As the holidays approach and the year is coming to an end, keeping consistent with our workout routines gets harder. Thankfully, many great YouTube fitness creators have brought a plethora of challenging and fun videos to help keep their audiences active even at home. Without further ado, here are some of my personal favorites workouts released on this month.
Izzy has released many great videos this month but this video requiring only a resistance band is my absolute favorite. By using different band placements to target pretty much every muscle group, this routine is a burner for the entire body. With fully guided instructions and creative variations, you won't be bored for even a second.
Level: Intermediate to advanced.
Equipment required: Exercise mat and resistance band.
Marie Steffen is currently one of my favorite creators on the platform, her frequent uploads of challenging low impact routines are a staple in my current routine. In this occasion, Marie has crafted the Longevity Plan for Women, combining mobility exercises with strength training and Pilates with the goal of maintaining muscle mass, bone density, and improving daily mobility. Progressively increasing the difficulty with harder exercises and weights, this workout plan is a great challenge with many benefits.
Level: Intermediate to advanced.
Equipment required: Light and medium weights, exercise mat.
As a part of her new Pumped program, Sydney has created cardio workouts with a core component for her weekly cardio sessions. In this particular workout alternating fast paced cardio exercises with traditional core moves, isometric holds are used as a finished to every set to maximize muscle fatigue. Light to medium dumbbells are also used to add additional resistance to the core exercises, making this workout a functional approach to core training.
Level: All levels.
Equipment required: Light and medium weights, exercise mat.
Fun and short workouts are the best way to get out of a fitness rut. This easy dance choreography uses some of the greatest songs from the Mamma Mia musical as background music. And if you struggle with following choreography, every step is previewed on screen.
Level: Beginner friendly.
No equipment.
Light jumping, can be easily modified.
Hip-Hop Abs Dance Workout by Kaleila Jordan from PS Fit
As mentioned in my previous article about standing ab workouts, dancing is an excellent way to connect with your core muscles. In this routine, hip hop steps are combined with standing ab exercises to target the core while moving the hips. Obliques and lower abs will certainly stay active through this fun routine.
October was a hard month for me to keep consistent, I was busy and struggling with fatigue. Instead of following a fitness program, I decided to keep my routine mostly low impact to focus on having fun and moving my body. Even though I didn't have the energy to workout, finding easy workouts to improve my mood kept me active. Without further ado, here are some of my picks and new finds from this month.
Step Uhm began posting dance workouts on the platform just six months ago, but you wouldn't guess that from her engaging titles and song choices. With simple yet functional editing and follow along format, her choreography makes Kpop dancing easy for newbies while staying fun. Unlike most Kpop focused channels, this channel has longer videos and dance medleys from popular groups, definitely a must for fans of the genre.
Afrifitness is back on YouTube after a long hiatus, bringing new workouts with her signature teaching style. Her recent afrobeats infused walking workouts are a great middle ground between walking workouts and dance, mixing marching in place with African dance inspired moves. Getting your steps in can be monotonous, so these workouts are a fun way to keep active while having fun.
This fully guided sports themed workout is proof that everyone can be an athlete. With fun cardio movements inspired by all types of sport, proving that functional fitness can be entertaining too. If you've never played any sports: don't worry, exercises are accesible and easily modifiable for every need. Sydney's motivational talks are also present on this video, helping to encourage you through the entire routine.
Focusing on body recomposition, this six week program has a comprehensive approach to fitness, with strength workouts paired with Pilates inspired sessions and low impact cardio. If you want to try strength training with some variety, Hourglass is a perfect way to start your journey. I especially love Olivia's standing workouts for their accessibility if you struggle with spinal issues. The Hourglass program is still ongoing and can be found here.
Low impact cardio and strength training routines.
Clear editing with next exercise previewed on screen.
Sophie from Gains by Brains has been releasing her first free program on her YouTube channel. Consisting of one functional day, one lower body session, two ab sessions and one cardio session per week, this program is focused on helping reaching aesthetic and muscle building goals by body recomposition. Many sessions require no equipment, so it's a great way to stay consistent without needing weights. The ARC I program is still ongoing and can be found here.
Comprehensive approach to fitness with increasing difficulty.
Clear editing with next exercise previewed on screen.
Many no equipment workouts available, ideal for traveling.
Focus on strengthening the core with deep core exercises.
