Overcoming the Difficulties of Working Out From Home

By Cassie Reilly-Boccia 

Our world has shifted. With schools, gyms and parks being closed, many athletes have been left to their own devices to train.

Whereas some may view these changes as a limitation to their ability to stay in shape, get stronger and remain powerful, the coaching staff at Athletes Warehouse have instead made the choice to see this as a monumental opportunity for learning and growth. 

First, we don’t want to ignore the obvious and pretend like it doesn’t exist: Working out from home is tough. If it were easy and effective for athletes to train from home, venues such as Athletes Warehouse wouldn’t exist.

Here are five reasons we have all found it difficult to train from home: 

1. Especially with school and other activities being less regimented or canceled, the structure that we typically had to our day is gone. Determining when to fit our workout in throughout the day is no longer automated. 
2. Who is waiting on you for your workout each day? Who will text you if you miss your time slot? With no one holding us accountable, the sting of disappointing someone we care about is no longer a motivating factor to getting your workout in. 
3. Confusion on what to do. Should I stretch? Run outside? Do pushups? How many? Mentally, it is easier and less taxing to complete a workout when there is a coach telling you exactly what you need to do to get better that day. 
4. Lack of equipment. Many athletes are accustomed to the equipment they’ve had access to at their training facility. Understanding how to complete similar training styles with limited equipment is difficult even for the most experienced strength coaches, let alone a high school or college athlete.
5. Missing Connection. We’d all be naive to say that we don’t love the interactions and connections that come from getting to train in a positive, high-energy environment. Getting a chance to be surrounded by other athletes working hard and getting after their workouts is certainly easier than doing it solo. 

The good news is that you’re not alone. Everyone is struggling, strength and conditioning coaches included. Here is how Athletes Warehouse has tried to meet everyone halfway: 

1. Monthly remote training programs. Monthly programs, designed specifically to meet the needs of each athlete, delivered daily straight to the athlete’s app. Each coach interacts with their designated athlete on a daily basis to ensure there is a direct line of communication about the training program being implemented. 
2. Equipment rentals. Our gym in Pleasantville is 17,500 square feet and is completely empty. All athletes with a monthly program have the opportunity to rent equipment from our gym so that they can complete their workouts with a wider range of exercises. 
3. One-on-one and group online training sessions. Technology will be our best friend and greatest asset during this time as we can virtually join you in your living room via Zoom, Facetime or Google Hangout. Scheduling a session and knowing you have a coach waiting for you is just the right amount of accountability and motivation needed. 
4. Social media. For all of its faults, social media can be a tremendous asset to feeling connected to a greater whole. We have worked hard to use various social media platforms to continue to play a role in the daily lives of our athletes.

Cassie Reilly-Boccia lives in Lake Peekskill and is a sports performance specialist and co-owner of Athletes Warehouse in Pleasantville, a training facility dedicated to redefining the lives of student-athletes in the tristate area. Reilly-Boccia was a four-year starter for the University of Alabama softball team winning three SEC titles and a national championship, which she documented in her book, “Finished It – A Team’s Journey to Winning it All.” She grew up in Yorktown where she was a part of the high school softball team’s first section championships in 2007 and 2008. 

Annette