Good Morning Class…
Finding workout videos online is a tricky thing. I have personally been an avid youtube-fitness-video consumer for nine years, and I have to say that people have really picked up on this niche. Why pay and go to a fitness class when you can get sweaty at home in your pajamas in front of the TV? T-minus the 30-second advertisement accompanying your workout in support of your vlogger of choice and wah-lah, any workout you want.
So why would someone in the fitness industry promote a cost-free, no-studio route of physical activity? Well, because I strictly view online videos as supplemental activity for those who are already very familiar with that particular genre of fitness.
Watching any particular genre of YouTube fitness videos frequently and as a novice, without supplemental instruction from a professional, is downright dangerous. I will elaborate.
Let’s take HIIT Yoga fusion (think P90X meets intensive interval stretching). Yoga is a great mind-body form of fitness, and HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts have been proven to burn massive amounts of calories, and I understand why. Good lord the sweating. However for each of these workouts the manner in which you perform the exercises is so crucial to avoid injury. Posture, form, timing, everything is important, and generally a video falls short in correcting these things. That’s where an instructor or trainer comes in really handy! Even a, ‘Hey, so when you have your knee tracking in front of your toe you could seriously injury your knee!” Goes a long way. And it’s true! Serious, serious injuries can occur from incorrect form, and one thing instructors do above making you burn like crazy, is protect you from injury.
I am not dissing online instructors, they can’t correct you because they can’t see you (surprise!!).
So now you’ve had some personal training sessions, have been a weekly regular at your local studio (supporting local business, yay), you kind of know where you are in terms of your fitness and body understanding. Time to implement some rather impersonal, yet highly effective and FREEEEE online videos.
And one last thing before I hand over my List of favorite YouTube fitness Channels; If something hurts, stop doing it. just stop.
The List
Ta ta for now!
❤ Cammy
Deelarenti Pilates 
Excellent post, so true! Form should always form the foundation of any exercise program! I’ve been approached a few times about “virtual training” online, and my first question is always a concern about the client having a decent foundation base, so I’ve always veered away from it.
I’m going to have to check out those YouTube channels! The only one I’m aware of is Fitness Blender, especially the Pilates one, been wanting to practice that more.
I like the channel “AthleanX” especially for those reasons you pointed out; the guy is a physical therapist first, and trainer second, so everything he teaches is under the umbrella of proper form.
LikeLike
Yes, totally. I always try to speak from personal experience and one of the biggest things I’ve learned is that injury can be just as severe coming from the inside (I.e back pain) as it is when caused from the outside (broken bone), if that makes sense. Proper form is so important. Thank you for the comment, I’ll be sure to check out AthleanX.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Pirate, great post! Yes, students can benefit from all the free stuff as long as they have a way to know what is junk and what is gold. Thanks for sharing your list!
Englorien
LikeLiked by 1 person