Silence please! The best way to train in an upstairs apartment without bothering your neighbors



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WWith gyms in England closed for the second time this year, neighborhood relationships may have been strained by YouTube workouts and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) sessions online. Will that thunder on the floor in the apartment above ever stop, or is it just the short distance where your neighbor upstairs does some burpe before collapsing (another thud) into a heap? If you make the noise, does the weight of your guilt count as extra resistance? For the sake of indoor exercisers and apartment dwellers everywhere, here are some expert tips on how to reduce noise.

Low impact doesn’t mean little effort

When a woman received a visit from the police, who said her neighbors had filed a noise complaint, she realized it was probably from the HIIT course she was taking. She had enrolled in one of the online courses offered by pilatespt.co.uk, organized by Hollie Grant, a personal trainer. “We have people texting us if they’re thinking of signing up, saying, ‘I live in an apartment, how nervous is that going to be?’” Says Grant. There are some squat jumping and other “bouncy” movements in her classes, but she always offers low impact options for postnatal women and those with joint or pelvic floor problems. “Low-impact options don’t mean easy,” he says.

“Doing lunges at a certain speed and with enough repetitions would increase the heart rate.” (Posed by model.) Photograph: VioletaStoimenova / Getty Images

Make low-impact replacements

Instead of jumps, do squats, lunges and deadlifts. “If you do them at a certain speed and with enough repetitions, you will increase your heart rate,” says Grant, although he points out that he probably wouldn’t go as high as if you were doing squat jumps or plyometric lunges (where you jump from a position lunge when you switch legs). “What you would have to do is add resistance, so using things like resistance bands or dumbbells would raise your heart rate and compensate for the fact that you’re not jumping.”

Cardio isn’t just about running

There is no need to run in place (or jump). “All that increases heart rate is cardiovascular exercise,” says Nick Mitchell, founder and CEO of Ultimate Performance, a global personal training company. This includes bodyweight exercises like squats, lunges, and pushups, which can all be done silently. He’s not a fan of jumping movements however, particularly for those of us who are overweight and with decades of sedentary behavior behind us. For most people, he adds, these options will be easier on the joints but can be even more difficult – and get you fitter – than going for a jog, where most people run at a single pace and the your body adapts. Depending on your initial fitness levels, “the best thing to do is to choose movements that are hard and do those movements with intensity and effort for 30-60 seconds, and then do something slower – what you might call active recovery – or if you are fit enough, go into a different movement that works on a different part of your body ”.

Try landing silently

If you desperately need to keep doing nervous things, try to be light. Grant says, “In our HIIT class, we’ll say, ‘This is high intensity, but it shouldn’t be high impact. Imagine there is a baby in the room and you don’t want to wake him up, so if you are doing squat jumps, try to land quietly. . ‘In fact, it’s much harder for the body to land silently, so make your workout more difficult if you try to create as little noise as possible when you land. ”It should also reduce the impact on your joints.

“Going barefoot is more challenging and you will activate more muscles.” (Posed by model.) Photograph: agrobacter / Getty Images / iStockphoto

Turn down the volume

Grant suggests exercising on two yoga mats or placing a folded towel under one to cushion a thud. Also ditch the uncomfortable sneakers. “In our HIIT classes, we ask people to be barefoot.” It’s more challenging and helps you better control your landing. “You have to use more muscles in your ankle and foot, you don’t just have a trainer holding you in place, so it’s better for you and you’ll activate more muscles.” Your calves may be more sore the next day, “and the arches of your feet may feel bruised – they’re not bruised, it’s just that you’re activating muscles that don’t normally have the opportunity.”

“Commit yourself: you can train well on an exercise bike, if you use it correctly.” (Posed by model.) Photograph: Oliver Rossi / Getty Images

Invest wisely in equipment

A treadmill can be noisy, but can you train well on a rowing machine or stationary bike? Only if you use it correctly, says Mitchell. We all have different skill levels, so you don’t need to get the bike up to 20mph. You just have to try as hard as you can for a given unit of time. “Exercise should be progressive, he says. “Set goals. On a rower, for example, set three one-minute rounds. For one minute, go as hard as you can, measure the distance, then stand up and walk.” In the next round, see if you can beat the distance. and continue to do so. “And then you have a goal to beat for next time.” After a few days or weeks, add more rounds. “If you can do 10 one-minute rounds, going hard, you’ll be in much better shape than when you started.” Mixing a total effort for 30-60 seconds, then resting for up to two minutes, then repeating it several times is “the best way to get back into shape, that is, to lose fat and get fit at the highest levels.” If you’re determined to build a home gym, the best equipment, he says, is “the thing you like best because if you like it, you will do it,” noting that most exercise bikes end up as hangers.

“Anything can be a burden: be creative with what’s around the house – a one liter water bottle is one kilogram.” (Posed by model.) Photograph: Drive Since / Getty Images

But it is not necessary to spend loads on weights

“Be creative with what’s around the house,” says Grant. “Anything can be a ‘burden’, it doesn’t have to look good. A one-liter bottle of water – that’s one kilogram. “Mitchell recommends taking two shopping bags and putting a couple of jars (wrapped in a towel to reduce noise) in each.” Squat down, keep your bags indoors. ‘shoulder height, stand up and then push your arms over your head, being careful not to hit the side of your head with the bags. “That would be much more effective than a delimiting movement, he says, as it affects the whole body.” beauty of weight training – sticking cans in bags – is that you can always stick more boxes when you get stronger. “

Don’t drop weights

Obvious, perhaps, but just go to some gym to see men (usually men) throwing the barbells. “This makes me shiver,” says Grant. “If we are lifting a weight, we must also think about its release. You should be able to complete kettlebell, dumbbell, or barbell exercises without having to give up. Normally it means that someone is pushing themselves to the absolute limit and has lost shape or had to give up. “

Try other forms of exercise

If you have to isolate yourself, you may miss the run, but use the time to try new things you can (safely) do at home like yoga, pilates, or even Hula Hooping for some skipping-free cardio fun (can burn over 150 calories in 30 minutes). “Hopefully, if Covid did something, it got people to try other things,” says Grant. He has seen many recent pilates converts. “And I think people realize that pilates is actually not easy. Focusing on strength work, rather than just hitting cardio constantly, is really important. “

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