Horrible! I’ve been remote for years, I do not use a camera ever, although most people do choose to have it on. What would your companies view of Loomie be if someone didn’t like the camera?
I have recently been made aware of the Turkish Get-up (TGUP) and have been giving it a try instead of normal gym routine of abs work alternated with barbell curls, squats, snatches and dead-lifts (typically warmup and 3 sets of 5-10 reps at max weight type stuff). I am finding it fantastic for increasing mobility and core strength with a lot less DOMS. Minimal space and equipment needed also. Most review articles suggest it is the perfect conditioning exercise for anyone except body-builders or those needing excessive strength for a focused activity. For my swimming, snowboarding, wakeboarding, cycling and MX then I am starting to see how it is making me feel a lot more mobile.
I could barely manage a handful for the first few days, but have got a lot better now and have started to increase the kettleball weight a bit. Certainly suggests that something was missing from my previous routine. Also I am feeling much better at work, where I stand and walk most of the day with lots of bending, squatting, kneeling and reaching. Previously I just felt sore all the time from the gym work. Will have to see if I lose much mass/muscle, as people had started to notice (in a good way) that I was getting quite muscular from the lifting. TGUP certainly simplifies life and you can do as many or few as you have time for. It is bizarre how something seemingly so simple can actually be so effective, but I guess it has forced me to put myself through a range of motions that I was probably previously avoiding due to be so inflexible. I would highly recommend looking it up, trying it for a few days and see how you get on, plus read some reviews.
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There used to be a video on the Gym Jones website, back when Mark Twight was still running it, of Robert McDonald doing a Turkish Get Up with a heavy looking barbell. It was quite something.
What weight KB are you starting with? I’ve never got past 8kg, but probably a sign I should have kept at it.
I fooking hate Turkish Get Ups
They do sound a bit foreign
I really like them, never got past a DB/KB but old clubmate used to be able to do with an Olympic bar adding a lot more instability.
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Currently doing some working-from-home strength training. That is, instead of time I’d normally be chatting at the tea point I now do a set or two of some exercise by my desk (have some dumbbells and a yoga mat beside me).
Once a week I get my trap bar out too in the garage for a lunch break.
Not glamorous but it’s serving me well so far, I’ve definitely put on a little muscle and gained strength.
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If you’re still struggling with this here’s a few common pieces of advice to help that:
- focus on pulling your elbows back rather than the bar up
- imagine your hands as hooks
- lots of warm up reps at low weight focusing heavy on form before getting to your work sets
Barbell rows seem to be quite a hit and miss exercise, a lot of people prefer dumbbells or machines for back work. And as mentioned pull ups or lat pull downs.
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I do pendelay rows and focus on squeezing the shoulder blades together if I think my form is off.
How are you finding it now? I find mine a lot harder to do focused work while standing and a bit unsure of any benefits. I do get sore feet if I don’t use it for a while and then do a day or two standing, and find it makes me move around more which I guess is a benefit.
Since me and my wife both work from home I have let her use the proper office and I’m in the back room, pro tip: you can make a decent standing desk out of an ironing board and some boxes to raise the screen! Looks a bit ghetto but works fine.
No, no focus on standing any more. I just move around the property a lot. A bit like I did when in the office. Except with more lying down 
Sofa->kitchen table->make more coffee>bedroom>bike session>kitchen>go for a run…that sort of thing.
Nonsense…but i’ve just seen how old this post is…
the biggest cost when i set up the mini gym in my first clinic were the mats - and i probably got a better workout from lugging them around…
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I think it cost around £700 in the end
Wow! I hope you have some quality kit!
Hmm. Yeah. Who knows? 
Well it’s been working for 9-10 months which is more than I can say of my treadmill!
The barbell has “Bastard” written on it, so that’s a win at least.
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An example of kismet? 
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I’m thinking about a more Tri specific routine after I finish my “max strength phase” in about five weeks, which is StrongLifts 5x5 which I still enjoy.
Last year I simply reduced weights/varied frequency and carried on the same routine; squat, overhead press, deadlift and squat, bench press, pendelay row.
I’m looking at a huge list of potential exercises I’ve gathered together at the moment but a lot of people recommend variations on essentially the same thing - squats and core. Does it really matter if you do a regular weighted back squat or a Bulgarian one legged split squat? Planks vs Swiss ball pikes or some other variation?
I’d rather keep it simple.
I wouldn’t think so and mix them up from session to session, not within one. I might dead lift and lunges in one session and then squat and single leg Romanian deadlift in another. With planks I think the static plank is only there to get you to a place to do more dynamic versions.
Beefcake!
Rather discoordinated but Ive decided to eat a lot during this six week strength block to see if I see muscle gain amongst the body fat.
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