HONOLULU Magazine’s Social Distancing Fitness Challenge: Body-Weight Workouts to Try at Home

Some of our favorite local gyms are offering free online workouts, making this week’s challenge to complete an online class that doesn’t require any equipment a piece of cake (mmmm, cake).

April 9, 2020

Katrina Valcourt,

With many gyms and fitness studios closed through April, we know it’s hard to find the motivation to move. We’re here to be your workout buddies. Every week, we’re going to release a new challenge for you to try, along with tips and tricks for staying active while practicing social distancing. While we’re all doing our part to flatten the curve, here are some ideas to help flatten some of our curves, as well. Let us know how you’re doing by tagging @honolulumag and #HIStaysFitAtHome.

Gifs: Giphy.com

I don’t know about you guys, but I have lost almost all motivation to work out. It was easy to go to the gym regularly when I would arrive downtown an hour before work started because of the bus schedule. I’d walk over to the gym, do some cardio, maybe lift a few weights, then head into the office as everyone else arrived. But now that I walk to work (from the bed to the desk a few feet away), I leave on my time. And there’s no way I’m waking up before dawn if no one’s forcing me to.

Well, this story assignment is forcing me to. And since these days I’m working harder, longer hours, cooped up with no human contact other than my immediate family, I need a stress reliever more than ever. Here are some ways to get started.

Tip No. 1: Check with your gym to see if it’s moved classes online

If you’re already part of a gym or fitness studio, find out if it has any resources available for members. For instance, Body Balance has created a Facebook group for members to access video classes, wellness challenges and more.

KOMO Hawai‘i kicked off its online program, #KOMO30, for the month of April. Participants check in live every week on Zoom and get daily emails of resources, such as a meditation or recipe video, plus three workouts a week. Anyone who wants to join but missed the beginning can still sign up or choose certain parts of the program, such as just one class or one week. Full details are online, or you can download the KOMO Studio app for Apple or Android. Check out the video above and, as an exclusive bonus to HONOLULU readers, KOMO is offering its five-class pack for $75 instead of $160.

Pure Barre is all about quaran-toning with its challenge to take 20 online classes this month. Get a week of unlimited live-streaming by signing up here.

My Open For Fitness blog partner Stacey at Sweat + Soul in Kaka‘ako, pre-quarantine.

Gif: Katie Kenny

Sweat + Soul also offers barre classes weekdays at 7:30 a.m. (join live or watch a replay later). Other types of classes are offered as well, weekdays at noon and 5 p.m., and weekend mornings. Find the schedule and register here. A week of unlimited streaming is $19.

Still & Moving Center has also recently moved its classes online. Check out the schedule and sign up as you normally would and you’ll receive an invitation to join the class through Zoom.

Wainani Wellness Center offers videos to rent or buy, plus virtual classes that people can sign up for here. It’s $10 a class, with free classes for teens. You can also check out its YouTube or Instagram for free classes.

For a beginning ballet barre class, join this Zoom meeting on Friday, April 10, from 5 to 6:15 p.m., hosted by Allie Deliz of Samadhi Hawai‘i. You’ll need to email info@samadhihawaii.com for the password. Donations can be made to @allie_lee on Venmo or at paypal.me/allieleedeliz.

Tip No. 2: Follow local fitness studios for free classes

Note: Even though all or most of these classes are free to nonmembers right now, donations are welcome. Ask instructors for their Venmo, Cash App or PayPal info to show support.

Find cardio, lower body and upper body workouts on Orangetheory Fitness Kaka‘ako’s Instagram, featuring trainers from the local studio, or follow the national account @orangetheory for more at-home workout challenges.

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A post shared by BURN-A Body&Soul Collective (@burncollectivehi) on Mar 21, 2020 at 12:44pm PDT

Follow @burncollectivehi on Instagram for live classes every day: Mondays at 9 and 10:30 a.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., Wednesdays at 9 and 10 a.m., Fridays at 9 and 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., Saturdays at 9 a.m., and Sundays at 10:30 a.m. You obviously won’t get the benefits of the studio’s LED/NIR red light therapy, but you can still follow along with the intense workouts.

Take a free 30-minute Nia class from local instructor Valerie Sanchez every Thursday at noon. No sign-up required; just join in here five minutes before class starts.

Ward Village is encouraging its Instagram followers with #WVFitness, going live with boot camp classes on @wardvillage every Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 8 a.m. Tune in for cardio, strength training and HIIT workouts.

Work in a bit more fun with Mara Bacon Chang of Street Jamz Workout on Facebook as she posts her COVID Confinement Collection. The latest is an easy tutorial to dance along with the Darkchild remix of Toni Braxton’s “He Wasn’t Man Enough,” though you can also scroll back for tons of other videos.

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A post shared by SWEAT (@sweat) on Apr 8, 2020 at 4:36am PDT

Tip No. 3: Go national, or even global

The internet is massive, which can make it hard to find a place to start. Pick a category (cardio, strength, endurance, etc.) and a difficulty level to help narrow it down. What else matters to you? If you want to work out with other women, try Sweat. The possibilities go on.

Since I’m a member of Active & Fit Direct and my gym is closed, I used my account to browse through the cardio section and picked a Tabata video marked “easy.” The video is also available on YouTube, so I looked it up through the app on my phone and, with the magic of Chromecast, played it on my living room TV with its much bigger screen. Picking part one of a series will hopefully guilt me into continuing with the rest of it, so use whatever tricks work for you.

I also prefer working out to my own playlist. A good way to do this with guided workouts is to search YouTube for your favorite song plus the word choreography. I’ll be attempting Hayley Williams’ “Over Yet,” which was filmed during quarantine. Dua Lipa also released a workout video for her new song, “Physical.”

The 24GO app by 24 Hour Fitness allows you to customize plans (cardio, strength, energy, etc.) and access videos on your phone, or you can watch on 24’s YouTube channel.

Good luck and remember to tag us on Instagram with @honolulumag and #HiStaysFitAtHome!