Typically when I’m back at my parents house for a holiday or to visit for a long weekend, I struggle to find any sort of motivation to workout. My bed is to comfortable to get up early, the basement is too cramped to move around and the neighborhood is too hilly for a run. I usually have a ton of excuses.
But when I moved home for the foreseeable future at the beginning of March, I knew I was going to have to find a way to get motivated to work out at home.
While my bed is STILL too comfortable (I can sleep 10 hours most nights) I’ve been shocked at how much I’m enjoying working out at home.
I have a good mix of equipment here:
-15 LB Kettlebell (thanks, sis)
-25 LB Plate
-Dumbbells in 3 LB, 5 LB, 8 LB, 10 LB
-Sliders
-Resistance Bands in a variety of sizes
-Pull-Up Bar
-Yoga Mat
-TRX
And while I’ve loved coming up with some of my own workouts (you can watch some on my Instagram page) and running (healthy!) 3x a week - what’s really kept me going are some incredible fitness instructors offering free workouts on Instagram, Youtube and Zoom.
Here are my recommendations if you need a little variety in your at-home-workouts.
Anyone else contemplating canceling their gym membership for good?
Jon Chaimberg
Jon Chaimberg owns and operates APC gym in Montreal, but when they were forced to temporarily close due to coronavirus, he took his training to Instagram.
I have taken a TON of his classes and they still leave me sore.
He puts together killer rep schemes to make even the lightest set of dumbbells feel like bricks. Instead of 15 rows, he’ll have you do
1 Row / 1 Second Hold
2 Rows / 2 Second Hold
3 Rows / 3 Second Hold
All the way up to 7.
Or he’ll switch up the range of motion, so you’re doing 10 full chest presses, 10 lower-to-mid way pulses, 10 upper-to-mid way pulses, and 10 more full chest presses.
His classes are long - coming in at a full 60 minutes of work and there are lower body/leg focused classes and upper body focuses classes with abs mixed into both.
On the weekend, he goes live or posts an IGTV of him and his wife, Maddie, doing what they call “Hollywood Squares.” They each go through different exercises so you always have a choice of what you want to do!
Maddie also posts her own workouts on her page, and the APC Gym Instagram has live classes throughout the week too.
If you want to wake up sore - these are what I recommend!
Shadowbox
Each week, Shadowbox has been offering Instagram Live classes that run about 45 minutes. The free Live classes are usually on Saturday and Sunday, but they offer tons of classes throughout the week if you sign up for SBX Virtual. The prices are extremely fair - $5/class, $12 for 3 classes or $40 for 10 classes!
These classes leave me absolutely DRIPPING and since I’ve been trying to use 3 pound weights for some of the shadowboxing, I can almost never properly reach up to do my hair the next day.
I swear boxing classes are some of the absolutely best all around classes - and I’ve been pleasantly surprised to find that that’s still the case even without gloves and a bag (read my review of the in-studio experience here!)
The classes incorporate shadowboxing with easy to follow combinations, cardio, and usually some core and lower body focused rounds as well.
From June 8 - June 14, all Shadowbox classes will be offered for free to book. Shadowbox asks that you instead use your funds to donate to Color of Change.
Rachael’s Good Eats
Rachael DeVaux has hosted and posted live workouts on her Instagram almost every day of quarantine.
They cover everything from HIIT, upper body focus, lower body focus, core and total body. I love that she mixes up the type of circuits - sometimes you’re going for time and sometimes you’re counting reps.
And, it’s great that you can either follow along live, or watch after the fact when she posts them on her IGTV or YouTube channel.
And all for the price of FREE 99.
MadFit
It’s been amazing how quickly MadFit caught on during quarantine. My friend Kayla sent me her videos, then I found out my sister was doing them every day, and then another friend mentioned that she had been loving her videos too!
She posts most of her workouts on her YouTube channel and I can’t get enough of her 10 and 15 minute ab routines. I like to do them at the end of my workouts as the cherry on-top! They’re straightforward, she doesn’t talk too much, and they’re very varied.
Her dance and song routines are also incredibly fun! And on the days I’m feeling wishy-washy and I can’t commit to anything, I’ll put together a bunch of her 10-20 minute videos and before I know it, I’ve worked out for an hour!
AARMY
I don’t know how I had never heard of AARMY before, a New York City and LA based fitness-studio opened from ex-Soul Cycle instructor Akin Akman.
AARMY is offering a ton of free Instagram Live content and at the beginning of quarantine I was starting almost every morning with their 10 AM EMOM and 10:20 AM 400 Abs series.
I also tuned in for some of Akin’s Bootcamp classes - and let me tell you this guy is NOT MESSING AROUND. He’s a beast!
If you have your own spin bike, they also offer cycling classes on IG Live.
When studios are back open - AARMY is on the top of my list to try out.
Ripped Training Method
Not quite sure how I found the Ripped Training Method videos, but they’re quick and effective 30 minute strength workouts that I’ve been adding into the mix and enjoying! So far, I’ve only taken classes by Jamie because I know I like them! But they have over 30 workouts posted including treadmill classes! Next rainy day, I might give one of them a try.
CorePower Yoga On Demand
Every week, CorePower Yoga’s On Demand website has some free classes that I’ve been adding to the mix. I’ve done more yoga in quarantine than I’ve ever done in my life! And I’m actually really loving it!
One CorePower yoga class I took challenged me to try a pose I never would have thought I could attempt previously - firefly! I also took a really fun, sweaty endurance yoga class. They have a good mix and you can take classes that are 20 minutes, 30, all the way up to an hour.
Mr. & Mrs. Muscle
These quick 10 minute videos made up of 30 second intervals are AWESOME when you don’t feel like committing to a long workout or don’t know what you feel like doing. You can do a quick 10 minute video and be done, or string together a bunch for a full-body workout. They have a mix of videos that required weights and other’s that are body weight. I love their color coordinated outfits and beautiful windows.
Alex Najarian
If you like kettlebells - Alex Najarian’s classes are amazing! I joined one of her free Zoom classes one weekend and was super impressed. She also offers programs you can pay for to get daily workouts.
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