WHEN NEW YORK LOCKED DOWN FOR THE COVID-19 pandemic last year, I was on vacation and figured I could improvise until things lifted — which had to be in a few weeks tops, right? “Workouts in the sand!” I decided, taking advantage of my surroundings. And honestly, why wasn’t I already doing this? Even though I was supposed to be on vacation, I was still taking meetings for the gym and frantically scouring the internet for fitness equipment I could have delivered and ready when I arrived back home. Back in New York, my clients were all one step ahead of me, transforming their living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchens into home gyms. They consulted me in the process:
Client: “Should I get the 15s or 20s or both?”
Me: “Obviously, both.”
Client: “I can’t find 15s but they have kettlebells, should I get those?”
Me: “Absolutely. We can do a lot with kettlebells.”
Client: “Now the kettlebells are sold out but they have a barbell, what do think?”
Me: “You have room for a barbell? Yes, get the barbell — but good luck finding plates for it, because it’s sold out everywhere I looked. You got the bands right?”
Client: “Yeah, those are coming this week.”
Me: “Perfect! Get the barbell and if you can, buy a landmine attachment. You can borrow plates from the gym. You’ll be good!”
As we spoke and they continued to revamp their home gyms, It was becoming apparent that this was going to be longer than a few weeks. I started strategizing with clients on how they could continue to train at home, which led to Live Virtual Training sessions via FaceTime or Zoom. I’m not going to lie, there was something exciting about this new venture. I was able to maintain some normalcy during this time and do it out of the comfort of my own home. From a trainer’s perspective, I relished the challenge of trying to provide a good solid training session for my clients with minimal equipment. “Okay, so we’ve got two mini bands, one long red band, two 20 pound dumbbells, a 26-pound kettlebell, and a yoga mat. I’m going to murder your legs. Happy Monday!”
Lala Duncan and Walter Savage photo by Alice Teeple
By the middle of summer, the novelty of minimalist training was wearing thin, and many of my clients were starting to install full gyms in their homes. One of my clients in the Hamptons turned her basement into a full gym that would rival any boutique fitness studio, while another client moved to a slightly bigger apartment on the Lower East Side just so that she could have a squat rack in her living room. But our training program never changed. No matter what, in the gym or at home, on Mondays we squat. And as my client, Rachel, says to me, “No problem, let me move the chaise lounge to make room for my new squat rack.” As a strength coach and trainer, this can be better than hearing “I love you” for the first time from a new beau.
Now here we are a year later, and no one can predict what the future holds as the world starts to “open up.” What I can tell you is that in Manhattan and across the world, women are taking their health, fitness, and strength into their own hands. A lot of my clients have expressed to me that they now feel more comfortable strength training at home because there’s less intimidation than being in a crowded gym. And they feel confident that when gyms do fully re-open, they can walk up to the squat rack, adjust the height, load the plates themselves and lift like a boss. The conversations I used to have with my girlfriends and clients about handbags, clothes, and shoes have now turned into “Hey, what do you think if I bought a trap bar, do you think I’ll use it?” My answer? “Abso-freaking-lutely!”
It’s probably safe to say that you’ve been wearing sweatpants, leggings, or even pajamas a lot more often than usual recently. Maybe you’ve even customized your own facemask to wear outdoors. For many people, the statewide lockdown orders have had an influence on how we dress and how we think about clothing. And the way we dress is closely related to our lifestyle choices. As COVID19 changes day-to-day life for millions of people, it might also be set to alter the clothing choices we make.
In fact, over the centuries, the biggest shifts in fashion trends haven’t come from runways but have rather followed events that have disrupted society on a huge scale, such as wars. The effect of these events has an impact on the economy, supply chains, social behavior, and daily life, often speeding up and normalizing changes that were already underway.
Dressing Down
The current coronavirus crisis means that many of us get to wear comfortable clothing throughout the day while working from home. This new surge in remote working might lead to even more dressing-down in the workforce once people are able to go back to the office. And it’s nothing new; social standards have loosened over the past few years and comfort and leisure clothing has become more of a priority for fashion shoppers. Hoodies and leggings have become everyday fashion and have even made their way into the office in some industries. And with online sales of tracksuits and sweatpants currently booming, fashion experts believe that the current situation is likely to prolong the strength of athleisure.
Online Shopping
As clothing stores shut down and more people turn to e-Commerce in order to get their retail therapy, the coronavirus crisis is not only set to impact what we wear but how we get it. In the future, it’s expected that those people who are shopping online more often than ever before nowadays are going to continue that behavior, and we’ll see the recent uptick in online shopping continue. On the other hand, others can’t wait for the retail stores to be open again and there’s likely to be a huge boom in people going out for the shopping trips that they once took for granted once the situation has passed and the lockdown orders are lifted.