Upper Body and Core Workout with Weights by Marie Steffen
Marie's low impact workouts have quickly become one of my favorites. Only requiring a pair of light dumbbells and a mat, this workout can feel just as effective as a regular lifting day. Seamlessly integrating strength training with Pilates and yoga inspired moves, the core is working overtime in this seemingly simple routine.
Low impact, high intensity moves to test coordination and stability.
Clear editing with written cues and next exercise previewed on screen.
Minimal equipment.
Creative compound moves to engage the target areas.
If you want to challenge your core and stability in a non traditional way, this workout uses a yoga block and a Pilates ball to test your balance and force your core to activate. By creating an unstable foundation, dormant deep core muscles are activated to compensate, something that regular abs exercises won't achieve. The emphasis on mind body connection is important too, using these simple props to awaken the connection to your muscles.
Low impact workout.
Fully guided with vocal cues.
Minimal props easily replaced at home (block can be replaced by a thick book and the ball can be a small pillow or plushie)
Easily engage deep core without crunches.
Creative use of props.
Morning Mobility: Start your day right by Julia Reppel
These days I love to train mobility at the end of my workouts and Julia's sessions are some of favorites. This recent 20 minute routine is excellent to start the day and release all the stiffness from sleeping. Follow along soft yet precise movements to awaken the muscles and open up the hips and back, feel dynamic and renewed by the end of the video.
The last month and the beginning days of October have been pretty rough for me, my sleep schedule has been terrible and my diet has been pretty irregular. As for my workout routine, I successfully trained a 5K and tried to keep up with Sydney Cummings' BOLD program but I felt very tired. I decided to just focus on mobility, an aspect of fitness I've always neglected, in hopes of deloading my body to feel better.
To be completely honest: I hate stretching. I'm extremely stiff and I tend to skip the stretches after my workouts, my mobility overall is okay but could be so much better. Determined to overcome my fear of stretching, I searched Julia Reppel's channel for beginner challenges and found a short challenge made in collaboration with Marie Steffen. Julia, a sport scientist and Marie, a personal trainer and former bodybuilder, are both from Germany and post follow along workout on their respective channels. Julia's channel is mostly focused on mobility and Marie's channel hosts Pilates, mobility and strength training workouts; both channels are pretty active and getting constant new videos. I found out about Julia's channel while searching cool down for runners, her concise videos and great credentials caught my eye and made me try more.
As for Marie, I tried a few of her Pilates videos before but they were too advanced for my level and had no vocal cues. Though I did enjoy her polished editing and graceful movements, her workouts are definitely too overcomplicated for those unfamiliar with Pilates. Now that I was more familiar with Pilates and in urgent need of deloading, I decided to give their collaboration a try.
The challenge can be found in both channels, I followed the playlist from Marie's channel. These videos were not created as a program, but I decided to follow them as such.
Challenge details:
Eight videos total, I did one every day.
I'd definitely label these videos as intermediate.
Videos range from 15 to 25 minutes in length.
No equipment required besides a non slip fitness mat.
Warm up and cool down are provided in every video.
No vocal cues are provided, some written cues are shown on screen.
Easier and harder modifications are provided for many exercises. All exercises are low impact.
Day 1: Full Body Mobility
Day 1 is a great start to the challenge. With circuits targeting the spine, hips and shoulders respectively, this workout is excellent to train your mobility with simple exercises. The transitions are easy to follow, easier modifications are shown by Julia if you're not too confident on your form. This session felt so doable and made my entire body feel less tight, so I decided to keep up with the challenge. This video is also fairly beginner friendly, so don't hesitate to try it even if you're a beginner to mobility.
Day 2: Pilates x Mobility
Day 2 introduces Pilates to the format and it's harder than it looks. By mixing classical and contemporary Pilates movements with mobility exercises, this workout will challenge your stability and core strength. Starting with a standing sequence and ending with the classical Pilates teaser, the flow is fairly challenging, especially during the bridges. Even though I'm familiarized with Pilates movements, I struggled to get the teaser at the end. Still, Julia provides easier modifications and is visibly struggling with some of the moves, so I felt reassured that this was actually a pretty tough flow.
Day 3: Full Body Mobility Animal x Primal
I was pretty intimidated by the intermediate/advanced on the title of this workout, but it ended up being my absolute favorite from the entire challenge. Consisting of animal flow inspired movements building upon each other and ending with a full sequence putting every move together, this workout flows perfectly. Each movement keeps your mind and body engaged and the final sequence is a challenging test. The unique moves are great to engage your full body, with my favorite being the ape inspired low squat. As in the previous video, Julia shows easier alternative to some of the harder moves.
