UK gyms reopen maybe July?

[OldFartTom]

April 12th? Fingers crossed England will allow gyms to re-open

[PhDPepper1111]

oof. Sure hope so.

[LWW]

I dont know Tom, Try and build or buy a Rack and some basic Weights if possible, best of luck Tom wish I had more Idea's

Going this long I would have (this being if plates are not available or living in apartment) taken a barbell, constructed sandbags and attached to bar, the load would be off balance a tad but that’s ok. And or lifted rocks, you can one hell of a workout making stone towers.

Gym equipment is very expensive now but worth it.

I used to always think and prepare for something like this would happen, of course I was looked at as a quack, troll, dumbazz, but look where some are.

Don’t trust in government.

[OldFartTom]

Going this long I would have (this being if plates are not available or living in apartment) taken a barbell, constructed sandbags and attached to bar, the load would be off balance a tad but that’s ok. And or lifted rocks, you can one hell of a workout making stone towers.

Gym equipment is very expensive now but worth it.

I used to always think and prepare for something like this would happen, of course I was looked at as a quack, troll, dumbazz, but look where some are.

Don’t trust in government.

my problem is space and somewhere to do it, not equipment.
I'm still impressed by your back yard Steinborn Squats, you won't get criticism from me on that kind of thing!

[LWW]

my problem is space and somewhere to do it, not equipment.
I'm still impressed by your back yard Steinborn Squats, you won't get criticism from me on that kind of thing!

Yeah, years ago I had thoughts about stashing a bar and plates (or sandbags) outside somewhere, either in the woods, is the UK a friendly place? Hell I'd just stash the stuff somewhere in public. The hoods in my area may take steal plates for the cash?

I actually did noticed a couple 35# plates sitting outside while walking my dog, there were there for awhile, but I'm sure eventually some crackhead will take 'em.

[PhDPepper1111]

Going this long I would have (this being if plates are not available or living in apartment) taken a barbell, constructed sandbags and attached to bar, the load would be off balance a tad but that’s ok. And or lifted rocks, you can one hell of a workout making stone towers.

Gym equipment is very expensive now but worth it.

I used to always think and prepare for something like this would happen, of course I was looked at as a quack, troll, dumbazz, but look where some are.

Don’t trust in government.

A lot of companies raised prices but yeah still worth it to have equipment at home.
I'm waiting on a calibrated 660# steel set of plates to arrive; then I'll only need a bench/rack but I can at least get started if I can't keep using my friends equipment.

worth seeking out options in these times, and strongman stuff if nothing else.

[OldFartTom]

Today, March 23rd, is 1 year since lockdown in England became legal (before that it was just advisory). 1 fkn year old today!!

Fingers crossed that gyms will still be allowed to reopen mid April.

[PhDPepper1111]

Today, March 23rd, is 1 year since lockdown in England became legal (before that it was just advisory). 1 fkn year old today!!

Fingers crossed that gyms will still be allowed to reopen mid April.

Your lockdown is now an infant!

[Willh5080]

Today, March 23rd, is 1 year since lockdown in England became legal (before that it was just advisory). 1 fkn year old today!!

Fingers crossed that gyms will still be allowed to reopen mid April.

Everyting will be fine and gyms will be reopen this year, i hope. Just need to wait and keep safe

[Corbets]

Everyting will be fine and gyms will be reopen this year, i hope. Just need to wait and keep safe

... if you have the corona passport. :P

Saw that caused quite a stink in the UK. Seems not to be a problem here in DK though. Will be interesting to see whether it ends up a requirement for international travel or not.

[OldFartTom]

I don't think "Corona passport" is particularly opposed in UK (unlike say.. France) by ordinary people, just our politicians are too disorganised and non committal to get on with it.
Although it's likely to be needed soon for international travel and who knows... mass spectator events maybe, I don't think it's likely for gyms in UK? We'll see...

[Corbets]

I don't think "Corona passport" is particularly opposed in UK (unlike say.. France) by ordinary people, just our politicians are too disorganised and non committal to get on with it.
Although it's likely to be needed soon for international travel and who knows... mass spectator events maybe, I don't think it's likely for gyms in UK? We'll see...

Here we’re going to use it for bars, restaurants and what they call “liberal” businesses (hairdressers and such). Not clear yet on the gym thing.

