What to Do When the Gym Closes

This stems a little from the “What happens after a week off” thread…

Next week (the 17th), the gym I go to will be closed for an entire week. I don’t need a week off, but because of this I may be forced to take one off. A few questions:

  1. I’m in the middle of Starr’s 5x5 right now. This week I’ll complete week #5. After that week off, what would you suggest for that first week back. I was thinking about repeating week #5 again, and then progressing as planned after that.

  2. Any recommendations on what to do to minimize any losses during that week off? I was planning on doing some basic stuff at home like push ups, etc. and some mobility work.

Just find another gym. Unless you live in the middle of fucking nowhere you should be able to find another Gym or a High School or College to train at.

Gym hop.

Go to different gyms in the area and say you are considering joining but aren’t quite sure. They will either offer you a trial day there or you can get one by asking to give their facility a shot.

Yeah. go train somewhere else.

-chris

Let’s assume finding another gym isn’t a possibility. I have no available transportation (I just walk to my local gym now). I’m trying to find a way around that but it may not happen.

Nevermind…found a gym that’s open 24-hours. I’m sure I could borrow a car from a friend late at night to go. Looks like the kind of place where I’ll get kicked out for deadlifting, but I’ll take my chances.

[quote]mrw173 wrote:
Nevermind…found a gym that’s open 24-hours. I’m sure I could borrow a car from a friend late at night to go. Looks like the kind of place where I’ll get kicked out for deadlifting, but I’ll take my chances.[/quote]

you have to ask yourself…“how bad do you want it?”

haha corny, lol good luck dood.

DG

If you can’t go to a gym at all.

If you’re transported to some gay place like France where you can’t find a Barbell for a thousand miles, then I think you can minimize strength loss by just doing some stuff with Jump-Stretch Bands.

Mini-Band Push-ups, Strong-Band GMs, All sorts of Rows, Pull-Throughs, Upright Rows, Curls, Leg Curls, Delt Raises and Chest Flys can be done. I would think if you’re really strapped for cash and you can’t buy the whole Band Pack you gotta get the minis and you could then get the Light or Average Band.

When I was on vacation in Italy last summer I think I minimized the damage with some cheap exercise bands I got at Dicks Sporting Goods and doing some swimming.

As far as set and rep schemes go, you’re not doing a real workout so just go for an insane pump so you look 20 pounds thicker.

If you’re on house arrest.

You can always get a Dragging Sled. You can do pretty much any exercise you can think of.

If you don’t want to spend a lot of money you could go to the army surplus store and buy a duffel bag. Then you go buy yourself a bag of sand. Bam, you’ve got a sand bag.

You could also just make your own dragging sled out of a wheel barrow sans wheel or go get a big ass tire, flip that, and hit it with a hammer.

[quote]FightingScott wrote:
If you’re on house arrest.

You can always get a Dragging Sled. You can do pretty much any exercise you can think of.

If you don’t want to spend a lot of money you could go to the army surplus store and buy a duffel bag. Then you go buy yourself a bag of sand. Bam, you’ve got a sand bag.

You could also just make your own dragging sled out of a wheel barrow sans wheel or go get a big ass tire, flip that, and hit it with a hammer. [/quote]

After a week of sled dragging, wheel barrow pushing, and sandbags your body will thank you for 5 x 5. Throw in 1 day of hill sprints for shits and giggles.

TNT

Thanks for the suggestions, guys.

If any Milwaukee-area guys want to chime in on gym recommendations, please do. I could only find one 24-hour place, though, so I’ll probably have to go with it.

Do 100 chins a day on some mysterious pipe in your garage. Hope it doesn’t break. Strive to beat your previous time or volume.

Unless you’re in a bodycast a week should make no difference. Just go back to the gym when they reopen and start up where you left off. If it makes you feel better warm up a tad longer.

This is assuming there is no way you can train during that week, but even some bodyweight/crossfit improv is better than nothing.

[quote]Tiribulus wrote:
Unless you’re in a bodycast a week should make no difference. Just go back to the gym when they reopen and start up where you left off. If it makes you feel better warm up a tad longer.

This is assuming there is no way you can train during that week, but even some bodyweight/crossfit improv is better than nothing.[/quote]

Nice, I like how CultFit is considered improv.

Your local playground is a great training tool. sand bag costs 20$. You cannot buy 2 day passes at any gym for that price.

-chris

I vote with the minority who says just take the week off.

If not most gyms have a trial period for free

I recal an article about some SWICC (or something) sailors whose resourcefulness could make a gym in the middle of the jungle with nothing but some bars, ropes and weights
Maybe you could get some inspiration from them what to use as makeshift gymequipment in that one week.

Or you could just lift so fukkin heavy this week that you’re going to need the week off.

Selfwrestle.

[quote]anonym wrote:
Gym hop.

Go to different gyms in the area and say you are considering joining but aren’t quite sure. They will either offer you a trial day there or you can get one by asking to give their facility a shot.[/quote]

The Gym at my school closed for a week (NCAA track event), so I did this. Went a gym. Said I was interested. They gave me a free week of training. Problem solved. I was also going to have a week with no gym next week, but called a few places in town. I have at least two days that I can lift. Better than nothing.

Is your family a member at a YMCA? Go there. I’m lifting at a YMCA right now using an away program. It was either that or four weeks off.