Home workout? Physical Company has you covered

Stress reliever. Immune system booster. Happy hormone releaser. Quality sleep giver.

These are just some of the many positive, scientifically proven roles that exercise can play in our daily lives.

Those benefits are valuable at the best of times. But in unprecedented times like these, when people are concerned both for their physical and their mental health, they become truly priceless.

Little wonder, then, that with the ‘stay at home’ order now in place, the nation is rapidly putting home fitness at the heart of everyday life: to try and maintain a positive mindset, to keep productivity high if working from home, to make ourselves as resilient as possible should the virus come our way.

On-demand fitness

In fact, home fitness was already booming. Even before the COVID-19 crisis, on-demand fitness spending was surging: up 129 per cent since 2017, and 59 per cent in the last year alone, according to CNBC.

Technology has been the driving force behind this growth, from apps and trackers to a multitude of online fitness programmes – often led by influencers, cue Sweat with Kayla and Train Like Thor – designed to engage, advise and motivate. We have also seen market-changing innovation in home gym equipment: the likes of Peloton, whose home bike live-streams classes direct to your living room.

So, exercise was already everywhere, often no more than the click of a button away – flexible, convenient, available any time, anywhere.

Now, fuelled by the COVID-19 crisis, we’re seeing even more online exercise content being made available to those stuck at home. And it’s having the desired effect: Joe Wicks, aka The Body Coach, saw 2 million people join his first live PE class, which he has pledged to run at 9.00am every day until kids can go back to school.

At-home essentials

If you haven’t yet taken the at-home plunge, where do you start?

First of all, don’t be put off by the technology side of things: home fitness needn’t be super hi-tech, nor does it have to break the bank. For all their wow factor, you don’t actually need the latest pieces of interactive equipment for a good workout.

More important is having some basic training tools at your disposal for a comprehensive and effective workout, with plenty of scope for variety so you won’t get bored.

That starts with great content. Our Physical Company app (iOS and Android) has always included free-to-use exercise videos, and these are proving incredibly popular right now: we saw a 50 per cent increase in downloads within 48 hours of the Prime Minister’s ‘stay at home’ bulletin.

Ideally, you’ll also have a few bits of small, easy to store equipment. We suggest starting with the following essentials from Physical Company, all tried and tested at leading gyms across the UK but priced to be affordable for everyone:

Performance Roller

The perfect warm-up to get your body ready for exercise. Use before every workout to release your muscles and prepare them for movement. In turn, this helps you get more from your training, while also helping prevent injury.

Bosu

With one flat side and one flexible domed side, this is the ultimate balance trainer and a favourite in gyms around the world. It’s great for core stability, as whatever exercises you do on it – from squats to bicep curls, press-ups to crunches – and whichever side you’re using, you have to engage your core.

Titan Bag

A versatile piece of equipment for a wide range of strength exercises, with multiple handles for manoeuvrability. Filled with sand, it’s a comfortable option for exercises like squats and lunges where you want to place the load on your shoulders. It also means you can swing and flip the bag without fear of painful impact.

AIREX mat

If you’ve ever tried to do floor-based exercises on the carpet, you’ll appreciate why we believe every great workout needs a comfortable mat! AIREX mats are not only premium quality – they’re also easy to clean and very hygienic.

Of course, if you want a full home gym fit-out we can help, working with you to design and create the entire space.

But we’re equally happy to look after you if all you need is a yoga mat or Swiss ball. As a family-owned company, we believe in delivering a personal touch to every one of our clients, giving as much care and attention to our smaller customers – self-employed personal trainers, physiotherapists and at-home exercisers – as to our bigger, corporate clients.