Since the start of the pandemic, I officially switched over to at-home workouts. Having spent years working out of a gym, I started to find it draining. I hated the commute to the gym (either from work or from home), and I hated how packed it was during peak hours after work that I sometimes couldnโt find an open spot or my equipment would be in use, forcing me to change my plans on the spot. Not to mention, the need to plan out my workout ahead of time.
I trialled many on-demand platforms but ultimately found YouTube to be the best for workout videos because of the variety without the costly membership. Equipped with dumbbells, wrists/ankle weights, and bands, I can choose a workout video based on my mood and what I want to focus on. In fact, my cardio improved with home workouts than it did when I was at the gym!
However, sifting through the millions of YouTube channels can be difficult so Iโm here to share my top 5 favourite workout channels to get started on your at-home workouts!
In no particular order.
Grow with Jo
I originally found Jo when I was looking for an indoor walking workout to hit my steps. I instantly loved her energy and started to explore her channel. Joโs workouts are heavily cardio-based but she has some sculpt and light strength training. Many of her workouts are standing and bodyweight only so I like to level up with ankle weights or light dumbbells. Jo has a growing community on Facebook where you can see hundreds of transformations and has a subscription-based platform where she offers exclusive workout videos. I recently chose to cancel my subscription to her platform because of the price increase and I felt there isnโt much content yet. Joโs videos are how I increased my cardio.
BurpeeGirl Liss
Donโt let the username scare you away! BurpeeGirl videos are all standing aerobatics workouts. She has a mixture of aerobatics, dance, barre, and strength workouts (her strength workouts may be short but they burn!). One thing I enjoy about Lissโ workouts is that her workouts are actually 20/30/45/etc minutes of physical activity with a few extra minutes for cooldown – this is why many of her videos are ~5 minutes longer than advertised. Many other workout videos tend to include the warm-up and cool down into the video length which means youโre working out for only 20 minutes on a 30-minute video. BurpeeGirl also has another channel dedicated to short but impactful workouts over here – many are about 15 minutes, and she also has a big Facebook community with many success stories.
Get Fit with Rick
Rick is another YT channel when I was looking for an indoor steps workout. Similar to Jo, Rickโs energy and enthusiasm for fitness is contagious. His videos are a mix of steps/cardio and I enjoy his kickboxing classes – all standing and bodyweight. Rick does talk in his videos to guide you on the next steps and offer motivation and wisdom.
Barre with Gina Chanis
Ginaโs barre videos are the only barre videos I follow. I discovered her on IG and loved her barre classes as I felt itโs most similar to Pure Barre and had no crazy wild movements like some barre instructors do. Sheโs currently looking to re-launch her subscription-based platform.
Kaleigh Cohen Strength
I discovered Kaleigh when I wanted more strength-based workouts with heavy dumbbells. Kaleigh has a wide range of video lengths, perfect when you want something quick or a longer workout. All her strength videos leave me sore for a few days and theyโre all movements you can do at home with a dumbbell. I find her workouts to be simple but efficient and impactful.
I love finding new workouts to keep things moving so let me know if you have a favourite workout channel on YouTube!
Melissa says
Thank you for sharing these channels! I’ll definitely be checking a few of them out! ๐
https://melissakacar.com
Claire @ Eleventh Avenue says
No problem! I hope you find some that you enjoy ๐
Karalee says
I like Grow with Jo’s dance workouts, and it’s good to know that you canceled your subscription to her platform because there isn’t a lot of content, so I’ll just stick to watching her YouTube videos. Also, I’ll have to look into the other channels you recommend.
Claire @ Eleventh Avenue says
Unfortunately, with her price increase (and the weak Canadian dollar), I couldn’t justify keeping her subscription so I’m sticking to her YouTube channels as well. Otherwise, her workouts are always a mood booster!
EEssays says
I like barre so much and has been searching for a great channel to work out at home. I find your recommendation of Ginaโs barre videos especially helpful. Thank you for sharing this!
Claire @ Eleventh Avenue says
No problem! I hope you enjoy Gina’s barre videos. She always brings the burn!
Laura says
I love Kaleigh Cohen! I discovered her during Covid when the gym was shut down. She is so fun and energetic! Thanks for sharing these others!
Claire @ Eleventh Avenue says
Thanks for reading! Kaleigh Cohen is super fun!
Lucy says
I’m always looking for new workout channels on YouTube, thank you for the recommendations! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Lenne says
I love at-home workouts, especially with Grow With Jo! Her energy is contagious and I’ve seen such an improvement in my cardio. Plus, it’s so convenient to pick a workout based on my mood xx
Lenne | http://www.lennezulkiflly.com
Claire @ Eleventh Avenue says
Jo is amazing! I was so surprised to see how much my cardio improved just from her videos.