While the Covid-19 pandemic has prompted the government of the Kingdom of Bahrain to close all gyms, this does not mean you should not continue to pursue your fitness goals! We have put together this guide to help you work out from home. Assuming you have appropriate sportswear, here is everything you need to beat the sedentary lifestyle during these times of uncertainty away from your favorite box.

The Space

Since the weather allows it at the moment, if you have a garden or other outdoor area within your home with enough space, this would be ideal. If not, a spare room will do. Otherwise, find the easiest room in the house to clear for space temporarily so you don’t have to move too many things around. Safety is important, as we don’t want you to bang into things while you’re killing it in the WOD!

 

 

Equipment

You may not be able to get access to a rower or assault bike, however you can still do an effective workout using regular gym equipment you can purchase from sports equipment and athletics stores. Here is a list of basic equipment you can buy:

1. Dumbbells

The versatile dumbbell is great for many movements, not just bicep curls! For CrossFit workouts we recommend hexagonal dumbbells as they are more secure on the floor for movements such as man-makers (and we know how much you love man-makers)! Two pairs of these will be enough to cover most movements.

2. Kettlebells

Get those hips in order with this amazing piece of equipment! An important piece for explosive strength and speed of the hips and many other muscles. As the center of gravity is different from dumbbells, you are forced to use different stabilizing muscles when you use them. Two of these (one heavy and one medium) will suffice.

3. Medicine Ball

You don’t need to miss wall balls! This piece of equipment is great for weighted ab movements as well. One at your preferred weight is good to have.

4. Mat

In the case that you do not have proper rubber or wooden flooring, a mat will help make your allocated space easier to train in, especially for those floor exercises.

5. Resistance Bands

Resistance training is excellent for improving muscular strength and endurance. These bands can be used to replace many conventional gym machines when secured properly, such as tricep extensions, lat pull downs, bicep curls, etc. A pair would be ideal in order to make sure you also cover double handed movements.

6. Skipping Rope

If you do not own a treadmill or an exercise bicycle, cardio can be an issue (this is assuming you hate burpees). Skipping rope can be used to really get your heart rate up for those conditioning workouts!

7. Box

Though this is the not common at athletics and sports equipment stores in Bahrain, it would help for those explosive movements such as box jumps, and heavy load leg exercises like step ups. However, you could probably get a carpenter to make one for you!

8. Be Creative!

We have seen home workouts using a hand towel for resistance, a sturdy table for rows to replace pull ups, bags with water bottles for weights… the list is endless! If you, for any reason, were not able to purchase any of the above, just look around the house for anything you can use as weights (though we do not recommend kids or animals as they are unpredictable and that’s just plain old mean!).

Where to buy equipment?

Here are a few shops you can buy equipment from. Some items may be out of stock as a lot of people are going out to buy equipment for their house, so make sure to ask when they will be restocking.

1. Baraka Sports (Manama)

2. Athletics Trading (Manama)

3. Sun and Sand Sports (Seef Area)

4. Order Online

Probably not the most economical way to order weights, but for everything else online shopping is an option as well. Amazon.com stock a lot of the equipment we mentioned, but we prefer roguefitness.com (they have cool apparel too!).

Workouts

We are committed to making sure our programming continues even while our box is closed. We will continue to post our workouts on the website, including home versions with movements that do not require specialized gym equipment. We will also post explanation videos for the workouts with recommended warm ups and post workout stretching on our Instagram account (@cf973). If you have any queries or questions, you can contact us anytime on all of our communication channels, including WhatsApp on +973 66 973 973 and email info@cfblacksmith.com. There are many other sources on Instagram and the web for home workouts as well, such as @sherwood215, @cpfitness, and our local friends at @crossfit_delmon and @crossfit.mr7

Online, there are pages dedicated to working out at home as well! Check out this blog post by Nerd Fitness: How to Stay in Shape without Leaving the House the Ultimate Guide for Getting Fit at Home

Here is another one on WOD Fever: 20 Crossfit Workouts you Can Do at Home

And this one is from Men’s Health: Crossfit Workouts at Home

The Motivation

Though this is mostly up to you, it is important that you remember that you are not alone in this. There are many out there working hard to maintain their fitness levels away from the gyms. And, like us, fitness professionals and sports facility owners are always available to help you get into this new routine. You can find your motivation anywhere. Just remember why you made the decision in the first place and/or why you started working out before the Covid-19 pandemic even started. GO GET THOSE GAINS!