Caxton Joburg West journalist Jaco Human is a normal guy, working eight to 10 hours a day while trying to make time for a good workout six times a week.
“Before the lockdown, I used to go jogging through the hills of Noordheuwel directly after work. My running partner and I started getting fit again recently, doing 5km two or three times a week. I miss that,” Jaco said as he fastened a barbell spin-lock collar. The other days, he said, were spent in the gym, but explained that under normal circumstances it’s difficult to work out every day, like it is for many others. Sometimes work and life are just too draining.
“I don’t mind the lockdown that much. I miss going out on stories and seeing my co-workers. But I’ve noticed four things; I spend a lot less on things I don’t need, I eat less junk food, I can catch up on the sleep I’ve been missing out on over the past few months, and there’s more time for things like working out.” The loneliness might be the worst part. “All I can do to stay sane is working out. It’s just not the same being cooped up at home all day. Then, a friend sent me a link; a fitness challenge of sorts. We both recently got a taste of obstacle course racing (OCR),” he said. He added that it tests your strength, speed, agility and stamina as you run, jump, climb and crawl your way through obstacles over a few kilometres. These races are usually done outside with a few hundred other people. Suffice it to say that no such races or group training can be done during lockdown.
“My eyes sparked when I opened the link. A well-known OCR organiser had created a few home-styled races. I immediately sat down and planned a personalised version of the training programme. My friend lives in an apartment in Pretoria, which greatly limits the kinds of training he could do. I’m luckier than most. Our house has a 50 metre, give or take, driveway stretching from the gate to the backyard. The driveway is also built at a 35 degree angle, which makes for great up- and downhill sprints. Over the past two years we’ve been building a bootstrap garage gym. It’s dirty, gritty and perfect for getting down and lifting hard.”
What does his workout look like?
“I start off with a 700m run, which is comprised of seven uphill sprints to the gate, and another seven downhill toward the garage gym. I use the step counter on my smartphone, as I’ve noticed that running apps which use GPS aren’t very accurate for short sprints like these. Directly from there I jump into 10 weighted squats with a 30 or 50kg barbel, and do a one to two minute planking session. I do a quick, one-minute rest during which I check the timer on my phone and mark my first completed section’s time on a sheet. Then follows another 700m run, 80m tyre drag (35kg) up- and downhill, one minute rest, 10 squat box-jumps, a 500m run, two minutes rest, a 50m Atlas carry with those same tyres up- and downhill, 700m run, three minutes rest, 10 repetitions of 50kg weighted overhead thrusters, 50 up- and downhill tyre flips, three minutes rest, 700m run, two minutes rest (as I’m pretty tired right before my second wind kicks in), 20 burpees, 1km run, one minute rest, one minute pinch plate, one minute shoulder rolls/ shrugs (about now my shoulders are killing me), no rest as I do 10 tyre flips on a flat surface, a 700m run, and end it all off, while panting heavily, with a five-minute, no pause, high-intensity boxing session.
“My friend and I had a conversation about what he can do in a limited space with little equipment, and decided that jumping rope, shadow boxing and high-knees are great for cardio. Tyre flips or the like can be done by lifting a couch or bed. Sit-ups, push-ups, burpees, bear crawls, and the like can supplement the workout or replace segments with equipment. The point is to do a lot of workouts fast, with little rest, and get a good sweat going.”
He said it’s really simple to do, and is the only thing keeping him from getting the lockdown blues.
To view some of Jaco’s workout photos, click here.
