5 Workouts You Can Do at Home for Free Right Now Want to establish an at-home workout routine but don't know how? Try these five resources.
By Jessica Thomas Edited by Jessica Thomas
As gyms across the country are deemed "nonessential businesses" and shut down for the foreseeable future, the number of virtual fitness resources is exploding. For some, that means purchasing expensive stationary bikes with virtual classes instead of attending a daily indoor-cycling class. But a $2,200 Peloton bike is simply too expensive for most Americans, especially when there are so many free options available right now.
"The irony is that many people are probably exercising more now than they would otherwise, because they have nothing else to do," says Jennifer Cohen, an Entrepreneur contributor, and founder and CEO of No Gym Required.
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If you're lucky enough to have a home gym, take advantage of this time to actually use it. But you don't need to have a lot of space or equipment to still get in a good workout. Here are five ways you can workout at home for free right now.
Use your body weight
"My whole philosophy is based on home workouts using things around you," Cohen says. "Use cans of soup or beans as weights. Fill gallon jugs with water and do walking lunges or squats holding them. Use a chair to do a workout. Using your body weight is actually probably harder than using anything at all."
In the video below, she demonstrates a quick body-weight circuit you can do at home with absolutely no equipment.
Turn to social media
If you work with a personal trainer or have a favorite studio instructor, chances are they're using social media to provide free resources to their clients right now. Search for your favorite instructors on Instagram and see if they've been posting anything. I've "taken" a yoga class from my favorite instructor and discovered new-to-me body-weight videos that let me get a quick workout in even when I'm not feeling motivated.
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Consider it a great way to interact with your favorite instructors even if you can't get to their classes in real life. Cohen, for example, polls her audience to see what types of workouts they want to see before she goes live on Instagram. Of course, if you're able, pay your trainer in advance for your next few sessions or ask your instructors if they're accepting donations via Venmo or PayPal. They may be offering classes for free, but they depend on clients and studios for their livelihoods, so do what you can to help support them.
Bring the studio home
Just like individual instructors, gyms and studios are creating new resources for students while they can't physically make it there. Even if you don't have a membership to a studio or gym, you can find plenty of free online classes right now. CorePower Yoga has a collection of free yoga videos for anyone who's interested in trying them out. Orangetheory posts a new 30-minute workout using household objects every day. Classpass is offering a free collection of 2,000 videos ranging from Pilates to Kickboxing to HIIT classes and giving people the opportunity to donate directly to their favorite studios, which ClassPass will match with up to $1 milion in donations. If you've been curious about a certain studio or gym, now is probably a good time to try it out for free.
Take advantage of free trials on apps
The fitness app industry has exploded in the past five years, and people who've long sung the praises of apps like Kayla Itsines' Sweat app or Tone It Up are likely glad they're in the habit of working out at home already. Many of these apps are offering new free trials or extending the length of their current trial offers to give people a resource right now. Through April 7, every person who signs up for the Sweat app will get one month of free access and the option to donate $5 to the WHO and UN's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund; Tone It Up offers a free seven-day trial to new users; newcomer Obe Fitness offers a free trial and free daily workouts for seniors in its daily newsletter; Daily Burn extended its normal 30-day free trial to 60 days; Peloton is extending its normal 30-day free trial to 90 days. It's hard to find a fitness app that's not participating right now.
Related: Follow This 10-Minute Workout Perfect for Busy Entrepreneurs
Copy celebrities
Always wanted to copy a celebrity's workout routine but didn't think you had the time? Now might be a good time to go for it. YouTube is a treasure trove of celebrity workout content. Use the below video to work out like Entrepreneur cover star Sterling K. Brown. Want abs like Jennifer Lopez? Try this one. Singer Adele reportedly loves Joe Wicks, who's known as The Body Coach TV on YouTube, for his home workouts. Type any celebrity's name and "workout" into the search bar on YouTube, and you'll probably find a quick video to try.
No matter what you choose to do, get in the movement that you can and don't beat yourself up if you skip a day. It's important to prioritize mental health as much as physical health.
Related: The Hotel Room Workout: 5 Exercises When You Can't Get to the Gym
