Rainy Day Workouts – How to Stay Active on a Wet Day

Rainy days can have a big impact on your workouts if you like doing them outdoors. Unsurprisingly, this’ll mainly cover cardio, but luckily there are plenty of indoor workouts to do if you want to stay active when the weather isn’t great.

So, that’s exactly what we’ll cover below. In this article, we’ll list some of our top indoor workouts to help you keep up your exercise when the weather is less than ideal.

The Best Indoor Workouts for Rainy Days

1. Go to the Gym

This is a bit of a no-brainer, but if you have a home gym or a gym membership, this is the time to use it. There’s little point in us listing actual workouts to do at the gym because it’ll theoretically have you covered for everything.

But if you like going for a jog outdoors when the weather is nice, hop on a treadmill at the gym instead. Sure, it’s not the same thing, but it’ll do the job when you have no other option.

2. Do Yoga

Yoga is a great option for indoor workouts because it’s just so versatile. Also, yoga can offer cardio elements and bodyweight exercises depending on what poses you use. If you’re a complete beginner, don’t try to push yourself too hard, as yoga can be pretty difficult.

Some beginner poses that work well for balance and strength include:

·  Cat cow pose

·  Downward dog

·  Warrior

·  Triangle pose

·  Pyramid pose

·  Low lunge

There are plenty of resources online that can help you put together a quick routine. Watch some videos for advice on poses (it’s far better than reading how to do the pose) and figure out what meets your needs.

The sheer range of possible poses and routines means it’s not worth listing options here. Instead, decide whether you want to focus on strength, flexibility, balance, or cardio, and you should be able to come up with some options. A good yoga routine can last anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour, making it a decent way to get the blood pumping.

3. Just Dance

There’s not much to say about this as an indoor workout option. Just throw on some upbeat tunes and get moving!

If you don’t have any workout machines at home, dancing is a great way to burn some calories with very little effort. Of course, you can make it a bit more structured by following a YouTube video, but there’s really no need.

4. Don’t Overlook the Stairs

If your home has a set of stairs, use them for some cardio. Again, this is a pretty straightforward workout: just run up and down the stairs. You can mix things up with the following:

·  Stair lunge. Rather than walking normally, take two or more stairs at a time and lunge up them.

·  Side step. Simply side step up the stairs.

·  Stair pushup. Use your stairs for incline pushups. Put your feet on the floor and your hands on a stair. Then, do pushups.

While walking up stairs isn’t a massive calorie burner, it’s a decent way to get your blood pumping if you don’t have any equipment available. Stairs are a pretty low barrier to entry in terms of indoor workouts, so use this to your advantage.

5. Try Some Bodyweight Exercises

Bodyweight exercises are one of the best indoor workouts because you generally don’t need anything but your body. Some popular options include:

·  Pushups

·  Burpees

·  Planks

·  Sit ups

Divide the exercises into sets and reps as needed. There’s not much to say about these as they’re accessible workouts that most people have probably done before. You can mix things up a bit by using adjusted versions, such as diamond pushups, but this isn’t completely necessary if you’re just keeping yourself active.

Another one to add to the list is pullups. However, you’ll need some kind of pullup bar or a railing. As such, they’re not as good for impromptu indoor workouts unless you already have something available.

6. Do Some High Knees

High knees are a decent indoor cardio workout because they basically involve running in place. They’re pretty easy to do:

1. Stand with your feet apart, in line with your hips.

2. Lift one knee as high as possible and then alternate to the other knee.

3. Pump your arms while running in place.

Start with a 30-second set with 30 seconds of rest after. Of course, if you’re confident in your cardio ability, you can do longer sets.

7. Make a HIIT Circuit

If you’ve got a bit of space in your house, you can set up a HIIT circuit that doesn’t involve any equipment. Some workouts to include are:

·  Jumping jacks

·  Burpees

·  Planks

·  Pushups

Of course, you can use any exercise you want, provided it gets the blood pumping. It might help to look up some suggested HIIT workouts to do in small spaces without equipment, as these can give you some good inspiration for circuits.

8. Play Video Games

This might sound like an odd one, but workout video games are great for rainy days if you have them lying around. Some suggestions include:

·  Nintendo Switch Ring Fit Adventure

·  Fitness Boxing

·  Nintendo Switch Sports

·  VR Beat Saber

·  VR Pistol Whip

·  Dance Central VR

Of course, these require you to have the equipment already. But if you’ve got the relevant console or setup in your home, investing in one of these games is a great option for rainy-day exercise. They can help keep things fun and interesting and mean you don’t have to think too hard about your workout routine.

9. Find Somewhere to Walk Indoors

If you don’t want to do anything too serious, just go for a walk indoors. This could be in a shopping mall or supermarket or pretty much anywhere else that has a reasonable amount of space.

While it won’t get the blood pumping in the same way as a full workout, it’s a good option if you don’t have a lot of space in your home or you just want a change of scenery. The best part is that it can be free, as you’re under no obligation to actually spend any money.

10. Use Stationary Cardio

Being limited on space doesn’t have to mean you can’t take part in cardio workouts. Luckily, there are plenty of exercises you can do that don’t involve moving around. Our top suggestions are:

·  Jumping jacks

·  Air jump rope

·  Jogging in place

·  Arm circles

·  Squats

·  Lateral shuffles

·  Mountain climbers

·  Burpees

These are all fairly straightforward exercises and can do a great job of getting your heart rate up. You can also combine them with some bodyweight exercises for strength training, and set up a circuit or workout plan based on your favorite picks. If you’ve got a spare resistance band lying around, you can mix up these exercises even more.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are loads of indoor workouts you can do when the weather isn’t very nice. While they might not give you the same burn as gym exercises, they’re perfectly acceptable alternatives to keep your body active.

The best part is that you can throw together pretty much any routine you want, and none of the suggestions above really involve equipment. This means that they’re basically free and can be pulled out when needed. So, don’t let the rain stop you!