7 Free YouTube Workouts To Try While You’re Social Distancing

We’re living in a weird and crazy world right now: with social distancing, uni classes moving online, casual workers and small businesses losing normal working hours, and other workplaces putting in measures for their employees to work from home, there’s a high chance many of our daily routines have been completely upended.

Apart from the obvious advice (don’t be a dickhead, stop stocking up on a years’ supply of toilet paper, etc.) we’re not here to overload you on any more information than what you’re currently consuming.

We’re here to talk FITNESS!

If your gym or studio is restricting classes or looking to shut down temporarily, if you’re self-isolating, or if you’ve just lost work and need a cheap workout alternative, we’ve got you covered.

We’ve searched YouTube for some quick, effective workouts to keep you motivated during this tough time:

1. Yoga With Adriene

We all need a bit of zen in our lives right now, and there’s a reason Yoga With Adriene is so damn popular. From beginners to the long-time Yogis, Adriene’s videos are easy to follow, plus she’s super down to earth and not as in your face as other online fitness instructors can sometimes feel.

Aim high and start with a 30-day challenge so you’ve got something to look forward to each day – Yoga is a great way to make time for yourself and with the world so chaotic right now, it’ll be so good for your own mental health. Plus if stress is keeping you up at night, Adriene has a whole lot of good videos for winding down and pre-bedtime workouts.

2. Blogilates

Let’s be real, a lot of us are a little paranoid about jumping on a reformer machine right now or using the same mat someone in the class before has used and wiped down vaguely. Luckily pilates is super easy to do at home, and if you’re in need of some instruction Blogilates is a great channel to follow – created by Cassey Ho it has actually been around for 10 years and she’s built up a huge following.

Make a routine for yourself with her 10-minute videos and take each day to focus on a different part of your body. Blogilates even has an apartment-friendly warmup video to help enhance your overall workout!

3. FitnessBlender

No equipment? No worries. There’s no reason to still not HIIT it. (Sorry.)

Fitness Blender has a great structure to their videos – from warmups to cooldowns, to including low impact options for those people who may need to watch out for certain areas of their body. The timing tracker on the side helps you keep an eye on when you’ll finally see the end of a brutal round and you can even see how many calories you’re (probably) burning.

4. The Body Coach

If you wake up and can’t decide what you’re in the mood for that day then don’t fear – The Body Coach has over 250 workouts for you to choose from. If you’re worried about staying motivated, try to stick to one of their week-long challenges and lock it in for the same time every day to keep some routine. It’ll be worth it to feel all those endorphins crashing through you later.

5. PMA Fitness

Faisal Abdalla is a Barry’s Bootcamp trainer and one of London’s most sought-out celebrity trainers – and you can train with him right in your living room. If you’ve cut down on your weekly circuits or F45 classes, then this is the workout for you. Maybe close your blinds though, so your neighbours don’t see you sweating up an absolute storm.

6. Sam Wood, 28 Program

While Sam’s full 28 program (including new daily workouts, meal plans, and other videos like yoga and meditation) is a paid-for service, he does have some good workouts on his YouTube channel ranging from beginner to advanced. The workouts are super easy to do at home, and if you don’t have equipment it’s easy to substitute weights for things like tinned goods or anything you happen to have left lying around in your pantry. (Though tbh, it might be easier to go buy some dumbbells right now instead.)

7. POPSUGAR Fitness

If you’re looking for an easy-to-follow workout channel with range, POPSUGAR Fitness has you covered. One day you may brave this Tabata class to really feel the burn, while the next you can zen out with yoga. The channel boasts a whole array of workouts from your standard 30-45 minute ones to quick 10-minute ones if you’re feeling like a quick midday hit to fight off the slump.

They also have a few videos to help you refine your technique to make sure you’re doing things like squats and lunges properly, or giving yourself time to stretch out your back (which is important for all of us who may be working from home for the foreseeable future without a good desk setup!)

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If we missed one you love and adore, let us and fellow readers know in the Facebook comments – as High School Musical says, “we’re all in this together.”