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The Best & Worst Workouts To Do If You're Hungover

When you spend 80 percent of your weekends taking tequila shots and drunkenly begging some DJ to play “Despacito”, it would be kinda nice to spend the other 20 percent doing something productive like working out. We all know how hard it is to make it to the gym, and unless you’re some freak that doesn’t get hungover, we’re all pretty much dead by Sunday morning. After doing some research, we found out that working out with a hangover isn’t totally off limits, but certain types of exercise are better than others if you want to come out alive. Here are the best and worst workouts you can do when you literally need sunglasses to open the fridge.

The Best: Barre

If you wake up and you’re still wearing last night’s wedges, chances are you can barely move. Luckily for you, barre classes are one of the only types of fitness classes where you’ll actually get a good workout while basically staying stationary the whole time. Aside from pulsing your ass until your thighs shake and lifting two-pound weights while wondering when you got so weak, you’ll pretty much be holding onto the bar the entire time and avoiding any moves that might make you more nauseous than you already are.

Spinning

A 10am spin class might sound like hell after a night out, but sweating out last night’s tequila is actually legit, and there’s no sweat like a spin class sweat. You’ll feel amazing after sweating out your alcohol and the endorphins might actually help cure your headache. Plus, unlike running, you’re not really bouncing up and down since cycling is mainly leg-focused, so you’re less likely to vomit on the person next to you. So that’s a plus.

Boxing

Boxing is another cardio exercise that doesn’t really involve jumping around, which makes it ideal for a hungover Sunday workout. Workouts that include plyometric moves like burpees and box jumps might make you sick to your stomach, so boxing is a good way to sweat your ass off without seeing stars 10 minutes in. Also, you can pretend to be punching your Saturday night self for (once again) forgetting to drink water. 

Pilates

Pilates classes challenge your muscles in different ways than traditional strength or cardio workouts do, and you don’t have to kill yourself to get an effective workout out of it. Whether you’re taking a reformer class or a mat-based class, you’ll feel the burn in your legs, arms, and abs, and you don’t even have to listen to pounding music that could worsen your headache.

The Worst: Hot Yoga

A lot of people make the mistake of signing up for a yoga class when they’re hungover because it seems like a chiller workout than other classes. Although that could be true, it’s not the case with hot yoga. When you’re hungover, your body is already dehydrated AF, so doing downward dogs in a boiling hot room isn’t doing you any favors. My friend literally fainted one time during hot yoga because she was so hungover, and the room was so dark that nobody even noticed. Personally, I wouldn’t risk it. Unless you plan on chugging like, a gallon of water before and after and have a buddy who can monitor your vitals, stick to air conditioned workouts. 

Sprints

I mean, I don’t even wanna meet the psycho who would consider doing sprints with a hangover, but in case this applies to you, call it off. Now. Treadmill classes like Barry’s Bootcamp are hardcore and make you feel amazing when you have the energy, but with a hangover, you’ll just get dizzy and super nauseous. Aside from probably throwing up on the treadmill, you’ll just get a head rush from the loud music and flashing lights.

Ab Workouts

If you’re feeling at all queasy or lightheaded when you wake up, I would do your body a favor and skip your ab routine today. We have nothing against crunches and scissor kicks, but let’s not forget that your abs lie where your stomach is, so working the muscles in that area will only make you feel worse. Don’t say we didn’t warn you when all your blood rushes to your head while you’re holding a plank.

Boot Camp

If you can’t remember how many shots you took last night or how many slices of pizza you ate when you were wasted at 3am, boot camp today is just a hard no. Boot camp classes usually involve intense full body moves like burpees, squat jumps, and other jumping movements that will literally make you hurl. And besides, who needs some jacked instructor yelling in your face to do 10 more lunges? I’d rather die. Thanks though.