Burning Down the House

Can’t make it to the gym? Work out with what you’ve got thanks to these home fitness tips from four experts.

BY AMANDA ZURITA

YOGA DEN Seattle-based Lizzie Braicks- Rinker (@donutsanddowndog) is a yoga instructor, a former collegiate rower, and a health coach certified by the Institute for Integrative Nutrition who believes that fitness should be a sustainable and enjoyable lifelong endeavor. To create a dreamy yoga space at home, she suggests starting with a yoga mat at minimum, then adding yoga blocks for assisting in different postures, a bolster, and a strap to help with stretching. “Yoga is intended to be a time to look inward, so I suggest removing distractions and electronics from wherever you’re practicing,” she says. “Candles and string lights are also a simple way to create warmth without completely disrupting your decor.”

CROSSFIT CORNER As a CrossFit Games champion and founder of Northern California fitness company NCFIT, Jason Khalipa (@jasonkhalipa) knows what it takes to get fit effectively. “Choose a specific room that mentally and physically triggers you to know that this room is designed to put in some work,” he says. A garage is ideal for space and flooring. As for equipment, start with a pair of dumbbells, a jump rope, and a workout mat. The next steps would be to incorporate a squat rack with a pull-up bar, a barbell, and some basic weights. Whatever gear you have, “the most important component is knowing how to use it correctly and safely and having a program to follow that provides structure and effective movements,” Khalipa says.

FITNESS FLAT Certified personal trainer and registered dietitian Rachael DeVaux (@rachaelsgoodeats) is all about working with what you’ve got, regardless of equipment or space. She often shares exercise routines using the five feet between her kitchen island and living room couch in her Seattle home, and recommends setting yourself up for success by arranging your space intentionally: Laying out your mat, prepping a playlist, and lining up your favorite workout shoes can motivate you to keep up a routine. Get creative with your equipment, too: “If you don’t have actual dumbbells, find some water bottles, laundry detergent, or bottles of wine ... literally anything that provides you with some kind of weight or resistance,” DaVaux says.

SPIN SPACE Cassie Piasecki, CEO of Southern California’s boutique cycling studio GritCycle, has taught over 10,000 fitness classes in her three decades in the industry—more than enough to know how to translate the group workout experience to a home setting. She suggests scouring Craigslist for a used indoor cycling bike (she prefers the Schwinn models) or buying one new, plus a set of arm weights and a gym mat to place under the bike. And if you want to make your exercise room even more useful and inspiring, Piasecki says, “Put in mirrors, a big-screen TV, overhead lights that dim, a humidifier to warm things up a bit, and a killer sound system.”

—Rachael DeVaux