I mean, I’m a home gym guy anyway. But it seems a reasonable way to get things open again!

[MrCarrot]

Hi everyone, I'm back. Actually you probably never noticed that I had gone.

I've been back to doing home workouts with bags of sand in a rucksack. In the first lockdown I used buckets on the end of a bar, but eventually one of the buckets fell off and smashed and I could never find a strong enough replacement.

So it's been weighted pushups, pull ups and OHP using a rucksack filled with sand and bricks. I recently managed to fit a heavy boulder in the rucksack along with two bags of sand, so it's pretty heavy.

Last year I found a tyre in a field and used that for legs and lower back. This time around it's been far too wet and cold and I don't know if the tyre is still there. So I haven't trained legs since January.

I must admit these last 3 months have been the most depressing workouts I've ever done. I've given up tracking calories and macros because my workouts, motivation and sleep have been all over the place. I'm still clinging on though and cannot wait for the gym to reopen. I just hope it happens, and they remain open for long enough, before I lose all interest in working out.

[PhDPepper1111]

Hi everyone, I'm back. Actually you probably never noticed that I had gone.

I've been back to doing home workouts with bags of sand in a rucksack. In the first lockdown I used buckets on the end of a bar, but eventually one of the buckets fell off and smashed and I could never find a strong enough replacement.

So it's been weighted pushups, pull ups and OHP using a rucksack filled with sand and bricks. I recently managed to fit a heavy boulder in the rucksack along with two bags of sand, so it's pretty heavy.

Last year I found a tyre in a field and used that for legs and lower back. This time around it's been far too wet and cold and I don't know if the tyre is still there. So I haven't trained legs since January.

I must admit these last 3 months have been the most depressing workouts I've ever done. I've given up tracking calories and macros because my workouts, motivation and sleep have been all over the place. I'm still clinging on though and cannot wait for the gym to reopen. I just hope it happens, and they remain open for long enough, before I lose all interest in working out.

Glad you've kept at it!
I watched a recent youtube on prison inmate workouts which describes how inmates often get really jacked despite not always having access to a lot of traditional equipment and the creative ways they use bodyweight etc to work out. Worth checking out.

[OldFartTom]

Monday 12th, 06:00. Gym to open.

I keep looking at the time, wondering how much longer

[dazlittle]

have you been to the gym yet Tom?

[OldFartTom]

BACK!

Yes thanks was there at opening around 6, got there 5 or 10 mins late so don't know if there was a cheering crowd or something but it meant I was then at the back of the queue, very busy as you'd expect. Since I was restarting from empty bar, I didn't need a rack just had to wait to get a bar which was a lot quicker.

You too? Been back again?

[dazlittle]

BACK!

Yes thanks was there at opening around 6, got there 5 or 10 mins late so don't know if there was a cheering crowd or something but it meant I was then at the back of the queue, very busy as you'd expect. Since I was restarting from empty bar, I didn't need a rack just had to wait to get a bar which was a lot quicker.

You too? Been back again?

Heading over there at 11, thought I'd let the morning rush pass and get in before the lunch time crew!

[OldFartTom]

Heading over there at 11, thought I'd let the morning rush pass and get in before the lunch time crew!

Enjoy...

[gym62richard]

BACK!

Yes thanks was there at opening around 6, got there 5 or 10 mins late so don't know if there was a cheering crowd or something but it meant I was then at the back of the queue, very busy as you'd expect. Since I was restarting from empty bar, I didn't need a rack just had to wait to get a bar which was a lot quicker.

It must be good to get back to it, I suspect there's going to be a lot of sore bodies in England this week.

It's going to be another 3 weeks before gyms reopen here in Wales, thankfully the lock down hasn't affected my training too much, as I primarily lift in my home gym.

[OldFartTom]

...I primarily lift in my home gym.

I don't remember seeing any explicit exclusion for *home* gyms. Sorry Richard but gyms are CLOSED in Wales. You go and tape off your garage right now, or we'll be forced to report you to Mark Drakeford MS.

It's so odd Wales opened up for travel inside Wales and even local tourism (if that's not a contradiction) before England yet gyms remain closed. Drakeford looks like he's never been inside a gym in his life (he looks worse than me FFS), maybe that's connected to the decision? @#&£ politics eh?

