27 Free or Low-Cost Workouts You Can Do At Home While Social Distancing Because of Coronavirus
The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in office, school, restaurant and gym closures nationally while Americans are encouraged to social distance. If you’re like many Americans who no longer have the ability to attend classes or lift weights, you may be wondering how you’ll keep yourself sane. After all, in the words of Elle Woods from Legally Blonde, “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands. They just don’t.”
She may not have been talking about social distancing, but she’s got a point. Being active gives us a chance to take some time for ourselves, move our bodies, get our minds right and work up those all-important endorphins. So how are you going to do that without a gym?
Going for a walk, run or bike ride are still on the table — so long as you’re still 6-ft. apart from another person — but here are some workouts that you can do from the comfort of your own home, for free or for a very low cost.
Yoga Classes
Yoga with Adriene
Cost: Free!
Time Needed: Anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour.
Props You’ll Need: Yoga mat and optional yoga props (like yoga blocks).
CorePower Yoga
A post shared by CorePower Yoga (@corepoweryoga) on Mar 17, 2020 at 1:20pm PDT
Cost: Free while studios are closed.
Time Needed: Varied based on practice.
Props You’ll Need: Yoga mat and optional yoga props.
Down Dog
A post shared by Down Dog: Great Yoga Anywhere (@downdogapp) on Mar 11, 2020 at 8:52am PDT
Cost: Free until April 1st.
Time Needed: Time needed varies based on practice.
Props You’ll Need: Yoga mat and optional yoga blocks.
*They’ve also got HIIT, Barre and 7-Minute Workouts you can check out.
Fightmaster Yoga
Cost: Free. You can find these workouts on YouTube.
Time Needed: Time needed varies based on practice.
Props You’ll Need: A yoga mat and optional props.
Lululemon #TheSweatLife
A post shared by lululemon (@lululemon) on Mar 19, 2020 at 7:59am PDT
Cost: Free.
Time Needed: Time needed varies based on practice.
Props You’ll Need: A yoga mat and optional props.
Modo Yoga NYC
A post shared by Modo Yoga NYC (@modoyoganyc) on Mar 17, 2020 at 10:20am PDT
Cost: Free on Instagram with a suggested donation of $5-$10.
Time Needed: 60-90 minutes.
Props You’ll Need: A yoga mat and optional props like yoga blocks.
Cardio, Strength and HIIT Classes
Crunch Live
A post shared by Crunch Fitness (@crunchgym) on Mar 23, 2020 at 12:18pm PDT
Cost: Free for the next 45 days.
Time Needed: Varies depending on your choice of workout. You can create customizable workout plans and playlists or do 15-minute “Quickie” workouts!
Props You’ll Need: Varies depending on workout, but many don’t require equipment.
AC Fitness (@anthonycrouchelli)
A post shared by ANTHONY CROUCHELLI (@anthonycrouchelli) on Oct 2, 2019 at 1:24pm PDT
Cost: Free, with the option to voluntarily donate via Paypal and Venmo.
Time Needed: About 30 minutes.
Props You’ll Need: Varies depending on the workout, but usually resistance bands, a towel and other easily-found household items.
PEOPLE’s Writer/Reporter, Jodi Guglielmi says, “Anthony Crouchelli (master/founding trainer GRIT Boxing) has brought the group fitness atmosphere and community-like-feeling that workout fans have grown to love to Instagram Live. He teamed up with seven other trainers (Jill Barger, Martin Suriel, Jennifer Ortiz, Rob Almonte, Scott Oziros, Rafael Turcios, and Valentina Elise) to offer HIIT, boxing, ab-blast, dance and stretch classes all streamed through his personal Instagram account. Even though the classes are virtual, each trainer makes it clear that they want to help you reach your individual goals and ensure your success within the class. They regularly open up their direct messages to take questions or help you modify any moves so that you’re ready to go for the next class. After a few days, you’ll start to recognize some of the names in each class, making it feel like you’re back in the studio all working together. They are also offering longer-form classes via Zoom for only $10. Only one week in, the trainers have already developed a loyal following — and it doesn’t look like they’re slowing down anytime soon!”
