Outlander's Sam Heughan Offers Fans a Free 30-Day Social Distancing Workout Challenge: 'It's for Everyone'
Outlander star Sam Heughan is giving fans another reason to stay home.
The Scottish actor, 39, who co-founded his workout program, My Peak Challenge, in 2015, is offering a free 30-day workout challenge for people to take part in while they are at home during the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’ve been producing content like this for a couple of years now and it just suddenly became clear that we really should just try and do something to help people,” Heughan tells PEOPLE. “It feels very small and insignificant, but hopefully it gives people a little something to distract themselves with and keep themselves healthy and positive and share with others.”
The video workouts consist of sessions in interval training, cardio and yoga. Heughan stars in the first video with a trainer showing him how to move correctly. New videos are posted daily.
“It’s a good workout, and it’s cool to see people really giving it a go,” says the actor, whose My Peak Challenge typically donates half of its fees to charity — to date, it has raised more than $4 million. “The idea is it’s for everyone. Anyone can try it. You can be at home and there are no weights needed.”
The actor, who stars as Jamie Fraser on Starz’s hit series, is still “constantly surprised” by the fans’ devotion to the show and their intense level of engagement. “It’s just remarkable that people still, after six years, are so invested in these characters,” he says. “And the rest of the season is going to be really strong. There are going to be a lot of surprises for the next few episodes.”
During his own downtime at home, Heughan is busy writing a book and finishing the podcast-turned-video-series Clan Lands, which he produced and directed alongside his former Outlander costar Graham McTavish. He’s also working on the next release of his scotch whisky label, The Sassenach, which sold out its first run in the United States.
“The blend was probably one of the hardest parts because we wanted to get it right,” he says. “I think it’s delicious. It should be accessible for everyone, but I think people are going to really enjoy it.”
He’s also staying in shape himself by doing his Social Distancing Challenge and just motivated fans with a post-workout shirtless photo on Instagram, which he captioned: “These bodyweight workouts are kicking my butt!”
Heughan insists he’s just glad people are inspired to stay healthy. “I’ve been doing the workout every day and I’m sore — it’s pretty tough,” he adds. “But I’m so happy that people are really enjoying it.”
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