[gym62richard]

I don't remember seeing any explicit exclusion for *home* gyms. Sorry Richard but gyms are CLOSED in Wales. You go and tape off your garage right now, or we'll be forced to report you to Mark Drakeford MS.

It's so odd Wales opened up for travel inside Wales and even local tourism (if that's not a contradiction) before England yet gyms remain closed. Drakeford looks like he's never been inside a gym in his life (he looks worse than me FFS), maybe that's connected to the decision? @#&£ politics eh?

I know, devolution at work, why the 3 devolved governments couldn't have got together with Westminster and a greed a common covid policy is beyond me. I guess if you give small men a little power they need to flex their muscles, not literally of course.


I suspect there'll be a lot of Welsh based lifters working out across the border for the next 3 weeks, but I can guarantee Mark Drakeford won't be one of them.

[PhDPepper1111]

BACK!

Yes thanks was there at opening around 6, got there 5 or 10 mins late so don't know if there was a cheering crowd or something but it meant I was then at the back of the queue, very busy as you'd expect. Since I was restarting from empty bar, I didn't need a rack just had to wait to get a bar which was a lot quicker.

You too? Been back again?

Good news buddy - hope it goes well!

[OldFartTom]

Good news buddy - hope it goes well!

Thanks!

Been back a second time now and squatted again, no empty bar this time, I added/incremented 2 "huge" plates (2.5 lbs on each side) so now I am lifting actual weights... YEAH!! See how strong I am Also all squats high bar. Without any weight on it I can't seem to sit the bar correctly for low bar, or maybe I just don't have back muscles any more.

It feels so odd to "workout" like this, but yesterday I could feel the inside of my thighs as if I'd done a workout... after just doing 5*5 on empty bar! I think it's because it's a movement I've not been doing, even though I'm only just at/slightly below parallel (narrow stance due to right knee weirdness limits my training depth) that's unlike any movement I have been doing day to day. I need that increment up from empty, at least at first anyway.

[PhDPepper1111]

Thanks!

Been back a second time now and squatted again, no empty bar this time, I added/incremented 2 "huge" plates (2.5 lbs on each side) so now I am lifting actual weights... YEAH!! See how strong I am Also all squats high bar. Without any weight on it I can't seem to sit the bar correctly for low bar, or maybe I just don't have back muscles any more.

It feels so odd to "workout" like this, but yesterday I could feel the inside of my thighs as if I'd done a workout... after just doing 5*5 on empty bar! I think it's because it's a movement I've not been doing, even though I'm only just at/slightly below parallel (narrow stance due to right knee weirdness limits my training depth) that's unlike any movement I have been doing day to day. I need that increment up from empty, at least at first anyway.

BW squats will still create soreness if you haven't been doing them!
I'm sure you'll be able to ramp it up quickly.

[MrCarrot]

Phew it's good to be back in the swing of things. Haven't worked legs in 3 months so I started with just a couple of sets of front squats last Monday. Legs ached for days as expected.

Am glad I did the bodyweight exercises now though, as my chest and back feel fairly unscathed after working them.

[OldFartTom]

Croeso nol.
Welcome back to the gyms, Wales.

[gym62richard]

Croeso nol.
Welcome back to the gyms, Wales.

Diolch yn fawr Tom, ydych chi'n siarad Cymraeg?.

[OldFartTom]

Diolch yn fawr Tom, ydych chi'n siarad Cymraeg?.

tipyn bach. Although my dad's Welsh is excellent so I can always email him when I'm confused about mutations or something. I've recently started on Duolingo to try to fix my terrible language mangling, but at beginning of course (revising the little I have) at the start it's all ridiculous phrases "prynhawn da, draig dw i" until I get a few more units further it won't be useful

[gym62richard]

tipyn bach. Although my dad's Welsh is excellent so I can always email him when I'm confused about mutations or something. I've recently started on Duolingo to try to fix my terrible language mangling, but at beginning of course (revising the little I have) at the start it's all ridiculous phrases "prynhawn da, draig dw i" until I get a few more units further it won't be useful

Same here really, pidgin schoolboy Welsh, I'm not fluent in any sense of the word. where I live English predominates, but I only have to travel 10 miles and Welsh is very much the common tongue.

It's certainly a complex language and structure and pronunciation vary from region to region, literal BBC Welsh I find difficult to understand.