowing enthusiasm of the young and middle-age paddlers! As a 72 year old has-been, I find my usual 1 hour daily walk and occasional stationary bike session aren't cutting it! My tendons are too tight, my wind is too short and my waistline is too big! I'm thinking of reviewing my diet and exploring yoga stretching in the new year. Any other seniors out there got some personal recommendations?

**Posted by Jdbonney** 12/24/2020 4:10 pm

Barry you can’t go wrong with yoga. I coach volleyball and at the end of every practice I force the team into about 10 minutes of stretching and yoga. As much for me as for them. Stretching is so important for a healthy life.

We bought a bunch of kettle bells and medicine balls and between those 2 the fam and I can manage a great home workout. I think there will always be a place for people who enjoy cardio and spinning classes at the gym(not me) but a lot of people are finding you can do a lot with a small investment in weight equipment from your home.

**Posted by swedish pimple** 12/24/2020 10:03 pm

i have a regular routine of biking and , walking each day weather permitting, followed by stretches and core exercises, some curling bar work, i play hockey too, but not since last march. some times i play with the ex pros in peterborough,, being a goalie is dangerous work with those carbon floor hockey sticks that every one uses now a days.
last july i had a bad bike spill and had to take time off to heal,, several months later i had to start all over again,, i am 60 now and it takes time to recover,,i am a big believer in using ice for a injury and massage therapy .
quick note to barry have you considered tai chi

**Posted by Methye** 3/28/2021 11:33 am

RCSpartan wrote:
I may start to throw the canoe on top of my head to make things interesting. It should also give me the right of way on the sidewalks, no?

Do it for a good cause!

https://queticofoundation.org/quetico-foundation-launches-queticoportagechallenge/

**Posted by scoutergriz** 3/29/2021 9:02 am

Barry; you could always run stairs. I use ours at home to improve endurance and balance, tighten my abs, and keep my tendons working. you can mix it up by skipping every other stair, double- stepping by always starting each step with the same leg, or even upping the game with a weighted day pack.