Kelli Kennedy| Associated Press
Don’t want to fight traffic, traveling for work, can’t afford a $30 barre class? Those excuses for missing your workout no longer fly thanks to a host of new fitness apps and online subscriptions.
There’s a website for your every cardio craving from Pilates to bootcamp, some taught by celeb trainers that you likely could never book in person. Bonus: Many of the sites are free or cost far less than a monthly gym fee.
Want it gym-style
Crunch Live includes many of the workouts that earned the brand a devoted following and have been retired from their brick and mortar gyms. Thankfully fans of gospel house aerobics and urban attitude dance classes can get their sweat on in these online classes for $9.99 a month. They also offer more than 75 classes including barre, yoga and strength training, in addition to their killer cardio. And yes, their popular belly, but and thigh bootcamp and ab attack are in there too.
LiveStreaming Fitness offers live workouts and even live cooking classes for about $10 a month, including everything from yoga to kickboxing to workouts performed at your desk. If you can’t make a live class, the subscription includes a catalog of healthy recipes to revamp your takeout night and an extensive collection of classes.
EMG Live Fitness focuses on specialty workouts like piloxing (that’s Pilates and boxing), plyojam, bosu ball, Yollet (yoga and ballet) for just $2 a class or $20 a month for unlimited classes. The handy two-minute clip gives you a preview before you buy. Choose from about 20 different workout styles, with tons of classes under each category plus options to join a live class or stream one on-demand.
Love barre and yoga?
At roughly $10 a month, Barre3, inspired by ballet, yoga and Pilates, offers the choice of 200 online classes. Each workout tells what body parts you’re targeting and whether you’ll need equipment like a chair, resistance bands or small weights, and offers a short preview.
With 3,000 online classes that include everything from Hatha to Ashtanga, YogaGlo has something for first timers and advanced yogis. Choose from sessions based on time and difficulty rating. You can also choose whether you want a class just for the sweat factor or one that is more meditative for $18 a month. There’s even a collection of classes that focus on cultivating your intuition, rebooting your brain and releasing stress at work.
Follow the popular kids
Sweat with Kayla has amassed legions of loyal #BBG girls (that’s bikini body guide) posting photo results and encouraging each other through the grueling 28-minute sessions that include cardio and strength training. The 24-year-old Australian trainer, who recently launched her $20-a-month app based on the 12-week Bikini Body Guide, is known for her inspiring Instagram pics and some killer squat, lung, box jump sequences.
Daily Burn — $12.95 a month — includes every workout style imaginable (from kettlebells to yoga to interval training) for every fitness level with series that will challenge even the most hardcore athletes. Celeb trainer Bob Harper’s subscription also includes a meal plan with daily recipes.
The popular 7-minute workout challenge is basic but gets the job done with 12 exercises performed for 30 seconds with 10 seconds rest. The $3 app is based on workouts that promote exercising for shorter, more intense bursts to achieve better results. The moves are broken down with video, audio and text explanations and include fun features to unlock rewards when you reach your goals.
Want it for free?
Fitness Blender includes everything from high-intensity and fat-loss workouts to stretching and low-impact days. They even break it down for you with a handy difficulty rating and estimated number of calories you’ll burn. Fitness Blender also has built-in water breaks and a countdown clock so you know exactly how many more seconds of grueling tricep dip kicks you’ll have to endure.
BeFit lets you work out with some of the biggest celebrity trainers for free. The YouTube channel features workouts by Jillian Michaels and Denise Austin to yogis like Kino MacGregor and Tara Stiles with tons of different exercises to get you bikini ready. BeFit also has a free mobile series with circuit workouts you perfect for when you’re on the go.
Train like a celebrity
Gwyneth Paltrow liked the results so much she went into business with her trainer Tracy Anderson. Her $90-a-month subscription allows you to work out with Anderson during a live weekly class along with a breakdown of the moves from a senior trainer plus a dance cardio session and a beginner class, which are all updated weekly.
Kelly Ripa has made no secret of her obsession with Anna Kaiser’s dance cardio workouts. Kaiser’s $50-a-month streaming series offers 10-minute targeted workouts that can be pieced together to fit your needs using everything from weights, resistance bands and physio balls.
