2020 - the year that taught us that we CAN Work (Out) From Home - so why not still join our classes while doing so?

Meet Gareth who actually took his training UP a notch in 2020 due to being forced to work from home!

When Gareth was doing his final measurements for the last CCF Nutrition Challenge he mentioned how happy he was with his training from home, so we thought we'd check in with him to get some feedback on how he has structured his training since the Lockdown!
Hopefully his story can inspire all of us to also know that we really can get our training in no matter where we happen to be - especially now in holiday times when we might not always have access to the box!

This was from the email he sent us after us reaching out:
As I tried to convey yesterday - I am really loving all the detailed notes, videos and different tracks etc. I loved training prior to covid but the CCF ‘product’ is just so much better now - whether you are in the box or not.
As we said yesterday - you can just accept and dwell on the negatives or you can find the positives and build on them. You and the team have definitely done that and the end result is a better ‘product’ and I hope in time a stronger business and community.

Hats off to you for all you have achieved over this incredibly challenging year!

Gareth  

These were the questions we asked Gareth:

1. Hey Gareth, you have chosen to train from home after the lockdown as that suits your Work From Home-lifestyle better - how have you experienced that so far?
   
   Its been great! Similar to my experience on the WFH (work from home) front, training from home has allowed me much greater flexibility and efficiency around managing my time.
   I should highlight upfront that my ‘home box’ allows me to pretty much follow the in-box programming, meaning I don’t have to make many, if any compromises in my training.
   This is important for me and if this was not the case training from home would not be a viable option for me personally.
   EDITORS NOTE: See our solutions for those wanting to train at home but not necessarily having ALL the gear.

2. You follow the CCF GPP WOD and almost always join us every morning "in class" remotely via the Zoom Live Feed, how is that experience?
   Firstly, I now train at 6:30 am which was not an option before – I can help get the kids ready for school and still make class!
   The Live Feed really works for me as one of the things I love about CrossFit is the sense of community – booking my class’s and rocking up for the Live Feed helps me feel a part of the community.

3. You used to trained with us in the gym before the lockdown so the obvious question is: How do you feel that your training is different compared to joining our regular classes?
   
   I am less inclined to drop weights (only half joking)?
   I mentioned the community aspect of CrossFit earlier. The reality is that there is no substitute for being in a class and throwing down with a bunch of other people. The Live Feed helps bridge this but it’s no substitute.
   You also obviously don’t have a coach in the room with you. On the plus side, I am better prepared for each class/WOD these days.
   
   I don’t think this is necessarily different from if I was training in the box but reflects me taking better ownership of my training decisions as I am on my own and also the benefits of CCF/Zenfit Athletics’s move to cater for remote training.
   The quality and detail of the information provided is awesome.
   The daily Purpose video’s, Structure and Strategy write up’s etc essentially replicate the coaching in the box – you know what to do, how it should feel and get some options to suit your fitness level – just like in the box.
   I am also spending way more time on mobility with the Daily Flex now part of my daily routine. 

4. You have a pretty cool home gym setup, what made you decide to build your home gym and what do you have in it?
   I always had a plan to build out a home gym. The lock down just accelerated this plan.
   My home set-up consists of:
   Rowing machine
   Squat Rack
   Barbell and Bumpers
   Pull Up Bar
   Kettle Bell (24kg)
   Dumbell’s (1 x 22.5kg, 2x 15kg)
   Medicine ball (20lb)
   Box
   Assorted accessories (pvc pipe, bands, rings, yoga mat, foam roller)

5. We've also seen via BTWB that you do some of our Add-Ons once in a while which is really cool for us as coaches to see, how do you decide on what to do when you do more than the regular Main WOD?
   I try to get 4-5 main WOD’s done every week as well as the daily flex – that’s my main focus.
   I have always then tried to pick a relative weakness to work on outside of the main WOD. Sometimes the other tracks (Ninja/Tank Engine/Power House) have something that fits the bill or just looks cool and I do it.
   
   Having just started using BTWB I saw they have some skill programs you can follow – I recently added the Hand Stand push-up one (The Open is just around the corner and that should boost me a couple 1000 places on the leader board 😊) .
   I do these extra pieces when my body feels up to it and I have the time, which is now more often given my home setup.

6. Do you ever feel that you can't follow the program due to lack of equipment/space or anything else?
   I have never had an issue following the program or felt that I had to compromise on my training
   I don’t have an assault bike (fortunately!) or ski erg but sub the rower for these and I have enough equipment to allow me to swap out movements if need be but still get the intended stimulus.
   
   Rope climbs could be a challenge in the future!

7. Anything else you'd like to add for those thinking about training from home?
   Being able to train from home is a privilege.
   
   The investment is not small (depending on how closely you want to replicate the in-box experience) but I see it as just that - an investment in myself and my family.

If you are inspired to train at home we have solutions for you: every day our program comes with 3 variations - see examples of one day below!

• CrossFit
  
  This is the full movement program where we use cardio machines, barbells, pull up bars etc - of course we still modify it in class to suit every persons ability and recommend you to do the same if training at home.
• Unilateral/Limited Equipment
  
  This is the same program as above but present movement options to be done with Kettle Bells/Dumbells for those with a limited setup.
• Bodyweight/No Equipment
  
  Self explanatory: this offers movement options to do with your own body only!

The idea here is simple, every day the athletes in our classes get to choose and get guided by our CCF Coaches to choose movements that suits their capacity and experience level. As an example there is a lot of benefit of sticking with the "simpler" Unilateral movements vs the Barbell until proficient capacity has been built up with the latter - and some times that option can even offer more fitness building effects as it allows us to keep moving.

So, if you are training from home you can choose any of these movements and simply check in to a class on the schedule where you'll then get the Zoom Link and can follow along in Warm Ups, Skill Pieces, etc from the classes where this is offered - perfect on days when you can't get to the box or even if you like Gareth actually prefer to do most of your training from home!

PS. Looking for home equipment? Gareth got most of his from our "CCF Preferred Partner" REBEL ELITE FITNESS and so can you
(our CCF Members also get a 10% discount!):

CLICK ON THE REBEL LOGO ABOVE TO GET TO THEIR STORE!