Where To Stream Workouts for Free During the Pandemic

At the start of March 2020, many of us were lucky enough to still be able to regularly attend gyms and fitness studios. But as the novel coronavirus pandemic became more widespread in the U.S., many state and city governments mandated the closure of all gyms, spas, fitness studios, and similar establishments. 

If you’re currently barred from going to your gym, first know that the measure is in place to increase social distancing and stop the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S.—by avoiding the gym, you’re doing your part in flattening the curve and keeping your community safe. 

It’s totally understandable to be upset about the inability to continue your usual fitness routine. Sometimes, though, breaks in routine are a good thing! You may find yourself surprised at how fun and intense home workouts can be. 

If you struggle with creativity for at-home fitness, you’re in luck: Gyms, studios, trainers, and fitness influencers understand how tough this time is, so many of them are streaming workouts for free or offering special deals during the coronavirus outbreak. Here’s where to find them.

Perhaps you already subscribe to a fitness streaming service or have a workout app, or maybe this is your first foray into at-home fitness and you need a virtual push. Either way, you can find what you need with one of these on-demand fitness services. 

Studio SWEAT onDemand has partnered with YMCA locations and other fitness centers around the U.S. to offer free virtual gym memberships, waiving the standard setup fees to give access to more people during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can choose from yoga, pilates, strength, and cycling classes, among other cardio and muscle-building workouts; you can stream them to your mobile device or TV. 

A virtual addition to YMCA’s traditional brick-and-mortar gyms, YMCA 360 On Demand is a free resource with instructional videos and short workouts up to 30 minutes—watch them any time without any sign-ups. 

This platform from POPSUGAR allows you to sign up for free, and you can access hundreds of workouts you can do anywhere, any time. Active by POPSUGAR has multiple fitness categories, including boxing, yoga and pilates, cardio, HIIT, dance, low-impact, and strength and toning. 

Katie Austin, a fitness influencer and trainer who has her own fitness app, is offering a free 14-day program with 30-minute workouts you can do in your living room. She aptly named the program “Quaran-Tone”—check it out on her app and join the community on Instagram.

Some brick-and-mortar gyms, as well as subscription services, are offering special deals during the COVID-19 outbreak to help people keep up with their fitness. 

Peloton is offering new members and customers free access to the Peloton app for 90 days. You don’t need to have the Peloton bike or treadmill to use the app: The brand also offers simple yoga, strength, and cardio workouts you can do anywhere.

Through the end of May 2020, enjoy free access to the Gold’s Gym app, where you can find more than 600 on-demand audio and video workouts, as well as DJ music mixes to motivate you before and during your sweat sesh. 

If you’re a member of Crunch Fitness, enjoy free access to the Crunch Live platform, regardless of your usual membership tier. The platform has nearly 100 workouts across various fitness disciplines, from dance to weightlifting and everything in between.

This popular yoga studio franchise is offering free access to on-demand yoga videos to help members (and non-members—they’re free and accessible!) keep up their yoga practice during the novel coronavirus outbreak. Most of them are about an hour long, so if you’re in need of a nice reset, this is a good place to go. 

Several gyms, fitness studios, online streaming services, and individual trainers are hosting daily or weekly workouts. This list isn’t exhaustive: Check your favorite accounts on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube to find out if they’re streaming live workouts during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Bandier, a women’s active apparel line, is streaming live workouts on Instagram TV every day at 4 p.m. EST. You’ll get a good variety from this page, from dance workouts to yoga to strength training. 

P.volve is an online functional fitness program that offers a variety of strength workouts with a focus on “pre-hab,” or keeping your muscles and joints safe and healthy—rather than working too hard and breaking down your body. During the COVID-19 outbreak, P.volve is streaming 15- to 20-minute workouts live on Instagram. You can also sign up for a two-week free trial if you want full access to their workouts online. 

Blink is streaming live on Facebook every morning at 8 a.m. ET. The workouts will vary in type and target different muscle groups every day.

Find a new workout from Orangetheory Fitness every day on YouTube. Each workout is 30 minutes long and plays uninterrupted. You won’t need any typical gym equipment for these workouts, but the trainers may utilize common household items, such as a can of coffee or a jug of water. 

Barry’s, formerly Barry’s Bootcamp, is hosting workouts on Instagram TV; check the Barry’s Instagram page for options and times.

AKT, a dance-based cardio fitness class, is hosting workouts on Facebook Live. Check the page daily for class times.

Missing your Pilates studio? Get your fix with Club Pilates on Facebook Live—stay up-to-date with the Facebook page for class times and types.

If you happen to have a rowing erg at home, you can get an intense cardio workout with Row House on Facebook Live. Class times vary, so be sure to check the Facebook page. 

This dance-based fitness studio is streaming live workouts everyday on YouTube. Sadie Kurzban, founder of 305 Fitness, hosts the dance cardio sessions at 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. ET each day. 

Find instructors from this national chain gym live on Facebook every night at 7 p.m. ET. Planet Fitness creatively named the workouts “Work-Ins,” and they’ll feature a variety of workout types, including HIIT and strength training. 

Have a stationary bike at home? Hop on and follow along as CycleBar instructors lead you on Facebook Live. Class times vary, so check the page for details.

If you’re in need of a good stretch after all this at-home fitness you’ve been doing, check out StretchLab on Facebook for classes led by certified stretching instructors. Check the Facebook page for class times.

Rumble, the popular boxing studio, is hosting cardio and bodyweight workouts (no equipment needed!) on Instagram TV. Check the page nightly for class times. 

Who couldn’t use a little zen in their lives, especially during the COVID-19 outbreak? Get your flow on with certified instructors during 20-, 30-, or 45-minute classes. Find the class times and focus areas on Facebook.

STRIDE is a spin and fitness studio with a focus on cardio endurance. These Facebook Live workouts may require some equipment, including a treadmill and dumbbells—so this may not be the right choice if you’re looking for bodyweight-only workouts, but if you have the necessary equipment, STRIDE workouts are fun, intense, and sure to give you that exercise endorphin high you crave.

Zumba is now offering live stream classes on Instagram TV and Facebook. Check with your local instructors to see what they’re offering, or search the hashtag #ZumbaVirtual on social to find classes. 

This NYC-based fitness and mindfulness studio is offering free movement classes on Instagram TV. The BodyART method is more than just fitness—owner Ryan Daniel Beck is a former professional dancer who believes in mindfulness and breathing, so this is a great option if you’re in need of some self-awareness, focus, and care. 

Get “Freehouse in Your House” by watching this fitness studio’s videos. Freehouse is a rebounder- and reformer-based fitness studio, but during the coronavirus outbreak, instructors will record videos that you can do without any equipment. Stay up-to-date with the schedule on the studio’s Instagram page.