Joining Online Workouts? – Here’s my 5 Top Tips for Safety & Effectiveness

Online Workouts - Top Tips

My Top Tips for Joining An Online Workout

We’re now a week into our isolation, and it doesn’t look like we’re going a where soon.

Keeping up with your good habits is so important as we continue with this new way of life. When we finally emerge from this period, do you want to appear unfit and lumpy after spending months on the sofa, or toned and in shape after keeping up with your exercise program?

Some of you have embraced the technology, which is fantastic, and I know that we’re all on a steep learning curve with it.

Having now spent just over a week teaching online classes, as seeing lots of ceilings, edges of desks and failing feet or arms, I have noticed some easily fixable things that you should do which will enable you to get the best of your workout.

Here are my top tips for joining in workouts online;

  1. Camera Angles – it’s well worth taking a bit of time to think about your camera angles. If you’re participating in a live class, you will want to see the instructor and equally the instructor will want to see you. The angles when you’re standing up are not the same when on the mat. You need to have your camera at the right angle so that you can easily transition to the floor based exercises without faffing about too much. Also check your lighting – standing with a window behind with the sun shining through will mean your instructor can only see a bright light.  Buying a small tripod will help you to transition much smoother – depending on what device you’re using, you can get them cheap enough from Amazon.
  2. Your Exercise Space – although you don’t need much space for your exercise area, you do need it to be free from obstacles. That means above your head too! The last thing you want to do is swing a kettlebell right into your expensive overhead light. Make sure you have enough space and that it’s clear from obstacles (especially if you have to faff on with your device as per No.1). Equally, be really aware of your surroundings, there will also be pets, babies, partners etc. moving around in your space, so be conscious of those too. If you put a Kettlebell down, be aware of its presence. I’ve spent quite a bit of time this week shouting ‘watch out for that…..’. In classes, your instructor sorts out all of these things, at home, you need to have a greater awareness of your surroundings.
  3. Internet Quality – Depending upon your internet speeds, you might have to make sure that you’re the only one that’s using the internet for the duration of your workout. Meaning, you may have to chuck the kids off the X-box for a while.
  4. Log in Earlier – Make sure that you log in a bit earlier for your class, at least 5 mins. I’ve noticed that the sound can take a while to log in, longer than the video.  Make sure that you’re all sorted before the class starts, and it will save you having to wait for your audio to catch up.
  5. Use an HDMI Cable – If you want to get your instructor on a big TV screen, you can do it via an HDMI cable from your device to your TV. It’s straightforward to do, plug it into the back of your TV. Remember though that the camera is from your device so you may still need to move it about (as per tip 1) to enable the instructor to see you.

Doing the above will not only give you a better workout experience it will also help keep you and your family/pets/household objects safe. It will only take a couple of minutes to do each time you workout but it will make a big difference.

I hope this helps – if you can think other top tips as participants then let me know and I’ll add them in.

Thank you to everyone who has been joining me in my ‘virtual’ studio, it’s been amazing to see so many of you.

Jill x

PS

If you can’t make my online classes, or the thought of the technology really freaks you out, don’t forget I have put together my ‘Pilates Bundle’ which is over 3 hours of pre-recorded workouts of varying times. You can do these at your leisure. To find out more and to purchase click here.

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