FitBody On Demand
Weekend Goals: Get stronger, be better. 💥💪🦸🏻♀️🦸🏾♂️💥
A post shared by Fitbod (@fitbodapp) on Aug 30, 2019 at 8:05am PDT
Cost: Bodyweight Only workouts are now completely free on the app,
Time Needed: Varies based on workouts you select.
Props You’ll Need: You can indicate what equipment you’ve got at home.
PEOPLE Senior News Editor Nick Maslow says, “I’ve done over 100 custom workouts using the Fitbod app at the gym, but now that heading to fitness centers poses health risks amid the coronavirus outbreak, I’ve been using the app at home. With the click of a couple buttons, the app will create routines using the equipment you have available — even if it’s just your own body weight. Another great thing about Fitbod: it remembers what you did yesterday and adjusts accordingly so that you’re not exercising muscles that are still recovering.
Peloton
A post shared by Peloton (@onepeloton) on Mar 17, 2020 at 11:24am PDT
Cost: Free 90-day trial.
Time Needed: Anywhere from 10 to 90 minutes depending on your workout.
Props You’ll Need: Props needed varies based on classes.
Nike Training
Cost: Free! Just download the app.
Time Needed: Varies depending on the workout of your choice.
Props You’ll Need: Varies depending on whether you’re doing core, HIIT, yoga or running.
PEOPLE news editor Nigel Smith says this app is “a godsend in these times…highly recommend for a great home workout!” (And he clarifies: “Not an ad!”)
Billy Blanks
Cost: Free! You can find these workouts on YouTube.
Time Needed: 60 minutes.
Jillian Michaels My Fitness App
A post shared by Jillian Michaels (@jillianmichaels) on Mar 18, 2020 at 10:14am PDT
Cost: Free trial for one week, and then $14.99/month. 7-minute workouts are free on the app as well and Michaels just dropped the price for an annual subscription to $69.99/year.
Time Needed: Varies based on what you indicate.
Props You’ll Need: This varies from workout to workout, but you can indicate what you’ve got at home so that your workouts don’t include things you don’t have.
PEOPLE’s Features Writer, Andrea Wurzburger says, “This app is great because it gives you so many options. Short on time but need to sweat it out? Try a 7-minute workout. Need to chill out but also challenge yourself? Try some yoga. There are even running plans that you can try if you need some outdoor time (or if you’ve got a treadmill). You can customize the your workouts based on the amount of time you’ve got and what equipment you have in your home, that way you don’t have an excuse not to work out. The app is also a place you can log your food and find recipes, connect with people also using the app and plot out your day.”
Fitness Blender
Cost: Free! You can find these workouts on YouTube.
Time Needed: 25 minutes.
Kickboxing with Nicole Steen
A post shared by Nicole S (@nicolesteenfitness) on Jan 3, 2020 at 3:00pm PST
Cost: Free with your Amazon Prime membership.
Time Needed: 30 minutes.
Les Mills Workouts
A post shared by LES MILLS On Demand (@lesmillsondemand) on Mar 15, 2020 at 12:47pm PDT
Cost: Free, you can find workouts on the Les Mils website.
Time Needed: About 30 minutes.
LitMethod On Demand
A post shared by [ Low - Impact - Training ] (@litmethod) on Mar 18, 2020 at 4:09pm PDT
Cost: Currently free for one month, then $14.99/month.
Time Needed: Varies depending on workout.
Props You’ll Need: A resistance band and booty band — LitMethod sells their own here.
PEOPLE Staffer Joelle Goldstein says, “Lit Method On-Demand is a perfect at-home workout for those who are looking to get in a low-impact, high-intensity workout with minimal equipment. The classes, led by owners Justin and Taylor Norris, each focus on a particular area of the body or fitness goal and are organized in an individualized, four-week program. Even though the classes are virtual, Justin and Taylor make it clear that they want to help you reach your goals and ensure you can accomplish them by offering an evaluation at the beginning of your free, one-month subscription. In that questionnaire, you’ll be asked whether you have any injuries and what you’re primarily focusing on, whether its strength, cardio, weight loss, or stability. Between Justin and Taylor’s accommodations, energy and enthusiasm, diversity of workouts (they’re adding new ones weekly!), and community fostering, Lit Method is truly unmatched by any other workout and will have you hooked in no time!
