* * Sakura Haruka | Singapore Parenting and Lifestyle Blog * *: Fitness Diary :: How to Work Out Safely in Gyms During Covid-19

Going to the gym nowadays in Singapore during Covid-19 is pretty different from how it used to be.

For one, public gyms are more strict on registration and capacity. Most public gyms require you to make an advance booking for a limited time slot - so no more just waltzing in as and when you please, and doing a slow 2-3hrs workout.

Actually even if you have a slot, before you enter the gym, you have to take your temperature and "check-in" for contact tracing purposes.

Also, to ensure safe distancing, some machines are blocked off and "not-in-use", rather than moved further away from each other, which can be rather inconvenient and affect workout programs as other than cardio machines like treadmills or elliptical trainers, most machines are usually one-of-a-kind in the gyms.

In Singapore, masks are not required during strenuous exercises so most gyms don't make it mandatory to wear inside, but it's still common to see folks doing so.

It's also more common to see folks sanitising and wiping down the weights and machines before and after sets... which is a very good thing I reckon, because who really wants to sit on or touch other people's sweat???!

Overall, there might be some slight inconveniences when using public gyms nowadays, but at least they are open. I know some gyms overseas are still closed due to the coronavirus #eeks

Technically speaking, if we follow the rules and are mindful of our own personal hygiene, we should be ok. However, we cannot be complacent and think that they are totally safe.

In an indoor gym with a confined space, heavy breathing may spread infectious droplets further, and without proper ventilation, this puts you at higher risk of catching or transmitting the disease.

Ultimately, you've to weigh the personal risks and think about how to keep yourself and others safe if you do decide to return to your reopened gym and workout classes.

How are some tips on How to Work Out Safely in Gyms during Covid-19 which I personally follow at my public club gym {when I'm not training at home or with my PT in his home gym}, and hope you'd find useful too:

1. Avoid peak periods

It differs from gyms to gyms, of course, but at my club gym, the peak periods are usually 9am - 12noon, 5pm - 8pm and weekends.

2. Wipe machines and equipment before and after use

This should be a no-brainer, but please remember to bring your own towel to the gym. My gym provides sanitising sprays and wipes for us to use, but if yours don't feel free to bring your own.

3. Maintain personal space

Find a safe spot to work out and do a few exercises, instead of moving around to different machines and putting yourself at risk in being in close contact with others.

4. Don't do supersets

A superset is a form of strength training in which you move quickly from one exercise to a separate exercise with a short break in between the two exercises. For the same reason as #3, try not to move from machine to machine or spot to spot if you can.

5. Wash your hands frequently

Wash thoroughly with soap between exercises and especially after your session.

6. Get in and out

Don't socialise or talk to others unnecessarily and train your bare minimum. I used to roll and stretch after each session at the club gym, but nowadays I leave straight after. Mobility work and stretching can be done at home.

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First time doing DB 20kg for shoulder press! 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻 New PR?? Can’t remember what my heaviest weight at Genesis was but I don’t think I hit this weight before 🤔🤔🤔 Like the rest of my exercises, there’s been a lot of stops and restarts due to various reasons like injuries, strains {currently nursing a right wrist strain}, overtraining of body parts etc but I’m glad to have made it up to here 💖 This was actually after my first working set {18.2kg} which looked & felt pretty good so Superman asked if I wanted to test for 20kg. I said why not? 🤷🏻‍♀️ So we did and yay, I did it! First rep is kinda shakey but still strong enough to go for a second. I could prob have done 1 more but had to finish my working sets and didn’t want to tire out ☺️ As usual, feeling rather happy and thankful for reaching a new milestone in my fitness journey 🏋🏻‍♀️🌸 #sakuraharuka #aifitnessdiary #trngwithb #strongnotskinny #noexcusemom #sgmum #sgfitness

A post shared by アイ・サクラ  (@aisakuraharuka) on Sep 9, 2020 at 8:21am PDT