Youtube Workouts for the Introvert in Everyone

I'm going to share something that has been a badly-kept secret of mine for a while now. 

I LOVE a Youtube workout. 

I'm talking about setting up my laptop on my kitchen table, rolling out my exercise mat and free weights (a set of two kilos and five kilos), and hitting play on any one of my favourite 'Can't-leave-the-house-but-need-to-sweat' youtube videos. Then I proceed to sit up, lunge, burpee, plank, and push-up my way through 10 - 45 minutes of at-home exercise hell before I cool down, strip off my activewear and walk all of two metres to my shower. It is the ultimate convenience, and it makes me feel like I'm taking a stab at being my best self (Oprah™), when all I want to do is lie in bed and watch John Oliver videos on my phone. 

A lot of my willpower to do Youtube exercise videos comes from outsmarting my lizard brain. On the rare occasion that I'm feeling lazy (pretty much every Monday, Wednesday and other days that end in 'day'), I just tell myself to put on a sports bra and do a 10 minute jump cardio workout. More specifically, this one:  

Allow me to take a moment to express my undying devotion to Popsugar Fitness. The channel has dozens of quickish workouts ranging from targeted areas (eg. butts and thighs), intensity (high or low), type (dance), and more. Anna is the star trainer in most of the videos and she is a delight. I feel like she'd be that personal trainer you eventually become friends with - but then when you wind up going out for brunch, you feel like you have to order the vegan granola to escape her judgement and then shame eat a whole packet of cookies when you get home. You'd resent her so much afterwards that you'd have to find a new trainer to get over it. Sorry Anna.

In any case the above video is all about jump cardio so if you live in an apartment maybe don't do this one during sleeping hours. You don't want to alienate your neighbours in the pursuit of home fitness domination. Or maybe you do. I don't know your life. 

That said, to work off a whole packet of shame cookies, I'd recommend this video: 

Jeanette Jenkins is the leader in this video and she does not play games. In fact, she tells you that several times in the video, so you know she's legit. This is a mix of weight training and cardio and after the first time I did it I couldn't shampoo my hair, my arms were so wrecked. 

This next video is the one I turn to if I feel like I need a dose of sass with my jump squats. It's a 20 minute tabata workout (20 seconds of high intensity, 10 seconds off. Repeat until dead). The trainer is Raneir, and as he gives you these insane sets, he says 'you're welcome', and it kills me. Dude is a treasure.

When I'm feeling fragile, I hit play on this video.  

This trainer is Kit Rich and she is so soothing. I find her raspy voice and overall demeanor super comforting. Like after punishing me with her workout she'd braid my hair and tell me it was actually Hilary who won the presidency. Unfortunately all she can do is push us through a workout that's a mix of light cardio, weight training and pilates. The ab work at the end is killer. 

If I've spent the past week eating my own bodyweight in cheese, I pop on this video and prepare to have the shakes for the next week:

This is a HIIT workout (High Intensity Interval Training), and the trainer, Adam Rosante, most definitely does not screw around. I'm still struggling with this one to be honest, and I find myself avoiding this one until I know I need a good ass kicking. Adam does talk a lot in the video, but I don't mind because it distracts me from the pain. Plus, he ain't bad looking. 

For a classic, run-of-the-mill 25 minute workout, this video gives the goods: 

This is a cardio and strength training workout that will give you a boost on those days when you just need to get it done. Full disclosure though, the trainer, Christine Bullock, and the girls get rrreeealll girly. About three quarters of the way through they start talking about favourite summer poolside snacks and Anna says 'popcorn' and Christine acts all shocked and says 'as long as its not microwave!' like microwave popcorn is the devil's snack. But maybe she's right. Maybe my love of microwave popcorn is why that dude called me a 'plumpy peach' the other day. Or he could have just been shopping for fruit. I don't leave the house much so I don't know what's real any more. 

For a solid 30-minute cardio and weight training set, this one's a killer: 

Anna is the lead trainer on this one and she's so happy and energetic it kind of makes me forget that she's making me do endless plank jacks. It's like happy torture. There's also a bonus ninja round, which is kind of fun. 

This next one is what I do when I start having aspirations of hot LA stardom: 

 

The trainer is Astrid Swan-Maguire and she is as hilarious as she is hot. This is a 27 minute cardio-strength workout that doesn't need free weights (but you wouldn't know that the way your body is feeling afterwards). What I like about this video is the way Astrid tells you she's suffering through the workout too. Like, I know she's super disciplined, which is why her abs have their own abs, but it's kind of nice to see a trainer suffer too. It's like fitness schadenfreude. 

This one's another 30 minute cardio and strength video that will get you pumping:

Allie Cohen is the trainer and she's from Barry's Bootcamp. She tells you this a few times, so you know Barry must be good at sales. I'm not from America, so I don't know what Barry's Bootcamp is, but if it makes you look like Allie, then Barry's doing something right. Full disclosure though, I hurt my back doing this workout, so maybe take it easy with the weights. 

So these are all my top picks for home workouts from Popsugar. I rarely do workouts from other channels, except Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred for when my self-esteem gets too high and I need to be taken down a notch. I bought all my equipment from my local Decathlon and it all came to about €50 in total, which is not a bad investment for a home workout kit. I've been working out like this, coupled with Couch 2 5K runs and the occasional bootcamp class for about 1.5 years, and I've definitely noticed a difference. I'm much stronger and fitter. I don't think I've lost inches but that's because I like to eat all the food. So I consider this workout regime maintenance for my chocolate pancake habit. 

I hope this helps you dive into the world of Youtube fitness. As lame as it can sound, I think there's a lot of value in investing in your fitness - in whatever way you can. Even from the comfort of your own living room.