Try These Virtual Fitness Classes from Boston Trainers and Fitness Studios

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Between the closings and the cancelations due to COVID-19 and the uncertainty of the entire virus itself, it’s hard not to feel helpless. We’re anything but that, though. Because you know what the most important thing you can control is? How you take care of your body and mind during this time—including moving your body, fueling it properly, and taking mental health breaks as deemed necessary. That’s really what’s going to keep us all sane.

Similar to what happened in the restaurant world, as the hammer came down hard last night in a mandate to close all establishments for dine-in patrons, the fitness community is working to find ways to support its workers and provide service to patrons in the face of closures. Fortunately, our fitness community is a strong one and we should feel fortunate that our local instructors care so deeply about the health of our city.

In an effort to keep us all moving and connected to our community, local instructors and fitness studios are stepping up in big ways to offer live virtual classes, so you’re not just taking classes from your living room—you’re also experiencing the class in real time with others. In a matter of days, instructors like Kara Duval and Kelli Fierras hopped on Instagram live to work out in your living room with you and studios like Boston Yoga Union launched an entire virtual platform. It’s pretty remarkable, really—and it just might be the future of fitness. The classes surely don’t fully replace the experience of being in an actual studio, but who wouldn’t want to trade in their 6 a.m. yoga class for a 6 a.m. virtual class a mere two-feet from the bed they just rolled out of?

So, as you’re working from home and practicing good COVID-19 etiquette like social distancing and washing your hands, please don’t forget to move. Here’s a list of local fitness studios and instructors hosting live virtual classes for you during this time, plus a few of my own ideas on how to get moving without access to a gym in the foreseeable future.

Classes from Local Studios:

1. Boston Yoga Union: Flow with the Union twice a day—once in the morning at 9:30 a.m. and again in the evening at 6 p.m. Each class is $15.

2. 305 Fitness: If you like to do your cardio in the form of dance, head over to 305’s YouTube channel for at-home workouts you can do from your living room. Free to stream.

3. Down Under Yoga: Peruse this local yoga studio’s online yoga library for whatever practice fits your fancy for the day. Choose from a 15-minute yoga nidra, a 60-minute yoga for anxiety class, and more. Free to stream.

4. Sweat Fixx: Broken down by body part and equipment needed, these classes are a great full-body strength option. Free to stream.

5. Kick It By Eliza: Drop into a high-intensity kickboxing workout with Eliza Shirazi herself this week Wednesday at 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., Thursday at 9 a.m., and Friday at 12 p.m. Check Shirazi’s Instagram page for an updated schedule moving forward. First class is free.

6. Exhale: Did you know Exhale has an on-demand app? Take barre, cardio, and yoga classes for 30 days for free.

7. Redemption Strength and Conditioning: Starting March 17, purchase two weeks of unlimited online strength and conditioning classes from Redemption for $45 or drop into an on-demand or live class for $10. Classes will be held twice daily Monday-Friday at 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., as well as Saturday and Sunday at 10 a.m., ranging from 35-40 minutes.

8. Achieve Fitness: Using just your bodyweight, the coaches at Achieve have put together a well-rounded 3-day a week strength program to be used from the comfort of your own home. Access to the workouts is just $25.

9. EveryBodyFights Trainers: Select EveryBodyFights trainers are hosting daily workouts starting tomorrow at 7 a.m. with a beats/bags inspired class with Laura Mucci. On Wednesday at 7 a.m. join Lauren Keenan for a boxing workout and a 12:30 p.m. high intensity class with Kelli Fierras and Michael James. Thursday is yoga with Mucci at 12 p.m., and on Friday at 12:30 p.m. try high intensity interval training with Fierras and James followed by a power hour at 6 p.m. hosted by Rob Velasquez, Keenan, and Mucci.

10. Row Republic: This local rowing studio will be posting daily exercises to their Instagram story. They encourage sharing your results to keep everyone connected.

11. REPS: For $15 a class, join REPS trainers for daily workouts Monday-Friday at 7 a.m., 9 a.m., and 5:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 9 a.m. via Zoom. Direct message their Instagram page for the Zoom invite.

12. Lifted Fitness: Every morning at 5 a.m. the strength coaches at Lifted Fitness in South Boston will share a workout with you on their Instagram story.

13. Burnin’ By Ray: Take a 24-minute Burnin’ By Ray inspired class virtually or email the team for a one-on-one personal training session.

14. Trillfit: Join the Trillfit team on weekdays at 6:45 p.m. via Zoom for live cardio dance and sculpt classes. Can’t make that time work? Their virtual page has pre-recorded classes and written workouts you can follow along with.

15. AMP Fitness: Live-stream body weight only workouts via Zoom with the coaches at AMP fitness at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Monday-Friday. Plus, receive unlimited access to a team member for questions and fitness guidance.

16. Radiant Yoga: Visit Radiant’s Facebook page for live streamed yoga flows. Join one, or host your own watch party with friends and family, as you do down dogs together.

17. The Handle Bar: You might not be able to spin right now, unless you have a Peloton bike at home, but you can tune into the Handle Bar’s Instagram live for a 30-minute at-home version of their Move class. A kettlebell is encouraged but not required.

Classes from Local Instructors/Trainers:

Most of these instructors are hosting classes virtually through Instagram live, and are subject to change. Once they post the workout, it lives on their page for 24 hours, so even if you miss the live experience you can still take part in the workout on your own. Check their Instagram page for updated class schedules and offerings.

1. Kara Duval: Join this fan-favorite pilates instructor for mat-based pilates from her living room. She’s asking for donations to the Greater Boston Food Bank for her class on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

2. Kellie Fierras: This EveryBodyFights trainer paired up with colleague Michael James for a virtual outdoor workout today at 12:30 p.m. using nothing but their bodyweight. Check back on her page for more in the week’s to come.

3. Christie Wang: For just $10, you’ll get 10 pilates videos straight to your inbox from local instructor Christie Wang. Varying in length, it’s a full week-long workout plan complete with links to props needed as well as Spotify playlists to be used in conjunction with the videos.

4. Sarah White: Join this CorePower yoga instructor to start your day with a yoga sculpt flow. The next one is tomorrow at 7 a.m., but check her Instagram page for updates.

5. Lauren Keenan: Priding herself on creativity when it comes to exercise programs, it’s this EveryBodyFights trainer’s time to shine. Keenan has promised to post 1-2 workouts a day on her Instagram page and will also be partnering with Namastay Sober every Tuesday at 12 p.m. via their Zoom channel. Check their Instagram page for details.

6. Jessie Burdick: Email this local strength coach and personal trainer if you’re looking for something a little more personal during your down time, and someone to hold you accountable with all those distractions working out at home. She’ll meet with you over Skype and give you instruction and programming specifically tailored to your needs.

Other Options to Move:

1. Run, run, and run some more: We’re all going to be prepared for that new September Boston Marathon at this rate. Get outside and hit one of the many great routes Boston has to offer. Even better, we did the work for you by plotting them and organizing each one by distance, here.

2. Hike: Decompress and unwind from the craziness of the world by heading into nature. Here, we’ve outlined amazing hikes across New England and organized them by difficulty level and distance from Boston. Plus, we were sure to include whether or not the views were ‘gram worthy.

3. At-home or outdoor workouts: When all else fails, put together your own at-home workout, or use this one we came up with for you using the things you already have laying around the house. If you need some fresh air, take your workout outside to the Esplanade, or any other green space around town.