By Dilara Hamit
ANKARA (AA) - A portable and outdoor Gym Box has changed the routine during the coronavirus pandemic for those who work out in indoor gyms.
Metehan Ozturk, a 32-year-old personal trainer in Turkey's capital Ankara, came up with the extraordinary idea of designing and building a 2-meter (6.5-foot) container that has a multi-functional gym inside.
Ozturk said with the pandemic the perception of nature changed and stressed that people were always stuck indoors, in the office and even at coffee shops but they realized that being outdoors was more valuable.
"People started to enjoy working outdoors even more, especially after the pandemic since it’s less risky compared to an air-conditioned gym," he said.
"Box is a portable sports unit that maintains everything a person needs for training. Professionals can also train in the unit, as well as amateurs. You attach the box to any car with a trailer and take it to a place where you want to do your workout. It takes around five minutes to set the whole thing up and then up to 15 people can do their training at the same time," he said.
Ozturk said he was always a fan of working out in nature with his students and so he searched for ways to accomplish it outdoors and how he could carry equipment outside every time.
"It was not easy to carry all these weights every time. I needed a mechanism that would carry weights and professional sports equipment. That's why I came up with the idea of a unit where I can take and put all the equipment with me," he said. "There are no other portable gyms here in Turkey. There are also a few examples of this around the world but you cannot attach most of them to your car and take it anywhere anytime you want.”
- "The workout is as effective as the one in a regular gym"
Ozturk emphasized that he helped his students perform High-Intensity interval training (HIIT) for 50 minutes in the box.
"The workout you do in the box is as effective as the one you do in the gym. HIIT workout is a type of cardiovascular exercise. You start burning more fat in an outdoor workout compared to indoor gyms in these exercises because you consume more energy and your body carries more oxygen and so fat burns faster," he said.
Ozturk said the workout in the box appeals to everyone since it is time-oriented and people put maximum effort.
He said when he first came up with the idea of building the box, his colleagues did not support the idea. They said people would never get out of their comfort zone, leave air-conditioned and well-equipped gyms to train outside.
"However the coronavirus turned the tables and now people would rather be outside than be stuck indoors," he said.