Dressing Up
While working from home for months might normalize the idea of dressing down in many offices around the country once the crisis is over, there’s also expected to be a boom in sales of ‘going out’ clothes and people dressing up once they have the chance to do so again. After months of living in sweatpants and tracksuits, it makes sense that people are going to revel in the chance to get dressed up and enjoy a night out once the bars and clubs reopen again, and there’s expected to be a boom in the sales of party dresses, heels, suits, and other event-style clothing.
Safety First
Finally, the coronavirus crisis is going to forever change the way we think about protecting our health and keeping germs at bay. After the crisis, there may be an increase in hand-washing stations and the use of hand sanitizing gel in public places like supermarkets. And, it’s also expected to change the way we think about clothing. Many people might go on to wear face masks in public for a long time after the coronavirus crisis has passed, as face masks have never been more important as people realize their use for combating the spread of germs.
From dressing for comfort to clothing designed for safety, the coronavirus crisis is expected to have a big impact on fashion.
Quarantiners were so excited to cook at home at the beginning of isolation – we saw many great recipes on social media. By now, most of you probably ran out of creativity and can’t wait to dine out.
But while our favorite restaurants remain closed, maybe these recipes from Parma will inspire you to continue to cook even more delicious meals. They are all vegan and made with their non-dairy parmesan cheese. A Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo? Yes, this is possible. You can still be in your food comfort zone while discovering new cuisines inside your own kitchen?
Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo
Ingredients
Noodles or Zucchini Noodles*
1 Cup Cashews (depending on how thick you want your sauce)
½ Lemon to taste
1 Cup Parma! (1 – 3.5oz bottle)
1-2 Cups Water
Salt to taste
Basil or parsley as garnish
Directions
Cook your noodles as directed. Blend the dry cashews into a flour. Add 1/2 the Parma! then slowly blend in water. Add additional Parma! to desired consistency and taste; add salt to taste. Put a portion of noodles onto a plate or bowl, add a dollop of sauce on top. Garnish with Parma! and fresh herbs.
*Zucchini Noodles – 1 or 2 Zucchini – use a Spiral Slicer for angel hair pasta or a Spirooli Slicer for thicker noodles, or using a wide grater, make long thin strips.
If you are using wide zucchini strips, layout the strip put a dollop of cheese on top, and roll it up.
Preheat oven to 425. Begin cooking pasta in boiling water. While pasta is boiling, combine mushrooms, asparagus, onions, a little oil/salt/pepper, spread onto a baking sheet and bake 12-15 minutes. To make the Creamy Pesto Pasta sauce combine the basil, garlic, lemon zest + juice, oil, pine nuts, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper in a food processor or large personal blender and blend until creamy. When pasta is done, drain all but 1/4 cup water (a little pasta water helps the creaminess), combine pasta with mushrooms, asparagus, onions, and pesto, sprinkle generously with Parma and serve.
On Parma! website, you can see more recipes and check out their products.
Paul Kostas; Photograph by Catalina Kulczar; @catalinaphotog.
As retail shops, restaurants, and gyms shutter to prevent the spread of COVID-19, countless fitness fanatics have bemoaned the idea of missed workouts. Thankfully, there are many effective fitness routines to engage in from the comfort of your own home. To get a better picture of how to keep active, we sat down (virtually) with Paul Kostas, the Director of Personal Training at Brooklyn Athletic Club (BAC), for some insight into how he is keeping his clients, the BAC community, and fitness lovers healthy.
A highly decorated personal trainer, Kostas’s certifications and continuing education include: USA Olympic Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach; Certified Clinical Weightlifting Coach; Bio-Signature Modulation; Catalyst Athletics Level 1 Weightlifting Coach; and Functional Movement Specialist—just to name a few. And while the Williamsburg, Brooklyn-located BAC serves the purpose of every other gym—it is quite unique in its make-up—infrared saunas included. A fitness gem amidst the ubiquitous chains lining every other street corner, the BAC not only has an inspiring community of people determined to lift each other up, but every fitness instructor at the gym boasts a wish list of certifications, awards, and more. For now, enjoy Kostas’s tips and tricks, but don’t forget to place BAC on your list of gyms to hit—let’s hope that time is soon!
Paul Kostas; Photograph by Catalina Kulczar; @catalinaphotog.
Downtown: Now that every gym in New York—and various other states—are mandated to close for the time being, what steps are you taking to continue to advise your clients on exercise routines?
