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From YouTube to your favorite fitness studio to guide series, there are so many options out there for us to never miss a workout. It’s great for when there is a blizzard outside, for when we are traveling, or for being too busy to get to class. At home workouts have dated back to the Jane Fonda, Richard Simmons era with aerobic and sculpting videos. And any woman (or man) who religious did those videos in the 80’s can tell you, they worked! Now online streaming has become easier for us to get in a good sweat session. I did a few online workouts when I was home for the holidays, even though I went to System of Strength a few times. There were some days I couldn’t get to the studio, it was easier for everyone (sharing cars, plus my niece) for home workouts. I would go down into the basement, turn on one of my favorite online workouts and sweat. Even when I am not on vacation I will stream workouts. Lets say after running I also wanted to get in weights but do not want to pay for a class, I will turn on an at home video to get in my strength workouts. It’s a great money saver!
When it comes to at home workouts I like to do the ones from my favorite fitness studios. I know the instructors, I can stay in shape from continuing what I am doing (clearly I did not do enough over the holidays because last week was brutal), and I know I will enjoy the class. Here are a few of my favorite at-home workouts.
Simone is one of the world’s most beloved trainers. I have been taking Body by Simone for about 2 years now and absolutely love it! It’s dance cardio mixed in with lighter weights, resistance bands, wrist/ankle weights, sliders, pilates balls, and a yoga mat. It’s a great class to take if you want mix in cardio and weights together. Trust me when I say it’s not an easy workout. Moving from cardio to weights can be tiring on the body, but it is such a great workout! And I have seen first hand the transformations of people taking their classes. Their online class is called BBSTV, so you know what to look for.They also have a BBS App, incase you can not travel with your computer or you are at the gym and need a few move ideas. The workouts are instructor only professional 20 minute videos. Each video is specialized to a certain area; arms only, legs only, abs only, cardio, etc. This way you can combined them for a full workout or work on one particular area. They also offer DVDs.
If you are looking for HIIT, heavy weights exercises System of Strength is the place for you. It’s my go-to fitness studio in Columbus, Ohio. They have a variety of classes: Control (heavy weights), Clocked (cardio, not dance cardio), High and Tight (lighter weights/bands/balls), Yoga (self explanatory), and In The Mix (weights heavy to light mixed in with cardio). If you want to get into shape, SOS is the place for you. Their online classes are unedited taped classes– it’s as if you are in the class with the people taking it. They also have 20 minute challenges with just the instructors. I have to say, as I am biased since I have been with them since the studios beginning, all of the instructors are amazing and funny. To take their online classes you will need a variety of weights, a plyo box if you want to participate in that portion or you can just jump, bands if you want resistance, and a yoga mat. I should mention that Control (heavy weights) is not a Crossfit class. It is as if you went to the gym and lifted weights but with more intensity. We do do clean and press and some Crossfit movements, but you are not going to be throwing a tire around or whatever they do. When I take Control classes the heaviest I use is 15/20 lbs and the lowest is 8/5lbs. For High and Tight I use 3/5lbs, for In The Mix I use 5-20lbs.
Obé is a NYC favorite. It’s not a fitness studio but an online only workout program. Some of my favorite instructors are part of Obé like Amanda Kloots, Sarah Grooms, and Megan Roup. You have unlimited access to hundreds of videos that tailor from dance cardio, circuit training, toning movements, strength (from 3-10lbs), yoga, HIIT and more. Each class is a 28 minute full body, but they also have 5-15 minute express videos (great for lunchtime) for when you are really on the go or need an extra workout. I love being able to take classes with some of my favorite instructors when I am not in NYC. It’s a great way to stay on top of your workouts. They have a ton of different teachers– and although I have not taken from everyone, that is something I want to do. You can search for your favorite instructor and see all of their personalized videos. They also have live classes where they shoutout peoples names, so it feels as if you are with them in the cube taking a class. Oh, I should mention each video the instructor is in a cool pastel cube. I am pretty jealous of it and it’s a dream of mine to see the cube. I keep joking to my friends who work at Obé that there needs to be a take your friend to work day… they usually ignore me. Oh well, could still come true!
I have been a frequent attendee at DanceBody over the last few months. If you didn’t know, I am a Social Media Ambassador for them. I am always sharing my workouts on my Insta Stories where you can see me red face, internally cussing, and have a look of death. They have fun, energetic, hard workouts that I love. They have sculpt classes (no cardio), signature classes (dance cardio mixed with sculpt), and express (cardio only). You can take a taped class or attend one of their live classes. You may have seen me in their sculpt live class this past November. Each class is about 60 minutes long where you are going to get a great full body workout. All you need for this is 2/3lb weights, wrist/ankle weights, resistance bands, and a yoga mat for floor work.