An exercise technique that helped us stay fit under quarantine

With all the mental burdens that came with living in 2020 – including gyms closing their doors – many have found it difficult to exercise at their normal level. here in the edgeWe dealt with this as you might expect: with technology that could enable or motivate us to get some activity. These are the tools, apps, games, and services that we’ve used to work out while staying safe, which could prove helpful if a New Year’s resolution includes exercise.

Saber won

Named after Saber won Mine Favorite game of 2018, But I flipped hard since then, until Oculus Quest 2 released in October. It is the first type 1 VR headset Like to wear, And I used Side goal To add illicit custom tracks support my embarrassingly narrow musical taste, turning my assignment into a nearly single-purpose musical instrument. (Maybe I owe Moose and New Pornographers royalties or something? Look, I really like the unofficial expert hit map “The Mary Martin Show.”) PRO: I remember having a body again. Con: I get okay, Go Stuck in my head every morning. – Adi Robertson

Nike Training Club and Reddit

I was Nike Training Club Used for a while now, but this year I needed it more than ever as my bike vanished and my step count decreased. The Nike app offers a range of workouts that you can filter based on how much equipment you have, how much time you have, whether you’re after a workout or cardio training, etc. This year, my filters were “None,” “All the Time in the World,” and “I’ll Take What I Get” respectively.

What I like most is how simple most of the exercises are, which leaves me free to ease my workout boredom by listening to podcasts while I work out. Instead of having to listen to the personal trainer’s motivational anecdotes along with his instructions, the Nike app essentially shows simple repeat videos of each exercise and leaves my brain free to wander. (The app also includes more traditional exercise videos, but it never clicked with me.)

Early in the year, I also got a lot of work as a group with my roommates. Here, The routine Created by Reddit’s Bodyweight Fitness Community It was priceless. It includes strength training exercises that you can do with the fewest number of equipment, and different variations for each to allow you to set the level of difficulty. While you don’t need much to get started, we found that adding a pull-up bar, gymnastic rings, and resistance bands was a relatively affordable way to give us more exercise options. – John Porter

Instagram

While I usually keep my social media habit restricted to Twitter, one of my early strategies for staying active while staying home was to collect posts for exercise at home using Instagram saved posts feature. Fitness coaches have always shared some content on Instagram, but the shutdown of gyms and fitness studios has brought a wealth of free guided workouts to the app. It’s not Pinterest, but my collection in saved posts allows me to keep easy exercises close at hand, and removes one of the many excuses for not moving: I rarely know what to do when it comes to exercising.

As the year went on, I fell off my health kick on Instagram, but I’m still collecting and sorting workout posts. There are clearly fewer physical benefits, but I still find it very relaxing. – Ian Campbell

Garmin Fenix ​​6X

I know I’m tempted to say this, but my fitness has improved dramatically during the pandemic. I was driven by boredom, frankly fear of death, but also motivated to do it all The Garmin Fenix ​​6X Pro Solar Watch. My local government has also helped promote safe, socially distant outdoor fitness activities rather than issuing a strict stay-at-home order.

Before fitness gadgets started selling on Amazon and beyond, I managed to round up a batch of them Adjustable resistance bands I have read about it Wire cutter And a A luxurious pair of Crossrope Weighted Jump Ropes. In March and April, I worked on these items pretty much every day while I was defenseless at home. The Garmin watch did a fair job of automatically tracking pushups and biceps curves, but was less able to detect other movements, for example, it failed miserably to track my Crossrope sessions. Crossrop makes the application With paid membership levels, but I found it unnecessary for my needs. Although I am not quite as high as a professional boxer, I have managed to master several jumping skills such as crossovers, doubles, and a variety of hops to keep the repetition interesting.

I also practiced yoga at this time to help maintain my sanity and increase flexibility. While the Fenix ​​6 can guide you through mobile yoga sessions, as an absolute beginner I found it impractical and annoying to keep looking at my wrist to study posture mechanics. YouTube coach sitting much better. Completed Cassandra 30 Day Challenge (Adrian Too talkative to me) and yoga is now part of my regular routine.