Paul Kostas, Director of Personal Training at Brooklyn Athletic Club: As soon as we decided it was for the safety of the community to close our doors, we immediately went to work creating workout programs to be done at home. We are using social media and email lists to alert our members that we are posting workouts on the Train Heroic app.
Downtown: We love the idea behind TrainHeroic! When and how did that originate?
PK: We’ve been using Train Heroic for our Semi-Private Training sessions for about 4 years now. It’s fantastic—we can create training programs that can be accessed remotely. The app also allows us to include detailed instructions and link demo videos. The feature I most appreciate right now is the message board where everyone can comment on the workout.
Downtown: How many workouts do you plan on posting a week? Can you share an example of one legs or arms workout?
PK: Right now I’m posting a workout everyday except for Sunday—everyone should rest once a week. As demand increases, I am thinking of posting two different workouts a day—a cardio-based one and a strength-based one.
#6: Legs- perform all exercises for set numbers or reps back to back. Rest 2–3 minutes between sets. Repeat for 3–5 rounds.
Forward Lunge + Squat Jump x 20 total reps
SL RDL + Reverse Lunge x 10 reps per side
Squat Jacks x 20 reps
Hip Thrust or Bridge x 20 reps
#7: Arms and Back 10–1 For Time
Triceps Push-ups
Tote Bag Hammer Curl (use a towel)
Bent Over Rear Delt Fly (use a wine bottle)
Downtown: What has the response been like? Can anyone join in? If so, how?
PK: I’m blown away by the response. Over 225 people have joined in the last 48 hours. There has been constant interaction with all the members and everyone really appreciates it.
It’s free and open to everyone. Download the Train Heroic app (ios/android)—team name is Stronger Together and the access code is bactogether.
Downtown: What have you learned about the importance of a workout community? How can you continue to share with a community while apart during these times?
Photograph: Jon Johnnidis.
PK: Our community at BAC has always been so special and amazing. It was heartbreaking to close our doors and the ability to still stay in constant contact with everyone through the workouts and social media is getting me through the day.
We’re encouraging people to record and post their workouts to IG and tag @brooklynathelticclub & @paulkostas so we can repost as well so everyone still feels like we’re all doing this together.
Members are commenting on the workouts in the app, and on IG, and we’re using that to try to facilitate interactions and continue to cultivate community.
Downtown: Can you share with our readers what is so particularly special about BAC and its trainers + members?
PK: I really think it starts with our coaching staff—everyone is incredibly knowledgeable and personable and that helps to attract and retain an amazing client base. Everyone truly gets along and respects each other. We take fitness very seriously but we have a ton of fun doing it together.
We’ve been hosting competitions and parties throughout the years and Tasha Hunter, (coach and digital communications director) has started hosting Ladies Night workouts, so we now have the strongest and most badass group of women in NYC.
Downtown: What is your advice for those who have never been into home workouts—what tips would you offer to self-motivate?
PK: Now more than ever we have to keep a routine of self care and health a top priority. I personally am not a fan of home workouts, but having 30 minutes a day to move, and knowing over 200 others are doing it with me, is going to keep me sane. We’re taking what we have right now and making the best of it while trying to stay positive—keeping a workout routine is a huge part of that. I do think this is as much or more of a practice in mental and emotional health then physical health right now.
Downtown: Why should we not underestimate a low-impact workout?
PK: We’re managing reps schemes, tempo, and rest intervals in order to keep the low-impact workouts challenging.
Downtown: What kind of low-impact workouts are great for legs?
PK: Avoid jumping if you need to keep it low impact. Focus on slowing down the movements and maintaining tension in the target muscles. Squats, lunges, step-ups, and of course, stretching.
Downtown: How often would you advise someone who took frequent workout classes to participate in a high-impact workout?
PK: This varies to the individual but start with 3/week and build from there.
Downtown: How possible is this with minimal equipment?
PK: Get creative! We have tote bags full of canned goods in the training program as a “weight”, wine bottles, jugs of water, a backpack full of books, etc.
By using higher rep schemes, slower tempo, and short rest periods we’re able to make the workouts effective.
Downtown: My only exercise equipment right now happens to be a resistance band. What can I do to exercise my core, legs, and arms?
PK: Join our team Stronger Together on Train Heroic and let us take it from there!
Downtown: For those of us with studio apartments, how can we get our cardio in with minimal space?
PK: All the workouts are designed with exactly that in mind.
Downtown: What have your favorite workouts been?
PK: I have seven workouts published and I really like how they work together in a unit—each targeting different muscle groups on different days and the variety between them.
Honestly, my favorite part about writing these workouts is the challenge of being creative and not making things complicated.
Downtown: What will be your first workout when you are able to head back to the gym?
PK: Put a barbell on my back and squat as heavy as I can!
