For many, home and work schedules still look different and in many cases, gym life and fitness routines have been interrupted, either temporarily or permanently. A Zoom Workout might just be the answer.
This has led to many people outfitting a home gym or creating a multi-purpose space in their home for fitness activity. People are discovering the silver lining in having workouts ready for them at home is recaptured time.
The one thing missing is human connection.
Enter: Zoom Workout
Of course, there’s been an explosion of online workouts, whether live or on-demand, which is great if you’re looking to work along to a class or join a live session. But if you’re that person who loves to bring a friend to class and chat between sets, you may still feel that pinch of loneliness, even in an online workout.
The great news is that there is no shortage of platforms where you and a friend can meet-up online with the intent of working out via video chat. Fitness apps, social hangouts, and of course, the reconfiguring of popular office video-conferencing apps like Zoom have been all the rage.
There is no need to feel like you have to tackle your workout alone when you can tap into the technology meant to help you stay connected.
Here are three tips to make your virtual partner workouts a success.
1. Set a time
Just like an in-person workout session, be sure to set a time for your virtual workout plan too. Having a dedicated space and time will help you stay accountable and keep each other on track. The upside of working out simultaneously is a sense of connection that can help you power through the grind of an at-home workout.
2. Set a Weekly Challenge
To keep motivation high, map out different challenges for you and a friend. These challenges could take place both online during your session or when you’re offline.
One challenge to try while doing your virtual session is an “I Go; You Go” style of workout. In this type of challenge, you complete an exercise while your partner cheers you on via your online portal. Then, you switch. It allows for not only camaraderie but also a moment to catch your breath!
You could also institute an offline challenge where you are each “assigned” to complete a designated exercise (such as completing 50 pushups per day). During your next virtual session, check-in with each other about how you did. Knowing that you’ll have to report on your performance at the beginning of your virtual sessions might just keep you on your toes to complete your end of the bargain.
3. Follow a Shared Virtual Workout Plan
A shared workout plan you can bring to a virtual platform such as Zoom is a brilliant way to stay on track with your fitness. Here are some tips to stick to your goals.
Here’s the catch: don’t improvise. That time you spend deciding what to do next is likely to be a motivation killer, and the downtime could just lead you into chatting away your time.
Instead, plan your Zoom workout ahead of time and message it to the other person. That way, if you plan to use any equipment with the workout, you can make sure that both people have it handy.
To get you started, we’ve come up with a workout to try with a friend.
- Format: “I Go; You Go”
- Time: 20 minutes
- Equipment Needed: SMART Medicine Ball
- Timing Structure: 20 seconds on, 20 seconds off – Alternate who is “on” and “off.”
- Platform: Zoom, or other online video chat platform
Four sets of the following six exercises.
4-minute sets with a 1-minute break between sets = 20 minutes.
- Shoulder Press
- V-Up
- Standing Rotational Twist
- Figure-8 Skaters
- Step and Shoot
- Overhead Circles
