| Personally, I was lucky because I was already on a "no-gym" mentality before COVID-19. I use a full-body bodyweight routine twice a week, and once a week I train with a sandbag. I run 6 days a week. I also train with a personal trainer once a week. I'm 38, live in the USA and work from home as a software developer. Bodyweight training: I use the routine and progressions from startbodyweight.com. Sandbag training: I started out shouldering a 60 lb sandbag. I now shoulder a 150 lb sandbag and use an 80 lb bag for supplemental exercises (zercher squats, clean and press). Some days just a few sets of shouldering is enough. Making one or two bags is pretty cheap. Ross Enamait has a very good video/ebook you can buy that covers construction, exercise ideas and technique. Running: I also suffered from shin pain/fatigue from running, but stopped before they progressed to full-blown shin splints. I missed running however, so I took the COVID period as a time to learn how to run barefoot. If you go this route you MUST read a book on proper technique (I read the Ken Bob book) and practice your form a lot before doing anything more than 5-minute runs. That being said, I don't think going barefoot is a requirement for learning how to run pain-free, I think the important bit is spending a bunch of time focused on learning a pain-free running technique and then building up slowly. I'm still in the volume-building phase so I measure my running by time, not distance. I don't track my speed. I run at an intentionally "easy" pace--I only breathe through my nose and stay focused on keeping my feet happy. Three days are very short "recovery" runs. I add 10 minutes to my total weekly time if/when I felt good after the previous week. I also incorporate a warm-up and post-run routine from https://coachjayjohnson.com/samvidoes/. Personal trainer: has been very valuable for double-checking technique, fixing minor pains and adding some creative movements that I occasionally incorporate. Shop around for a trainer that can work with your goals. Don't forget about diet and sleep! My recovery and enthusiasm for these activities are very directly impacted by how well I'm sleeping and eating. |