Keeping Fit in Lockdown

As an alternative to the drinking Civ guide I saw on here a while back (or maybe do both on alternate days...?), here is my Civ 5 – the Fitness Game guide!

Very simple - you select a range of events and every time one of the events happens, you roll a dice (online random number generator) to pick from a list of exercises to do.

You can create your own list of events and / or exercises, but here’s mine:

Events:

• Discover technology (if you enter a new era, double the exercise)
  
• Found City (double for your first city)
  
• Reload (always a double exercise – don't save scum unless you can take it!)
  
• Build wonder
  
• Conquer a city (double if you destroy a civ)
  
• Found religion (once for each of the 3 stages)
  
• Great person born
  
• Declare War
  
• Make Peace
  
• Spaceship component fitted
  
• Golden age starts

Exercises:

1. Plank (45 secs)
2. Weight lift to side (x 15)
3. Stair run (15 secs)
4. Press ups (x10)
5. Single stair hop (x15)
6. Double stair hop (x10)
7. Triple stair hop (x5)
8. Bicep curl (x15)
9. Weight lift above head (x20)
10. Tricep dips (x10)

* If you want to balance the exercises out more or push one particular area, just add multiple entries of the same exercise.

*You can also add multiple variations of the same exercise – wide press ups, narrow press ups; left plank, right plank, front plank...

* Times / number of reps clearly depend on your level of fitness and the weights you have available. You should feel each exercise in your muscles, but also be able to do 20-30 of these exercises in a 2-3 hour play session. I would start low and adjust upwards (little by little) until you find the sweet spot. You should also continue to adjust upwards as you get fitter (it won’t take long).

* Quality over quantity with exercises! This is most obvious with press ups, but applies to everything. You are better off doing 4 (or 1) textbook perfect press ups than 8 rubbish ones, where you are just wiggling your body. Start low (but correct) and grow from there.

* Weights – I have no proper weights at home, but have found a range of useful items! 1kg – 1 litre water bottle; 1.6kg - 4 pack of soup / baked beans; 2.3kg - wine box...

In terms of individual exercises, I am sure that you can find detailed descriptions online for most of them, but a few thoughts:

• Weight lift to side – stand upright, with a weight in each hand dangling by your side. Raise your arms laterally until they are about 30 degrees above your shoulders.

• Stair run – like sprinting on the spot. Step up onto the bottom step and then step back down again; as fast as you can. I find a good goal (which I haven’t made yet!) is to aim for double the time in reps (so 30 in 15 secs).

• A good way of helping the quality of your press ups is to have a medium size ball (I have one about 5-6 inches in diameter) under your chest – go down until you touch it. Use a tennis ball if you’re harder!

• I approach the different stair hops in different ways. Single stair hops are all about speed. Double and triple stair hops are about balance (as well as muscle!) - don’t score them until you have jumped up and down successfully; if you don’t land two-footed or have to move after landing, it doesn’t count. Double steps – do without arms (arms tight by your side).

• Tricep dips – you need a hard edge about a foot off the ground. I find my sofa with the cushions off works well.