To say 2020 is a strange time is a huge understatement. Quarantine and lockdown restrictions due to COVID-19 have limited everyone‚Äôs movements around the world. People are forced to socially distance and minimize their outside exposure. Live sports events like March Madness were canceled; even the biggest leagues like the NBA weren’t spared.
For professional athletes, this means team workouts have been prohibited. Gyms and training facilities are closed. Syracuse athletes have been forced to limit their access to the facilities if they have access at all. However, fitness is more important now than ever as regular exercise boosts both physical and mental health. And players need to be ready in case their sports restart.
Indeed, it’s easy to be sedentary right now and just binge-watch your favorite Netflix shows. However, daily physical activities can be therapeutic and bring that much-needed sense of normalcy in your everyday life. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to stretch and sweat at home.
Whether you’re an athlete looking to maintain peak performance with challenging workouts, or an enthusiast looking to have a better headspace during this difficult time, then this is for you. Have a look at Spikes and Heels for some female focused fitness tips and advice. Here are some of the best workouts for athletes during the quarantine. 
Nourish your body with supplements
Working out as an athlete is different compared to working out just to stay fit. You have to maintain your competitive level so you need adequate amounts of nutrients. To ensure your athletic fitness, you need a supplement with 2:1:1 BCAA ratio. This can improve your metabolism, support muscle growth, increase strength training, and prevent muscle soreness. All of these factors can greatly benefit an athlete’s competitive performance.
Maintaining your fitness level as an athlete while in quarantine. (Image Source: Pexels)
Get outside if possible
Make sure you check with your local government’s guidelines about going outside. Take a walk, ride a bike, if allowed. Obviously, you have to maintain social physical distance from others. You can take your dog for a walk too.
Anyway, you don’t have to go to the park if you can’t. You can do your workouts in the backyard instead. You can also do gardening. The important thing is you get as much fresh air and morning sunshine as possible.
Track your progress
There are a bunch of fitness trackers and apps that can help you get on top of your workouts. If you don’t feel like bringing around a gadget, you can always keep a journal. Write down your fitness goals, workout routines, etc. This will help you stay accountable and motivated. Also, seeing your progress provides a great sense of accomplishment that will provide you that much-needed emotional boost.
Get creative with household items
Technology can provide a lot of help, but it also pays to be resourceful. You don’t really need the fanciest gadgets or exercise equipment. Be creative in using regular household items as your fitness tools. You can use your chair to support your squats. Also, a few liters of jugs of water is a good tool to provide weights for specific exercises, such as shoulder presses, squats, lunges, rows, etc.
Eat right
There is no replacement to a healthy and balanced diet when you are trying to maintain fitness as an athlete. Aside from doing extensive workouts to promote performance, you need to stock up on healthy foods, as well. Load up on carbohydrates and get enough protein if you’re planning to do more intense exercises.
Keep it fun
Turn your workouts into games from time to time. Do you have a Kinect or Wii? Why not play with your kids? You can always play catch with your pet in your backyard too. If you have the yard space to spare, maybe you can have a small obstacle race with your siblings or housemates as well. A swimming match might be possible too.
Take advantage of tech
Many personal trainers and gyms offer virtual workout sessions and classes. This is a great way to keep you accountable in your fitness goals, plus, a fun way to keep your social connections.
There’s also a bunch of free workout videos from YouTube. For more comprehensive guides and programs, you can try apps or ebooks. There are free and paid versions online. You can check out the following mediums too:
- Nike Training Club
Workout ideas for athletes during the quarantine. (Image Source: Pexels)
Nike’s training app contains almost everything you need. Whether you’re a pro athlete, amateur athlete, a fitness enthusiast, or just someone looking to start your journey into fitness, this app will have something for you.
It has a wide range of workouts to choose from, such as High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) for strengthening and conditioning of athletes, bodyweight home workouts, yoga, and cardio. These programs are from professional trainers, and the best thing about them is they’re all for free. Also, most of the workouts suggested require minimum to no equipment.
- Royster Fitness
Jamarr Royster of Royster Fitness is an elite powerlifter and strength coach. His online app includes body-weight home workouts and lifting weights at the gym. His programs can definitely bring your strength and power to the next level.
- Meditation podcasts
There’s a lot of free daily meditation podcasts you can listen to, such as The OneMind Podcast, Mindful Minute, Ten Percent Happier, etc. These aid you in improving your focus and clearing up your mind before your sessions. In this way, you can minimize the number of times you get distracted.
- Yoga classes
Some of the best yoga instructors on YouTube are Faith Hunter, Tara Stiles, Jessamyn Stanley, and Adriene Mishler. You might want to check out their channels to receive free instructions, especially if you’re starting out with this discipline.
Also, for more comprehensive guides, check out these free online yoga classes from Corepower Yoga, Do Yoga With Me, Fightmaster Yoga, and Yoga with Adriene.
- Pilates classes
Club Pilates, one of the most popular Pilates club studios on Facebook, offers free live-streams.
Also, you can check out the YouTube channel of Kit Rich, she’s Jennifer Lawrence’s fitness trainer and she’s got a lot of cardio and strength workouts too. She’s worth following for Pilates fusion classes that require no equipment as well.
- Intense workouts
Got resistance bands at home? Check out West Hollywood’s world-famous LIT method gym. His workouts can get your heart pumping. You can avail the first month for free under trial. The succeeding months are at $14.99 and well worth your money.
Also, Cyberobics offers great intense workouts that incorporate yoga and Pilates movements. They have a free 90-day trial too.
With the above tips, you should realize that it‚Äôs entirely possible to maintain peak performance even while you‚Äôre stuck at home during this global pandemic. Hopefully SU’s athletes are also staying in top shape for whenever their seasons get going again.
