Best YouTube workout videos at home to get fit and fab

The best at-home workouts are really those that don’t require anything else other than your bodyweight – and a dose of mental strength and willpower, of course. Due to the coronavirus lockdown, gyms and fitness studios remain shuttered while we #stayathome in Singapore.

If you’re a regular gym buff or the sort who goes for your weekly yoga or pilates sesh, it can be quite a bummer to have your fitness workout routine completely thrown out of the window. But all hope’s not lost – enter the world of bodyweight exercises: you can work nearly every muscle in your body (in places that you never knew muscle even existed) – from your quads, your glutes, your core, to obscure ab and back muscles.

There are a ton of bodyweight exercises that are so much more challenging than they look, and we’ve rounded up our top 6 fitness home workouts that our team is currently obsessed with and highly recommend. Don’t take our word for it – break a sweat yourself or with your exercise homies (zoom group workout, anyone?) to find out!

1. Best fast-paced Tabata workout by Inger Houghton

Start small with this short 7-min workout by Inger Houghton also known by her YouTube alias, Tabata Songs. It’s guaranteed to get your body sweating and blood pumping. Word of caution: with its fast tempo, high intensity routine, you may find that it’s not as simple as it looks after all.

We’d recommend starting your day with this tabata workout first thing in the morning before you retreat behind your desk for your 9 to 6. Endorphins from exercise does all sorts of wonder for your productivity if you haven’t heard. And no excuses here, you can definitely spare 7 minutes!

2. Best cardio Tabata Workout by Popsugar Fitness

This is another great Tabata workout that only needs 8 minutes – another morning fitness routine for a perfect start to the day. It’s a high intensity workout that involves mainly cardio, which helps you burn calories in the shortest amount of time possible.

3. Best abs and overall body workout challenge by Emi

Up for a fitness challenge? Sometimes, all you need is to commit to a 15-day workout program like this one to give yourself the push to show up every day to work on your fitness and your body.

Amassing close to 2 million subscribers on YouTube for her workout routines, Emi subscribes to the belief of being whoever you want to be. And that also means going through the pain of putting in the work without giving up – in your workouts and also in life.

It’s a 15-day challenge which really makes your work and tone your entire body while focusing on getting killer abs. Day 1 of the Emi workout challenge is a 35-minute workout comprising 3-parts. This is what it looks like:

Part I. 10-min Lower ab workout

Part II. 15-min HIIT to burn max calories

Part III. 10-min Standing abs

After this workout, you’ll definitely feel your abs burning. But as Emi keeps reminding us in her video, no pain, no gain; that’s what you’re here for.

We’re currently at Day 5 – what about you?

4. Best yoga routine (25-min full flow) by Boho Beautiful

Of course we didn’t miss out on a feel-good yoga routine for all the yogis out there. We’d recommend this amazing workout by Boho Beautiful that is guaranteed to work up a sweat while feeling purged, calm and serene. Set against a beautiful body of water and nature, it’s no wonder this workout will get you to that inner calm and sweet introspective spot.

If you’re feeling anxious or stressed due to the current Covid situation right now, try this routine out and allow yourself to just feel your body and also feel immense gratitude for everything good in your life.

Come out of this yoga practice fitter, calmer – enlightened even. Namaste.

5. Best pilates routine (45-min) by GymRa

This comprehensive full body pilates workout will target everything – your core, arms, thighs, abs, back, booty – and get that entire body tighter and toner. One of the best benefits of a pilates workout is the ability to hone in on specific muscles, using small, controlled movements. It’s one of the exercise types that is the least impactful and will not injure your body.

This pilates routine is a bit different from all the other workout videos with upbeat tempo and music with lyrics – this one’s super zen with only a faint hint of music, so your complete focus is on your body.

6. Best intensive HIIT workout (30-min) by Les Mills

If you feel like you’re too advanced for all the above workouts and would prefer something more intense, try the ultimate HIIT workout – the grit cardio workout developed and certified by the expert physical trainer team at Les Mills

Best perk of this gritty workout that will challenge your mental and physical limits? You get celebrity Nina Dobrev working out together with you. This workout we’ve chosen is actually a smorgasbord of Nina’s favorite HIIT moves and tracks from the Les Mills routine. If you’re a Vampire Diaries fan, you have to check this out.

Whatever your fitness goals are, these are a list of the 6 best fitness workouts at home that can help you achieve them and more. Requiring only your bodyweight and a determined spirit, these workouts are bound to up your fitness game and prevent you from being sedentary all the time at home. Until we can grind it out together at gyms and yoga studios again, stay fit and stay fab.

Jolene

Jolene lives for avo toasts, yoga and is a little more OCD than she cares to admit. She never fails to start her day with morning coffee and is very partial to flat whites. She is obsessed with interiors and homeware, and is currently taking her RYT 200h yoga teacher training course as an aspiring ashtangi.