Covid 19 coronavirus: Rotorua Xterra triathlete Sam Osborne staying active in lockdown

With the fridge at arm's length and what seems to be an unlimited supply of television shows and movies available, spending the Covid-19 alert level 4 lockdown lazing around the house would be easy. As enticing as that may seem, it isn't any good for a person's physical or mental wellbeing. To help Kiwis stay motivated to keep active - even just slightly - Bay of Plenty's top athletes are sharing some top tips and home workouts. David Beck catches up with Xterra Pan-America Tour champion Sam Osborne.

To help Kiwis stay motivated to keep active during the Covid-19 lockdown - even just slightly - Bay of Plenty's top athletes are sharing some top tips and home workouts. David Beck catches up with Xterra Pan-America Tour champion Sam Osborne.

Rotorua's Sam Osborne is about to experience winter for the first time in about 10 years.

Usually by this time of year the Xterra off-road triathlete is already overseas racing, but the Covid-19 lockdown has him stuck at home and relying on creativity to stay active - and coming up with a unique way to keep his swimming muscles moving without access to the pool.

"I've increased my running a little bit more, I guess that's the easiest thing to do, and just keeping it local. I enjoy running so that keeps me occupied.

"Obviously, no swimming is the biggest issue for us. I've been doing some band work, it's not the most exhilarating thing and you do have to be careful with shoulder injuries and stuff, so it's pretty limited.

Rotorua's Sam Osborne is missing out on his usual international racing season. Photo / File

"I'm just trying to keep some muscle memory there - we all know when we can go back and swim it's not going to be very pretty but whatever you can do now to make the transition easier, the better."

He has also been "riding the virtual world" on his stationary bike, using indoor cycling app Zwift.

"It's kind of cool because you can see the miles ticking off - it feels like a big ride even though you're just sitting on the deck at home. You can race people and there's a few different rides people organise.

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"There will be race series or a ride every week, you can sort of ride with people. It's like a computer game for cycling. You're still working hard but you have power-ups and that sort of thing."

While the future is uncertain, Osborne said he was focusing on doing whatever he could to be ready when the opportunity to race did arise.

"I kept training as if I was going to race Xterra Rotorua [on April 4], I finished that block so that kept me going for a couple of weeks. I've taken a lot of the intensity out but I'm still doing my normal weekly structure with a little bit more running and biking than usual."

Sam Osborne's tips to remain active in isolation:
• Look for ways to adapt what you would normally do to suit the situation
• Do what you can to make the transition easier post-lockdown
• Find games and programmes to make exercising at home fun
•Keep your routine and structure as much as possible

• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website