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friday,april3,2020eZ
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On the TownBY ANGELA HAUPTsocial distancing doesn’t
mean you have to push your
dumbbells and fitness resolu-
tions six feet into the closet, to be
unearthed when we all emerge.
There are lots of ways to stay fit
even while stuck at home.
Many Washington-area gyms,
forced to shutter their doors
temporarily, initially pivoted to
small outdoor classes. As the
coronavirus crisis rapidly
evolves, most have gone com-
pletely virtual — offering live-
stream workouts, personal train-
ing via FaceTime and an opportu-
nity for community and routine.
“If you can commit to it and
put it into your schedule, your
mood will increase and it will
help reduce anxiety,” says Mad-
die Watkins, founder of
202strong, a fitness studio that
specializes in personalized
strength and circuit training.
“especially when we’re all work-
ing from home and life is just
like, ‘Well, I don’t have to wake
up and get dressed today.’ Find-
ing a way to hold yourself ac-
countable will help us all get
through this time.”Here are five ways to tap into
local o fferings and maintain — or
elevate — your fitness during
these unusual circumstances.202strong
on a recent Friday afternoon,
Watkins sprang from her apart-
ment floor, demonstrating a
thruster: a combination of a
front squat and overhead press.
In her right hand, she clutched a
hefty purple container of laundry
detergent that she raised above
her head each time she rose from
a squat.
Watkins was live on YouTube,
where 202 strong is streaming
upbeat weekday classes that any-
one can join free. Assuming the
absence of a barbell or dumb-
bells, she’s using household
items to show those who tune in
how to improvise. Laundry de-
tergent works well.
each session includes the
“strong circuit” that 202strong
offers at its Washington studios.
on Friday, that meant 15 minutes
to do 100 shoulder taps, 80
Russian twists, 60 pushups, 40
thrusters and 100 mountain
climbers. Anyone with time left
over was encouraged to do jump-ing jacks. Another video dis-
pensed guidance on using your
couch as a prop for handstand
pushups, rather than just a place
to weather the quarantine.
“It’s a fun 30 minutes — it’s
pretty much nonstop,” Watkins
says. “When we’re in our homes,
we can feel lonely and discon-
nected, so knowing that when
you stream a class, other people
are there, too, helps create a
virtual community.”
202strong.com.sweat DC
For about a week after its
Petworth studio temporarily
closed, sweat DC founder Gerard
Burley — better known as Coach
G — turned to outdoor boot
camps that attracted more peo-
ple than the usual members. The
group, limited to 10 people,
worked out six feet apart, and
endorphin-driven gratitude was
evident: “People need to smile
right now,” Burley says. “They
were really appreciative to be
able to sweat it out.”
sweat DC has since canceled
its outdoor program, focusing
instead on new virtual offerings.
For $50, you can purchase a30 -day sweat Anywhere mem-
bership that includes two new
workouts daily, streamed live
and then archived online for
re-watching. The schedule is
wide-ranging: Classes include
upper and lower body high-in-
tensity interval training, medita-
tion, cardio shred boot camp, a
“barre party” and sculpt, which
is a full-body core and muscle
toning regimen.
Virtual classes are appealing
in that they eliminate a lot of the
standard excuses people have for
not working out, Burley says:
Wake up, and roll out of bed and
into a 60-second plank, because
where else do you have to be?
sweatdc.com.yoga District
Yoga isn’t a luxury during
difficult times like these, Jas-
mine Chehrazi says — it’s “essen-
tial self-care, a basic right.” she’s
the founder of Yoga District, a
chain of studios across Washing-
ton that aims to make yoga
accessible to everyone. The
group is live-streaming a wide
selection of classes each day:
flow yoga, family stretch and
see virtual gyms on 5Live-streamed workouts to stay fit and stay in
jthorpephoto/Courtesy of 202strongmaddie Watkins,
founder of
202strong, has
been streaming
workout videos on
youtube. “it’s a
fun 30 minutes —
it’s pretty much
nonstop,”
Watkins says.