10 Free Pre-Valentine's Day Workouts for Couples

Months of holiday celebrations and winter hibernation can pack on pounds, but with Valentine's Day approaching, it's time to feel your sensual best. It seems to be true that couples who work out together have more satisfying relationships, as Psychology Today found in a 2014 roundup of studies related to exercise and romance. Couples who work out every day no doubt also have more interesting nights to look forward to once the lights are off, so it might be worth trying these free couples exercises.

Popularized by Instagram shots of couples holding powerful yet graceful poses, acroyoga combines acrobatic dance moves, yoga, and Thai massage techniques. There are two schools of acroyoga, but many moves are similar and focus on strength building and partner balancing. If this practice seems intriguing, try the instructional video series offered by Yogabatics on YouTube. There are 10 videos, with the first one walking beginners through the basics and some safety tips.

Sarah Dussault, known as Sarah Fit, is a healthy-living author  who offers budget-friendly recipes, free workouts, and fitness advice on her YouTube channel and other social media. Her gym-free couples routine works in three-minute intervals to bring the heart rate up and tone muscles. Moves include squats, jump lunges, planks, push-ups, and donkey kicks, designed to work a variety of muscles -- ideally toning a physique just in time for Valentine's.

There's not quite enough time to fit in this 30-day challenge before Valentine's Day, but maybe it won't take that long to fit into a little black dress sitting in the back of the closet. For men and the dress-averse, it might be a metaphorical little black dress -- or too-tight pants that could fill in as motivation. This workout is ideal for couples who are strapped for time but have a few minutes to spare every day. Day 1 starts with 10 planks, press-ups, and mountain climbers. The following days up the ante until Day 30, which calls for 60 repetitions of each move.

Yoga is known to improve flexibility, strengthen muscles, and focus the mind. Couples looking to channel their inner calm and stretch creaky muscles can grab a mat and partner up for this workout video. A series of roughly 10-minute stretches aims to relieve lower-back tension, lengthen the spine, and open the chest and hip joints. The routine also stretches abdominals and glutes -- helpful for any Valentine's Day extracurricular activities.

Many couples are active in bed for the sake of a strong, happy relationship. But sex can also be a cardiovascular workout, in which muscles work to sustain positions and movements. For men who want to spice things up in bed, consider exercises from WebMD that focus on the arms, back, quads, and abs. For women, Livestrong advises concentrating on the glutes, inner thighs, pelvic floor muscles, abs, and hamstrings.

If a high-intensity, fast-paced cardio workout sounds good, try Fitappy's Explosive Cardio Workout with Plyo on YouTube. "Plyo" refers to plyometrics, or jump training that is like a more intense version of the hopping, skipping, and jumping children do on the playground.) This swift 25-minute workout might be done at home two to three times a week before dinner. Get ready for burpees and a jump-rope warm-up, as well as intense frog jumps, sumo squats, and high kicks.

Exercising at home can be boring, especially if workout videos feature unimaginative moves. A Jane's Total Fitness video gives a variety of moves to choose from. Partners intertwine arms or legs, hold hands, and support each other's weight -- hard to get bored doing that. Pick five favorite moves and complete one minute of each in succession. Do three rounds (or as many as possible) with 30-second water breaks in between for an exhilarating partner workout.

Feeling sexy and want to keep the lingerie on? Skinny Mommy Fitness has compiled exercises that anyone (men included) can do in bed. Try a few rounds of hip raises, push-ups with shoulder taps, scissor leg lifts, dolphin planks, and jack splits before touching the cold, demotivational floor. The article includes links to instructional videos for each move that beginners can use to get started.

For fit athletes who yawn at the previous exercises, here's something more challenging. A couples beach workout video set in idyllic Barbados includes traditional moves such as warm-up sprints, jump squats, and switch lunges, then takes it up a notch with more complex moves. Standing press-ups put one partner's feet high up on the other's shoulders, and squats and walking lunges must be done with one partner on the other's back.