Shiv Simani, personal trainer and co-founder of Just GymIt. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
Gyms tailor unique online exercises that can be done from the comfort of your home.
Finding time to squeeze exercises in a busy work schedule, daily commute and rest is a challenge.
As such, there is little or no time left for gym workouts, resulting in extra weight piled around the waistlines and other areas.
However, it is possible to maintain desirable workout programmes without the need for gyms. A number of boutique studios and personal trainers have brought the gym exercise class experience to your home, but without the scheduling challenges.
Not traditional
Taut Body Fitness Studio and personal trainers such as Shiv Simani are introduced custom exercises and distributes training and nutrition videos through websites and mobile phone applications.
“We have an online programme that allows clients to take our classes from anywhere in the world. The package is suitable for people have busy schedules or are always on the move and find it hard to commit to a fitness facility,” said Amy Selbach, Taut gym founder.
Among the most popular training options is the use of one’s weight in different moves to train different parts of the body.
Customised schedules
But these are not the traditional TV fitness programmes where the instructor independently decides on the type of routine for the day. The online subscription programmes like the one offered at Taut, allow users to customise their schedules.
Home furniture and other items commonly found around the houses can be used to complement the routines. A set of stools, for instance, can be used as supports for dips, while an ottoman, can be used to raise one’s legs in a push up variation.
Other people in the home can also be used as workout partners, with their body weight and strength being included in particular routines.
Often underestimated as a workout tool body weight has been proven an effective tool for strength training and general body fitness by former American football player Herschel Walker, who played for the Dallas Cowboys at the height of his career.
Walker attained a granite-like physique bodyweight exercises as his peers opted to lift weights. He was at one time reported to do between 2,000 and 3,000 push-ups and situps every day.
However, the main challenge with home fitness is that it requires unwavering individual commitment.
Intimidated
At home, there is no trainer who yells at you to turn the bike’s resistance up a notch, physically does it when you don’t comply or ensures you do 40 scissor exercises. Also, with no one else in the room, it is tempting to relax on the couch.
“Online workout programmes do really work, but their success levels are dependent on a person’s set goals, how intense they are and how the body responds to the pressure,” said Mr Simani, who runs the JustGymIt, a Kenyan online fitness training programme.
He added that the success rate is 85 per cent dependent on a person’s lifestyle.
JustGymIt has YouTube workout videos that beginners and advanced trainers can use to stay fit at home, the office or just about anywhere.
Luckily, some programmes come bundled with mobile apps, which can serve as all-round prefects, assessing the amount of work done everday, and recommending meal schedules.
Online exercises are also perfect for those intimidated by other gym-goers for not being fit and having to work out in front of others who are very fit. For those on tight budgets, various facilities offer basic programmes free of charge.
