’ve had a gym membership since I left high school, and it has just become a regular part of my bills every month. Because we now have a treadmill, I mainly enjoy using the gym to go to yoga, zumba, and HIIT classes, but there are some days when I just don’t feel like going to the gym or I don’t have the time.
For those types of days, I have utilized the thousands (if not millions) of free online workouts that YouTube offers. Here are just a sampling of videos I’ve found during my browsing!
Disclaimer: Even though these YouTube videos are free to view, I can’t claim they aren’t violating any copyright laws by posting them.
Leslie Sansone
For this of you who have a FitBit or other wearable device, you know the pull that getting your target steps in each day seems to have. I decided to try a Leslie Sansone video on YouTube one day when it was too cold to be outside (or even in the basement) and I ended up liking it! Many times I will mute the video itself (sorry Leslie!) and listen to my own music, but I like the variations and everyone seems to be enjoying the workout. It’s a good option if you don’t have a treadmill or just want to zone out.
Several different users have posted full Leslie Sansone workouts, just be sure to check the run time to ensure it’s the full video and not just a two or three minute preview.
Here’s one of my favorites, which actually had me puffin’!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkMCetgP6oY
LionsGate BeFit
This channel has tons of exclusive workouts just for the channel, as well as online versions of old DVDs, like almost all of the older Jillian Michaels workouts (just look under popular workouts on their home page).
Yoga
There are tons of awesome free yoga workouts, but so far I’ve really liked Yoga Journal magazine’s channel, Reflexion Yoga, which has great videos that are really specific, like yoga for sore shoulders or yoga for sore athletes:
Yoga With Adrienne is also a fun channel that has some good routines. Also, don’t forget about my favorite YouTube yoga video ever!
Kickboxing and Interval Training
RealFitTV regularly posts their kickboxing and interval training classes, which were really high intensity, had great music, and even made me sore the next day.
Another option is FitnessBlender, which is a husband-wife team who have hundreds of videos, from 1000 calorie workouts to pilates. I have liked all the videos I’ve tried and I like their simple white background and instruction. Their website embeds all the YouTube videos and offers more instruction on the moves as well as estimated calorie burn. You can also view other users’ review of the workout.
As an example, here is one of the hardest workouts I’ve done from FB:
and here is the accompanying information page.
Finally, if you want to go beyond YouTube and don’t mind paying a few bucks per month, I’d recommend GaiamTV, YogaGlo, DailyBurn, and FitnessGlo. They are all around $10-$20 per month and offer a wide selection of a variety of workouts.