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The Best At-Home Workouts for Social-Distancing Days

Stuck inside but not in a rut

Lately, every time that little red notification pops up in our inboxes, it bears news of how businesses are handling the COVID-19 pandemic. From our offices to daycares to, yes, that restaurant you made a reservation at in 2004, the emails describe how establishments are making the responsible move of shutting down to help stop the spread of the virus. While working from home can be a refreshing change, and a break from our go-to cocktail bar isn’t necessarily a bad thing, putting our favourite fitness classes on pause is leaving us feeling off-track and overloaded with pent-up energy.

Fortunately, there are tons of top-notch ways to workout at home, including streaming services, YouTube channels and download-and-go apps. To help you get going, we’ve rounded up the best exercise classes and programs that you can do right from your living room, whether you’re craving a serious muscle burn or a fun and fast sweat. Most can be done with nothing more than a yoga mat (use a towel or rug in a pinch), and all are free or at least offer a free trial to make it easier for you to keep moving. After all, a little self-care and stress relief is exactly what we need in these anxiety-inducing times. 

The Best Strength-Training Workout at Home

Peloton App

What’s on offer

No Peloton bike? No problem. For way less money, you can sign up for the New-York-based brand’s digital membership to access more than 20 live classes per day and 10,000 pre-recorded classes via a web browser, iOS or Android app or Amazon Fire TV. The workouts range from bootcamps to meditation to audio-guided outdoor runs, but it’s the great coaching in the strength-training classes (options include full-body or a focus on specific areas like legs, glutes, arms or core) that keeps us coming back. 

Why we love it

Signing up for a live class keeps us accountable (plus, you can give germ-free digital high fives to your classmates), but the on-demand library has its perks, too: You can filter the offering based on your favourite music genre, and even preview a workout’s playlist before you hit start. 

Which class to try first

We love anything taught by Peloton legend (and VP of fitness programming) Robin Arzón. She serves up tons of on-point motivation, helpful tips for proper form and cool vibes to the max.

What it costs

Free 90-day trial, then $13 per month (or $49 per month if you have the Peloton bike and want to access the spinning classes, too).

 

The Best HIIT Workout at Home

Fitness Blender

What’s on offer

This online database of almost 600 videos was created by Seattle couple Kelli and Daniel Segars, who wanted to make exercise more affordable and accessible. There are tons of workouts to choose from and you can easily narrow down based on difficulty, duration, what you’ll need (good news: there are plenty of no-equipment options), how many calories you’ll burn and more. The production value isn’t exactly Hollywood-level—a plain white background with simple subtitles and timer for the most part—but the workouts themselves are solid, especially the no-joke, mega-sweaty HIIT sessions. Plus, you can’t beat the price.

Why we love it

Each video has an accompanying blog post that explains the workout structure and why it’s great (or, erm, scary), and the review section is bustling, so you can scope out the feedback before you commit.

Which class to try first

The Cardio HIIT Workout + Butt, Thighs, Abs is insanely hard—yet one of the site’s most popular videos. It sneaks squats and lunges into basically every move, mercifully broken down into a more-digestible Tabata structure (intervals of 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off), then finishes with an ab-blasting sequence for good measure.

What it costs

Free access to most videos (or pay $17 per month to go ad-free and get access to additional exclusive videos).

 

The Best Core Workout at Home

Nike Training Club

What’s on offer

Download the iOS or Android app to access almost 200 workouts from the footwear giant. The routines range from six to 47 minutes and are made up of several mini videos that each demonstrate a single move. Audio guidance and timing cues tell you when it’s time to switch to the next exercise, and though we find it a bit tricky to follow for a full-body session, the shorter ab-focused routines are perfect on their own or as a finisher after your go-to cardio.

Why we love it

The workouts are designed and recorded by Nike Master Trainers around the world—including some of Toronto’s finest.

Which class to try first

Quick-Hit Abs starts off with a welcome video by dreamy Cristiano Ronaldo, followed by a 15-minute breakdown of the soccer star’s favourite core moves. (Google “cristiano ronaldo abs” if you’re on the fence.)

