My New Year's Resolution this year was to reach a
- 1 plate OHP - 2 plate bench - 3 plate squat - 4 plate deadlift - run 500 miles
Well, I don't have access to weightlifting materials so my lifting goals have been made impossible to reach by the end of the year, lol. My gym is reopening but there's no way I'll go there right now and put my family in danger to get a workout in.
To make matters worse, I dove into running as a noob with too much intensity (from roughly 0 miles a week in April to two 5.5 mile runs a week at the beginning of June).. At the time of writing, I am on week 2 of recovery from shin splints, lol. I really loved running but it seems like I am going to be sticking to 1 mile runs, then 2 mile runs, etc, for a while as my body adapts to the sport.
So! I would really be interested in hearing about good tips from people who managed to adapt their exercise to this moment of crisis.
As for the shin splints, quit running until your body heals. Take up rowing, recumbent cycling, elliptical machine or (my nemesis) the stairmaster. I favor swimming too but it doesn't do much for your legs unless you use fins and do kickboard work or have a helluva breastroke.
The single lesson about exercise that a young man should learn after the age of about 22 is do not injure yourself. The reason is that you can no longer heal as you did when you were younger. This only gets worse after your mid-20s. Do not try strange exercises that your friends or gym buddies recommend or that you see someone else doing in the gym - be they unusually heavy weights, random martial arts moves, etc. and especially never ever do anything based on a dare. (Instead, if you must, practice them alone on your own terms at low speed, low weight, and low effort first).
If you do injure yourself don't tough it out, take Advil. The usual dose is 200 mg twice a day but when injured (cracked bones) I've taken 800mg twice a day for weeks (I think 3200 mg/day is max, but at (2 X 800mg)/day I was feelin' no pain!) If you're planning an adventure where you'll be making unusual moves (e.g., hiking, distance swimming in open water, climbing.etc.) start taking Advil a day before you start and keep taking it until you return home.
Finally, your next year's New Year's Resolution should be to quit making New Year's Resolutions.
Bodyweight training: I use the routine and progressions from startbodyweight.com.
Sandbag training: I started out shouldering a 60 lb sandbag. I now shoulder a 150 lb sandbag and use an 80 lb bag for supplemental exercises (zercher squats, clean and press). Some days just a few sets of shouldering is enough. Making one or two bags is pretty cheap. Ross Enamait has a very good video/ebook you can buy that covers construction, exercise ideas and technique.
Running: I also suffered from shin pain/fatigue from running, but stopped before they progressed to full-blown shin splints. I missed running however, so I took the COVID period as a time to learn how to run barefoot. If you go this route you MUST read a book on proper technique (I read the Ken Bob book) and practice your form a lot before doing anything more than 5-minute runs. That being said, I don't think going barefoot is a requirement for learning how to run pain-free, I think the important bit is spending a bunch of time focused on learning a pain-free running technique and then building up slowly.
I'm still in the volume-building phase so I measure my running by time, not distance. I don't track my speed. I run at an intentionally "easy" pace--I only breathe through my nose and stay focused on keeping my feet happy. Three days are very short "recovery" runs. I add 10 minutes to my total weekly time if/when I felt good after the previous week. I also incorporate a warm-up and post-run routine from https://coachjayjohnson.com/samvidoes/.
Personal trainer: has been very valuable for double-checking technique, fixing minor pains and adding some creative movements that I occasionally incorporate. Shop around for a trainer that can work with your goals.
Don't forget about diet and sleep! My recovery and enthusiasm for these activities are very directly impacted by how well I'm sleeping and eating.
It's mainly for the Oculus Quest due to the hand tracking but it's free and open source