Busy Schedule? These Workout Videos Can Help Keep Your Training On Point.
Forget the gym. All you need is a screen and some workout videos to get your strong on.
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Runners know the importance of strength training, but honestly? Ain’t nobody got time for that. Trying to squeeze a weight-lifting session or fitness class into an already jam-packed schedule can be daunting, especially if it involves driving to a gym, checking in and waiting for a class to start or a machine to open up.
Luckily, a trip to the gym isn’t mandatory for a quality strength session. Thanks to an explosion of fitness video services, it’s possible to stream a workout class on-demand at home, while traveling, on your lunch break or even as intervals during your run. Most videos don’t require equipment and can be done in small spaces, making them an ideal way to work out anytime, anywhere—even when you swear you don’t have the time.
In A Pinch
YouTube
The rise of fitness vloggers, or video bloggers, makes YouTube a quick and easy way to find a free workout video that meets your needs. Just search for what you desire, be it a killer core workout or a beginner-friendly Pilates session, and you’ll get a wide selection of options.
Our fave: Fitness Blender
There’s something for everyone on this super-popular YouTube channel, which counts more than 5 million subscribers to its free library of more than 550 workouts. The videos are simple, easy to understand and can be searched by length of workout (four minutes to more than an hour), difficulty, training type and muscles targeted.
For A Weekly Strength Sesh
Amazon Prime
The same service that guarantees you free two-day shipping is also your ticket to more than 1,000 workout videos at no extra charge. Amazon Prime members can access everything from HIIT to strength training on demand, making it easy to stream a core workout at the halfway point of your run (or between episodes of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel—we don’t judge).
Now playing: Yoga for Hikers, Bikers, Runners (and Walkers Too)
As a runner, yoga instructor and physical therapist, Jaimie Perkunas knows exactly where it hurts the day after a long run—and exactly how to make it feel better. In this 60-minute video, Perkunas targets tight hamstrings, hip flexors, quadriceps and calves through a series of stretching and strengthening poses.
On The Road
ClassPass Live
It’s easy to flake on a video workout when you’re traveling. ClassPass Live knows this and builds real-time accountability into each of its streaming classes. For $15 per month, members can tune in live to actual fitness classes taking place in New York City. The use of a heart rate monitor, which transmits data to a live leaderboard, allows participants to compete with other ClassPass users in real time as well as receive personalized encouragement from instructors.
We’re obsessed with: Torch
A full-body workout with a lower-body focus, Torch fires up your legs and glutes through a supercharged combo of strength, cardio and functional movement exercises. It’s way intense, and it hurts. So. Good. This 30-minute workout is the perfect way to fortify your muscles and bones for the rigors of running.
The Daily Grind
DailyBurn
For $20 per month, DailyBurn members get access to a library of more than 1,000 workout videos. Users can sample from this library in à la carte fashion or select a structured series, where a new workout video is sent to your phone or streaming device every day.
Super Series: Pilates (Phase I)
Led by celebrity Pilates instructor Andrea Speir, this 16-day series provides detailed, easy-to-follow instructions to master the basic moves of Pilates. Pilates looks deceptively easy, but the tiny movements require a lot of core strength and balance, which are also key to injury prevention for runners.
Pocket Personal Trainer
Sworkit
This free iPhone and Android app does all the work for you—well, almost. Simply plug in what kind of workout you want (cardio, strength, yoga or stretching), target areas you want to hit (full body, major muscle groups or specific regions, like your glutes) and how much time you have to complete the session. Sworkit will build a customized workout video that meets your needs.
Top pick: Rump Roaster
This super-targeted series will build your backside (and your most powerful running muscles!) with 30-second intervals of squats, lunges, mountain climbers and more. Trainers demonstrate the correct form for each exercise, so you get maximum benefit and minimal injury risk. Your glutes will be sore after, so follow it up with the “Yoga for Runners” video to stretch and recover.