I am a SUCKER for at-home workouts. I’ve been working out in the comfort of my own home for at least 20 years. It all started with a little VHS set that I purchased in college called Tae Bo. Man, I loved Billy Blanks and his horrible queuing and uneven sets.
When I finally purchased a DVD player, I started to amass a vast collection of workout DVD’s. I have about 50 workout DVD’s currently in my possession. However, about 10 years ago (maybe more?) I found streaming workouts, and I haven’t looked back! There are a TON of subscription services, which I’ll break down in a separate post) but today I want to focus on all of the FREE options available!
With so many people trying to figure out how to keep up with fitness while being stuck at home, it’s never been a more perfect time to use at-home workouts. The majority of free streaming workouts are going to be available through YouTube, since it is a free platform, but there are other options as well. I will list my favorite YouTube workout channels though.
As I was looking for more workouts to add to my vast collection (as I mentioned, in addition to my plethora of DVD’s I also subscribe to a few different services), I browsed through YouTube first. There are SO MANY workouts available for free on YouTube. However, not all channels are created equal. I have extremely high standards for workouts since I’ve done so many different ones. The video must have high-quality production value, the instructors must be motivating and entertaining, and the channel must have full 30-60 minute workouts.
Here are my YouTube picks
POPSugar Fitness
Not only are the workouts available from POPSugar SUPER high quality, but they also have a broad range of workout types and instructors. They even have my favorite instructor Anja Garcia (which is how I found the channel to begin with).
Every workout I’ve done from this channel has quickly become a favorite. I could literally just spend months doing POPSugar Fitness workouts alone.
Evolve Functional Fitness Workouts
Similar to the POPSugar Fitness channel, Evolve has amazing production value. While they don’t have quite as many workouts, they have plenty to do. Since fitness equipment is almost impossible to find, one advantage of the Evolve channel is that their workouts don’t require any equipment.
Devan Kline
Another great YouTube Channel is Devan Kline. His workouts are great, and it almost feels like he is your own personal trainer. He corrects form, and somehow just knows what you are doing wrong.
Sydney Cummings
While Sydney doesn’t have elaborate sets or backdrops, the workouts are still very high quality. She has a timer on screen so you know exactly how much time you have left in the workout, and she’s one of the few trainers that doesn’t need other participants to make the workout great.
Nicole Pearce
Nicole does have a few “set” workouts, but the majority of her workouts take place in her home. She appears to have very limited space there, so if you are trying to workout in tight quarters, her channel might be a good one to turn to. When she isn’t talking through the workout, she will do voice-overs. That is one thing I hate about some other channels, when they are silent, it gets REALLY boring.
Bodybuilding.com
If you are looking to build some muscle, definitely check out Bodybuilding.com’s YouTube channel. This one can be a little more difficult to locate the full workouts, and there aren’t a ton, but the ones that ARE there are really great.
Kit Rich
Finally, the last channel I like is from celebrity trainer Kit Rich. Great production quality, although the recent uploads from during the quarantine have been less so, for obvious reasons. She offers some live workouts too that make it fun and interactive, if you are craving that sort of thing.
And now… the NON-YouTube free workouts!
High Fitness
One of my FAVORITE in-person workouts is High Fitness. It is dance aerobics that isn’t too dancey. For someone like me, it’s perfect. I’m not that coordinated, so super dancey workouts don’t actually give me a good workout because I spend so much time trying to figure out the moves that it makes it super low intensity.
High Fitness uses regular songs you already know and love, puts about 4 different moves to it, that are usually very athletic type aerobic moves, and repeats. Each workout session offers alternating cardio and toning songs, and finishes up with a specific abs and arms track.
While this type of workout has been specifically taught by trained instructors at gyms, during the pandemic the company has started offering LIVE streamed online classes. You do have to catch it when they are going live, because there are no recordings allowed due to song licensing. The schedule is on their website, and each live session repeats once the same day so you can try to make it to at least one.
The creators of High Fitness also occasionally go live on their own, but you have to follow Amber and Emily on Instagram to find those times. They also have 2 free full workouts on their YouTube channel.
You can also find individual instructors who are teaching High Fitness classes live on Zoom. Most also advertise on Instagram, so doing a search on that platform for High Fitness instructors can help you find them.
Cyberobics
I only recently found this platform, so I’m not sure how long it has been free, or how long it will remain free, but RIGHT NOW all of their classes are being offered for FREE! It also has my favorite instructor Anja Garcia, so definitely check out her workouts! I’m excited to try them out for sure. They have a good variety of workouts, that appear to offer a little something for everyone. I would probably pay for a subscription, and again, I’m not sure how long it will be free, but for now GO TAKE ADVANTAGE!!
With all of these options, you definitely have every opportunity to maintain your fitness during the Coronavirus crisis. I WAS working on my Covid 19 (similar to the freshman 15), but with all of these options, I just kinda want to work out all day so I can do all of these fun workouts!
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