Skip to main content

The Student Recreation Center will close on Saturday, May 4th, and remain closed until Sunday, May 12th due to Annual Maintenance Week.
The Downtown Fitness Center will remain open and close for the summer starting Monday, May 13th. 
For more information, please visit our Facility Impacts page

Getting Started: Workouts You Can Do At Home

Written by: Kenzie Pigott | WVUGo Media - Copywriter and Editor 

Getting Started Photos by: Ben Powell | WVUGo Photographer

In light of the situation happening across the nation this Spring, it’s easy to want to skip the gym to stay home. There are still ways you can get a great workout without even leaving the comfort of your home!

There are many online resources to help guide you through your home workout, and YouTube is a great place to find them. Often, you can search for the duration you wish to workout, or for the specific muscle group you’re wanting to train that day. Personal Trainers will walk you through step by step (literally) for no cost! Most people aren’t going to have the same types of equipment in their homes as a fitness facility has, but there are ways to improvise. By doing a bodyweight workout, you’re still burning the calories and toning up, rather than bulking your muscles with weights. For some examples of exercises that can be easily translated into the home, keep reading!

Stretching

Stretching

It’s crucial to stretch before working out, regardless of the location or type of workout. Without stretching, you’re more likely to injure yourself during the workout. Doing simple stretches like toe touches and twists can be effective in loosening the body and preparing you for a workout. Instructional videos can be found online to help guide you through stretches.

Strength

Strength

When doing your at home workouts, there are many different variations to what you can do. Variations of classic workouts include lunges, squats, push-ups, and crunches. You can use at home weights or just bodyweight to get an effective workout.

Aerobic

Aerobic

Getting your heart rate up is easy to do at home or at the gym. Some ways to get your aerobic exercises in are walking, high knees, jumping jacks, jump rope, or anything else that gets your heart rate up!

These workouts can be adaptable to any skill set and experience level, which makes them the perfect choice for beginners and seasoned fitness gurus alike! We can help you practice safe social distancing by using some of the movements used in our group classes to your home. So adapt and have fun with these exercises, since they’re all for you in the end!

It’s important that although you’re not leaving your home, you’ll still treat the workout as if you were going to the gym, put on your favorite workout clothes and play your best playlist. This will put you in the right headspace to get a great workout in. Remember that although the stress of the situations we find ourselves in on a daily basis can be overwhelming, there’s always a way to live a healthy lifestyle!

Make sure you check back to https://campusrecreation.wvu.edu/rec-guide for daily videos with our fitness staff to walk you through your home workouts. So lace up your shoes and let’s get started!


About the Author

Kenzie Kenzie has been a senior writer for the WVUGo Media Team since August 2019. She is pursuing her degree in Multidisciplinary Studies with focuses in Advertising, Public Relations, Creative Writing and Interactive Media Design and anticipates graduating in May of 2020.

Full Profile Article Collection