Tone It Up
A post shared by Tone It Up (@toneitup) on Mar 24, 2020 at 11:20am PDT
Cost: Currently free until April 22, then $14.99/month, or $99.99/year.
Time Needed: Varies depending on workout.
Props You’ll Need: None, but they do sell various accessories to amp up your at-home workouts, from resistance bands to kettlebells and sliders.
Barre, Dance and Pilates Classes
FitSugar
Cost: Free! You can find these workouts on YouTube.
Time Needed: 30 minutes.
Openfit
A post shared by Openfit (@myopenfit) on Mar 18, 2020 at 6:00pm PDT
Cost: Free for two weeks, then $39 billed every 3 months.
Time Needed: Varies based on the workout you choose.
Props You’ll Need: Varies based on the workout you choose.
PEOPLE Editorial Assistant Sophie Dodd says, “I am not a Pilates person. I’m not a particularly active person in general, unless you count my bi-weekly sprint down the cheese aisle at Trader Joe’s (their burrata was a hot commodity long before the panic buying set in). Now that I’m spending all of my time working from home, I decided I might as well give working-out-from-home a shot. Enter Openfit, a platform and app that offer something for everyone, from Pilates and Barre to HIIT and yoga classes. If you’re missing the interactive aspect of an in-person class, they also offer live courses with personal trainers who can help you to build a fitness plan and achieve your goals. I tried out a 30-minute Pilates class that targeted the abs and glutes and two days later, I am still feeling muscles I didn’t even know I had! The instructor moves through the positions a bit quickly for a beginner course, but after a few tries I was better able to follow along. They’re currently offering a 14-day free trial, so I will be testing out more features in the coming week in an attempt to hold on to my sanity!”
305 Fitness
Cost: Free! You can find these workouts on YouTube live twice a day, as well as additional on-demand videos.
Time Needed: Varies; live classes run about 50 minutes.
Props You’ll Need: Sneakers, water, an abundance of energy to burn.
PEOPLE Senior TV Editor Breanne L. Heldman says, “I am a die-hard fan of 305’s dance cardio classes IRL — the movement, the music, the flashing lights, and the live DJ all trick my body into thinking I’m at a party (at 7 a.m., frequently!) rather than a workout — but this is the next best thing. 305 Fitness founder Sadie Kurzban has been running live classes twice a day since we all started self-quarantining, and her positive energy has been lifting my spirits (and my heart rate!) when I’ve needed it most.”
Zumba
A post shared by Zumba (@zumba) on Mar 19, 2020 at 9:11am PDT
Cost: Free with your Amazon Prime membership. (You can also follow favorite Zumba instructors’ live streams by following the hashtag #ZumbaVirtual!)
Time Needed: 70 minutes.
Blogilates
Cost: Free! You can find these workouts on YouTube.
Time Needed: Varies by workout, but most are under 15 minutes.
Props You’ll Need: A mat, if you’d like.
Pure Barre
A post shared by Pure Barre (@pure_barre) on Mar 8, 2020 at 12:01pm PDT
Cost: 7 day free trial, and then $29 per month.
Time Needed: 10-60 minutes.
Props You’ll Need: A resistance band, ball and hand weights.
Barre3
A post shared by barre3 (@barre3) on Mar 11, 2020 at 8:45am PDT
Cost: 15 day free trial, and then $29 per month.
Time Needed: 30-60 minutes.
Props You’ll Need: A resistance band, ball and hand weights.
Trifecta Pilates
Cost: Free! You can find these workouts on YouTube.
Time Needed: 30 minutes.
Props You’ll Need: A yoga mat.
Ballet Beautiful
Cost: Free! You can find these workouts on YouTube.
Time Needed: Varies depending on what workout you choose.
Props You’ll Need: Yoga mat.
