As many people know, and have experienced first-hand, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused the world to go into a bit of a shutdown. All of this is for social distancing or trying to keep people away from other people as much as possible. Social distancing has caused businesses that are not considered essential to close. This includes places like dine-in parts of restaurants, movie theaters, schools, and even …gasp… gyms!

This has become a problem for many Buena Vista University (BVU) student-athletes as they are trying to stay strong and in shape during their offseason, or what would normally be their regular season. Thankfully, for these BVU athletes, Coach Joshua Cue has been up to the challenge.

“It has been a unique challenge,” says Cue, “but we have the TeamBuildr app and that allows me to program workouts for all athletes.”

That’s not the only way he has been helping athletes during this pandemic.

“I have also been able to have zoom workouts which allows me to have visual contact with our athletes.”

These programmed workouts Coach Cue mentions have been tailored to those who do not have access to a normal gym and weight room. These include bodyweight workouts consisting of things that can be done with low weight or easily accessible weight that you may not have considered before.

For example, instead of squatting with a bar or using large dumbbells, this encourages you to use a backpack full of heavy items or using gallon milk jugs as ten to fifteen-pound dumbbells.

Some athletes, however, have access to their own personal gyms at home and can still get a lift in. Take Tanner Frost, a junior football player at BVU, for example. “I’ve got a home gym set up after spending a bit of my own money.”

Why you may ask?

“I didn’t want all of our hard work to fall back after a committed offseason.”

Tanner believes having his own gym gives him an edge over those who may not have that luxury.

“I’d like to think my own gym sets me apart because I’m not only doing the lifts we were planning to do…, but I’m going the extra mile and doing extra workouts.” Tanner says it’s not just other BVU athletes this sets him apart from, “This hard work in times of adversity will be the difference between us and the rest of the [American Rivers Conference] come August.”

As for others who may not be college athletes but use the gyms and weight room just as frequently, it affects them too. Clayton VanHorn, a BV sophomore and avid weight room visitor, does not have his own home gym like fellow student, Tanner Frost. VanHorn says he’s “been trying [his] best with what [he] has.” A simple statement that many stuck at home are also saying.

So, what kind of workouts does Clayton do? “[I have] minimal lifting equipment so I resort to high repetition and bodyweight exercises with the periodic furniture squat.”

In times like these, many people are missing their gyms and are struggling for ways to get the same kind of workouts in. Others are finding new and creative ways to workout. So, in this pandemic, if you are looking for simple workouts to keep you in shape while waiting for your gym to open back up, just go back to basics. Take a run on a treadmill or around your town, do pushups in your living room, or even sit-ups during the commercial breaks of your favorite show.

Just remember to keep social distancing in mind and have fun with your at home workouts.