Santé journalist Esmir van Wering would like to continue training in the corona era. She was overjoyed that the group lessons outside have started again and shows us how much fun that is!
“When the lockdown was announced, I saw myself fat and depressed on the couch. That never! And so the switch had to be switched:this purebred group athlete (and optimist) will be exercising at home for an indefinite period of time. Fast forward:no quarantine kilos have been added, but more muscle power. So far:mission accomplished!”
“From the first hour I have followed the online lessons of sports coach Eduard Bekkers on Facebook, at Health Club Jordaan Live. The usual coffee with my sports mates after class has been exchanged for chatting with the other online home athletes during class.
Also for the sports teacher, teaching in the corona era is quite different from the 'old normal' in the gym. Eduard Bekkers:'Now I give a lot of energy and I talk to an iPad, while nothing comes back. That is why I started to stimulate communication with the participants on the screen:a response to how hard it is for them, thumbs, hearts. In this way you still get a group feeling and group dynamics. After class I read all messages back. Very funny! That gives me the energy I miss while teaching live streaming.”
A plus of home sports is that in the same time that I spend in the gym on 1 lesson, I can now work out at home for 2 hours. Close the laptop, take a shower and move on.”
Eduard Bekkers:'By teaching online, I can train my participants from four different gyms at the same time. But people from other gyms also participate. Even from Belgium, Norway and Spain! The rating is unbelievable! People who say I was their bright spot. Or that they were able to laugh for a while and forget all the trouble. That I help them through this period. Great isn't it?!'
We are now allowed to work out outside again and the gyms will open as of July 1. The online sports platform Fresh Fitness really throws a party here by offering their training sessions at prime locations, such as the Amsterdam tower. I want to be there!
When I stand on the ferry and look out over the IJ, I am quite nervous. Not only to finally train in a group after weeks. But also because I'm going to meet my new chat friends from other gyms for the first time. It feels like a reunion, while I've never seen them in real life. Another profit from home sports.
With a group of 30 people we are standing on the Amsterdam tower. Everyone brought their own dumbells, water bottles, towel and mat. I recognize my online friends from their profile picture. The atmosphere is immediately good, as if we have been training together for years. The sun is shining (oops, forgot to put it on!) and the view is Instagram-proof. I've always liked sports in a group, but now I appreciate it all the more. Eduard Bekkers can't wait for the gyms to open again. "There's nothing like the dynamics of a live group lesson, but I'm definitely going to miss all those fun and sweet messages from the participants, haha," says Bekkers."
“In my enthusiasm, I also sign up for a spinning class at Spa Zuiver. When I arrive, there are at least 45 spinning bikes set up around a swimming pool. With uplifting music and the full sun (applied, check!), it's like I'm in the hippest resort in Ibiza. Even before class starts, the endorphins rush through my body. Delicious!
Eduard Bekkers:'Things will change for gyms from July. High-intensity group classes, such as Spinning and PowerPump, will continue to be offered online, as the capacity of most gyms is limited. For these kinds of classes, online teaching as we do it now will become the new normal.'”
