How to make home workouts more productive

We've all been getting used to home workouts throughout 2020 as coronavirus closes gyms and sports centres down the world over. However, many of us have been finding that training at home just isn't as productive.

Luckily, there are a few things you can do to make the most out of training at home.

Firstly, set up your own, personal space. When you come to train, fence it off. Make sure nobody can get in- your kids, your spouse, your flatmates, nobody. This will give you peace. It will also put you into a better training mindset. Gyms aren't just about the kit: the spatial change is profound. Replicate this at home: get your workout space sorted.

Also, it can be boring enough training at home. Gyms are fun. They are full of new kit and new people. Variety comes naturally to them, where you have to make variety at home. This is OK- just mix up your routine. Try following along to some YouTube yoga one day, some calisthenics the next, a boxercise class after this, and then going for a jog on your final day. That's four good quality workouts per week with no repetition.

How to form good fitness habits #11- chain more effectively

All habits chain together: each one is influenced and cued by other activities. You brush your teeth because that's what you do when your alarm clock has just gone off. You read the paper because that's what you do as you sit on the train on the way to work. You buy your morning coffee because that's what you do as you pass the coffee stand next to the office.

You can use this mentality to make going to the gym a lot easier. It can become less a matter of motivation and more an automatic response as part of your daily routine.

For example, if you leave work at 5:30, go to the gym at 5:45. Leaving work will cue you to train. Before long, you won't even have to think about it.

Alternatively, if you take your kids to karate practice at 7:00pm on a Thursday, go to the gym at 7:30 and be back in time to pick them up. Their training cues your training and you don't have to motivate yourself.

Basically, regularise your training as part of a normal routine, a normal chain of events, and everything will become much more doable.