What it costs

Free

 

The Best Yoga Workout at Home

Yoga With Adriene

What’s on offer

Over the past seven years, Texan yogi Adriene Mishler has been building a YouTube library of more than 500 videos, giving her six-million subscribers tons of flows to choose from. Most take a solution- or needs-based angle (think: yoga for digestion, for pelvic floor, for text neck, for social anxiety), and there are also 30-day challenges for those looking to build a practice. Mishler’s uplifting energy and well-explained movements make it easy for newbies to get a great stretch, even without in-person coaching.

Why we love it

If Mishler’s soothing voice and flows aren’t enough to bring the Zen, her sidekick, Benji, the blue heeler pup who can often be found snoozing beside her mat, is sure to do the trick.

Which class to try first

Boasting almost seven million views, Yoga for Neck and Shoulder Relief is the perfect under-20-minute tension release for when you’ve been working from the couch all day or, say, trying to keep calm amidst a pandemic.

What it costs

Free

 

The Best Mobility Workout at Home

Essentrics

What’s on offer

By definition, eccentric training is all about elongating muscles (when you slowly lower a dumbbell after a bicep curl, that stretching of your arm is an eccentric contraction)—and that’s what this Montreal-born fitness empire is all about. Former National Ballet of Canada star Miranda Esmonde-White developed her gentle-on-the-body method to help her own back pain, and it has since rolled out in fitness studios around the world, as PBS specials, and on this online streaming service. Expect a combo of ballet, Pilates, Tai Chi, yoga and physiotherapy to help you strengthen and stretch.

Why we love it

While sometimes our workouts can leave us feeling a little worse for the wear (we’re looking at you, burpees), Essentrics focuses on relieving chronic pain, keeping joints health and releasing tight muscles. Don’t think that means it won’t be tough, though. 

Which class to try first

Classical Stretch is the OG Essentrics program (Esmond-White first started filming it for PBS in 1999) and the 23-minute standing-only sessions remain a classic for boosted toning and flexibility.

What it costs

Free 14-day trial, then $17 per month

 

The Best Pilates Workout at Home

Melissa Wood Health

What’s on offer

With her signature Pilates-yoga fusion, New York model turned health coach Melissa Wood-Tepperberg promises that her collection of low-impact, breathwork-focused workouts will deliver both long, lean muscles and a calmer state of mind. Some of the 10- to 55-minute videos use light equipment (such as a Pilates ball or light hand weights), but you can substitute with whatever is in your house (say, a rolled-up towel or pair of water bottles, respectively) or skip them altogether. With the high rep count, you’ll definitely feel the burn either way.

Why we love it

She’s a fitfluencer that fellow fitfluencers love, including Hannah Bronfman and Miranda Kerr, which makes for a pretty great endorsement in our books.

Which class to try first

Every Monday morning, a new video and Wood-Tepperberg’s own workout schedule for the week are released. Find what she’s doing that day (each video is linked) and join right in.

What it costs

Free seven-day trial, then $14 per month

 

The Best Quick Workout at Home

MadFit

What’s on offer

Expect two types of video formats from Toronto’s Maddie Lymburner: 10- to 20-minute routines focused on specific muscle groups that the YouTube star will cheerfully guide you through, or—our favourite—shorter song-specific workouts that take one pop hit and keep you moving with classic conditioning exercises from start to end. Lymburner doesn’t coach through the latter, so you have to do your best to keep up. Don’t worry, the confusion helps it fly by and probably burns a few extra calories. 

Why we love it

With choreographed routines to tracks from Billie Eilish, Lizzo, T-Swift and more, it’s easy to get hooked and work your way through several of these short-but-sweet videos without even realizing.

Which class to try first

The full-body routine to “Old Town Road” is just too wonderful to resist (and judging by the 3 million views, we’re not the only ones who think so). Get ready for jump squats with lasso arms. 

What it costs

Free

 

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