With the onset of spring, I start running out through the tourist-free streets and parks of Amsterdam. Here the Garmin watch excelled. I was excited to run faster and longer with Garmin’s PacePro for entering my Spotify playlist, real-time training, and step-by-step navigation in my AirPods Pro. I quickly became hooked on setting new personal records and slashing my fitness age in competition with my jogging buddies who prefer Garmin watches over anything else.

By summer, I was using the Garmin Fenix ​​6 to track kite surfing, all-day cycling, and open-water swimming sessions in the ocean. By the fall, I had started golfing, spurred on by Garmin’s remarkable ability to track every shot played on hundreds of golf courses around the world. The Fenix ​​6 isn’t accurate enough to track shots, but it does a great job of tracking every shot from the tee to the green allowing you to gauge club performance, keep score, and see directions after each round.

The Fenix ​​6 has proven to be a jack of all trades and a master for some, which motivates me to try new activities like mountain biking to see how it adapts. After nine months of heavy and continuous use, the watch now says my fitness age is 20. As a 53-year-old who’s obsessed with gadgets and tries to bypass a virus, this is something I’m proud of. – Thomas Riker

Apple Watch, Nintendo Games, and Fitbod

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

When I got my Apple Watch in November 2019, there were two things I wasn’t expecting: the upcoming pandemic that would make going to the gym impossible, and how well the gaming ring system would work. Wanting to fill in every episode every day (which I did, thank you) made it so that, at the very least, I wake up and wander quickly through my apartment every day.

I also managed to find a copy of Wii Sports Resort at a local toy store, so I didn’t have to pay eBay scalper prices which started showing up around March (Militant players weren’t the only ones to deal with these). It’s not really what I call a workout, but it’s fun and it gets my wife and I off the sofa. Do better play Saber won? Yes, but I couldn’t get the virtual reality device I wanted this year. This is on the list for 2021. Once we find computers again.

Screenshot by Mitchell Clark / The Verge

Nintendo game Really Provides an exercise I turned to Ring fit for adventure. I raised it to the highest level of difficulty, and I immediately regretted it … but moving forward has been rewarding, and I feel like I’ve already had a workout. It’s not a heart-wrenching workout, and sweats are everywhere I got from YouTube workout videos or Apple Fitness Plus, but I usually get in pain the next day.

Finally, although I wouldn’t call adjustable weights a “technique,” I’ve paired my work with the Fitbod app, which tracks your exercises and builds sets based on new muscle groups. Combined with the fact that I now have a whole range of weights that can fit in a small apartment, I now do more strength training than I did in the gym. – Mitchell Clark

What is exercise?

I went to the pandemic with the best intentions and a bunch of tools at my disposal: a VR headset with exercise games, a motorized desk, a really good road bike, a smartwatch, even a bunch of relatively new electrical gadgets (leaf blower, fence compartment, pressure washer) and then I bought With yard cleaning architecture.

Instead, she embarked on becoming an absolute year-round sofa potato.

Maybe you’ve used the standing desk stand … twice? I had a few intense VR sessions Whip a hexagonSure, but the remaining strength wasn’t there, and I’m not sure playing Half Life: Alex Ever seen me sweat. Heck, I used an automatic tire inflator the only time I hit the park with my test bike. Great new phone holder. I swept all the sheets in the back yard twice, I think. But if I tell the truth, I have probably burned more calories than any other activity this year.

There was one good reason I didn’t feel all that motivated, though: After years of failing diets, I finally lost some weight while having shelter in place. Using the smart scale equipped with Wi-Fi and the MyFitnessPal app, I mentally scolded myself for weighing and recording calories nearly every day for several months in a row, restricting myself to 1,600 units a day. I lost 25 pounds, and I’m not hungry anymore! Imagine if you also exercised. – Shawn Hollister