There may have been a lot of excitement when gyms re-opened on April 12, but not everyone has flocked back. For some, it’s been great to finally be back at the barbell and not having to worry about keeping your workouts quiet for your neighbours, but there will still be plenty of people understandably taking it slow.

Whether you’re experiencing some (very normal) re-entry anxiety, are happy sticking to your walks or are just holding out for your favourite classes to resume, your workouts don’t have to be put on hold just because you’re not heading to the gym just yet.

Sure, without access to bigger floor space or equipment, it can be trickier to maintain your routines. But you can still build strength and challenge yourself with a few simple tricks.

Sophie Butler – an online fitness coach with almost 79K followers, Gymshark’s first disabled sponsored athlete, and and an award-winning advocate for disability awareness – explains that adapting her workouts is something she’s had a lot of experience with. As a wheelchair user, Sophie has had to acclimate to not only her gym’s set up, but her own home when she was forced to do at-home workouts throughout multiple lockdowns. “One of the beautiful things you learn from being disabled is an ever-growing ability to adapt,” she says.

Sophie shares her best advice on how to modify your strength training workouts when you’re training from home. Spoiler alert: no equipment needed.

Strength training: 5 home workout tips for if you're not going back to the gym yet