Day 4: Daily Morning Mobility Routine
This 15 minute session helped me start my day in the best way. My body was stiff due to sitting on the computer for long, with exercises to decompress the hips and shoulders. These moves might seem simple, but they can certainly make a difference if you're mostly sedentary. As in other videos, Julia shows easier modifications for a few movements.
Day 5: Deep & Dynamic Stretch + Mobility
Day 5 was far harder than I expected from the title. I struggle with tight hamstrings, so the multiple cossack squats and lunge variations were a challenge for my hips. My depth and stability was not nearly as good as theirs, but I managed to keep up with the pigeon pose near the end. If you also struggle with tight hips and hamstrings, this video will surely be a challenge. Julia provides easier modifications again, although even the modifications might be hard enough to some of us.
Day 6: Pilates x Core
I wouldn't recommend this workout if you're not familiar with Pilates, Yoga or other mat based bodyweight practices. Yes, the workout challenges your core but your wrists and shoulders will be challenged with many bird dog and side plank variations. I didn't quite enjoy this workout as much as the others on the playlist, the repetitive moves didn't flow as well. This one has no modifications and seeing Julia struggle with some of the moves was refreshing.
Day 7: Full Mobility x Core
Unlike the previous day, Day 7 is more mobility based but still focuses on core exercises. This session has a lot of variety, with creative functional movements to engage the deep core. I'm not good at traditional core exercises, but these mobility moves do help to enhance my mind body connection. One of the final moves was a plow (basically rolling like a ball) with a hip extension and I felt so accomplished when I got it correctly. This video has no modifications and is for intermediates, so search for easier options if you're a beginner.
Day 8: Mobility Flow
The final workout of the challenge is a mobility routine consisting of five short flows. With complementary exercises building upon each other to create each sequence, every more will challenge your stability and coordination. Flow number 5, consisting of straddle variations, was the hardest for me yet I completed it without much trouble. Something I loved about this video is that the transitions between one exercise and the other were so seamless, making the entire workout feel dynamic and energizing. No modifications are provided on this video.
Bonus Day: Pilates x Mobility, Lower Body x Core
After finishing the playlist on Marie's channel, I noticed that Julia had her own playlist with one more video. This Pilates based workout is beginner friendly, combining mobility moves with the Pilates methodology of controlled exercises. This flow was great and overall far more dynamic than the Day 6 Pilates x Core workout, so I recommend substituting for this one if you're more of a beginner. As in other videos, Julia show easier modifications of the harder movements.
Challenge Pros:
Both trainers have excellent form.
Modifications are provided for harder exercises.
Creative moves and flows.
All low impact.
Warm up and cool down are included in every video.
Comprehensive approach to fitness including Pilates, mobility and functional training.
Movements are previewed on screen.
Excellent video quality and editing.
Great background music choices.
Challenge Cons:
No vocal cues. Written cues and previews are provided but transition times are very fast.
Most videos are not beginner friendly even if labeled as such.
Some exercises can be hard to follow.
Can be heavy on the wrists and shoulders at times.
Final thoughts:
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this short challenge. For the first time, mobility seemed like something doable and even enjoyable instead of a painful chore. As mentioned in the beginning, I did this challenge during a terribly busy week, it helped me unwind and made me look forward for each session. I felt challenged and learned quite a few moves I've never seen before; a welcome change from my usual routine. I combined these workouts with cardio and strength training, doing these before helped to prepare my body for exercise.
Nine days is not nearly enough to see noticeable changes, but I tried to focus more on my range of motion and stability. I also managed to engage my core more, to the point of noticing some soreness during the rest of the day. I'm trying to stretch my hamstrings more, seeing some slight improvement especially when doing Pilates.
After completing the challenge, I subscribed to both channels and been doing some of their individual workouts. Julia's workouts are short but excellent ways to train mobility; Marie's Pilates workouts are definitely tough but worth the challenge if you're experienced. Regardless of their different approach to fitness, both trainers provide excellent quality content with great form and variety.
Hello, I'm Andy, a former couch potato turned home fitness enthusiast. I've created this blog to share my personal experiences, recommendations and more about everything related to online fitness. I believe fitness should be more accessible, so I've created this blog in hopes of encouraging fellow beginners to start at home.
