Working out during COVID-19 has become increasingly difficult for students, especially with the cold weather compromising outside workouts and limited time slots for students to sign up for the gym at Roger Williams University. The following workouts can help students stay active with the materials they have access to along with free workout videos for students to follow.

There are many workouts that can keep you feeling active without taking a huge chunk of time out of your day.

You might not expect it, but some great residence hall room accessible weight alternatives include water bottles, clothes on hangers, textbooks, or even a chair. It is fun to get creative with your workouts and these are just a few examples of alternative weights.

Examples of each workout are linked online to demonstrate how to properly perform the exercises to prevent injuries and avoid confusion.

With that in mind, here is a workout I developed in my residence hall that won’t disrupt your neighbors and that you can follow along with:

Start with a full body stretch.

Workout: Your choice of 8, 12 or 15 reps per exercise; (Optional) Repeat all exercises for 2-3 sets; Estimated average time: 45-60 minutes

Squat and press — with any alternative weight you decide is the right weight for you

Lunges — water bottles in your hands with your arms straight at your side

T raises — any alternative weight you deem is the right weight for you

Planks — 45 seconds — body weight

Bicep curl — clothes on hangers with the amount of your choice

Reverse lunges – water bottles in your hands with your arms straight at your side

Up and down plank – body weight

Mountain climbers – body weight

Single-leg kickbacks – body weight

Fly’s – water bottles

Overhead triceps extension – textbook

Push-ups – body weight

Triceps kickbacks – very full water bottles

Rows – any alternative weight you deem is the right weight for you

Fire hydrants – body weight

Front raises – water bottles

Side planks – body weight

Spider crawl – body weight

Up down planks – body weight

Bicycle crunches – body weight

45-degree bicep curls – clothes on hangers with the amount of your choice

Squats – body weight

Lateral raises – water bottles

Russian twist – textbook

Cobra push-ups – body weight

There are links to free online trainers and workout videos that are body weight only and enjoyable to follow along.

During quarantine late last spring, Australian YouTuber and fitness personality Chloe Ting went viral for her free workout programs. She targets her workouts toward females, but anyone can benefit, with challenges that range from days to weeks. These challenges are embedded with daily videos to follow along with the various time requirements to complete per day. None are longer than around 60 minutes.

Her challenges are easy to follow and can all be done with nothing more than your body and enough space to lie down. She recommends a fitness mat, dumbbells and resistance bands but they aren’t necessary in order to follow her workouts.

I recommend this program for everyone if you are looking to follow along with a trainer who shows you the form for each workout or lays out a daily template you just have to follow, without having to come up with your own.

My personal favorite YouTube workout video to follow is a daily aerobic core workout called “Aerobic – 8 Minute Abs (workout fitness)” from 1995 by Jaime Brenkus. It is a short workout that keeps you active each day. It is simple to take these eight minutes to complete the exercises even on your busiest of days.

A lot of times I have found myself drained and unmotivated to workout but after finding out about this video from a friend, I complete this specific workout because it feels almost effortless to do. By the end, I’m smiling and feeling fulfilled. It is incredible to keep your body active whether it is for a short or long workout each day.

Remember to push yourself without hurting yourself and love what you are doing!