MEDIA & CULTURE
I TRIED WORKING OUT WITH THE
Five Most Popular YouTube Fitness Channels WRITTEN BY JASMINE CHAN // ILLUSTRATED BY DIANA STEELMAN If you’re like me, your biggest excuse for not exercising is lack of time. When COVID-19 hit, we had an abundance of free time, but all the studios and gyms were closed. The solution? At-home workout videos on YouTube! Over the past couple of months, I have seen a major transformation in my body and energy by pairing diet changes with a consistent exercise routine that I can do for free from the safety of my own home. There is a lot of content out there, and it can be intimidating when trying to find where to start, so I wanted to share my thoughts on five of the most popular at-home workout channels on YouTube. The #ChloeTingChallenge trending on Tik Tok is what first turned my attention to YouTube for workout videos. She is best known for her “Get Abs in 2 WEEKS | Abs Workout Challenge” video that has over 243 million views. While I didn’t work out with this video for the full 14 days, I tried it a couple of times along with some of her other videos. I think she is easy to follow, and I like that she provides a preview of the next exercise during rest periods so you know what’s coming next. Similar to most other fitness channels, Chloe Ting’s videos feature a timer that tells you how long to do each exercise. Her audio is a voiceover, so it feels a little impersonal rather than feeling like she is working out with you. Framing exercise as time-boxed challenges does not promote sustainable healthy living, and misleading video titles like “Tiny Waist and Round Butt Workout” create unrealistic expectations that focus on specific aesthetics rather than staying active and getting stronger. Fat burn is a whole-body process and the majority of scientific studies have shown that it is not possible to target fat reduction in one area by exercising that body part alone. While you may see some results depending on where you are starting from, most people will not achieve a six-pack from following her “Abs Workout Challenge” for two weeks alone. Not many people know that Chloe’s free programs on her website group together sets of her videos for a well-rounded routine each day, as well as meal prep recipe videos on her channel. These can be utilized to develop healthy lifestyle habits, rather than the quick-fix style videos that she is known for.
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Bottom line: I do not use Chloe Ting videos because her marketing practices just don’t sit right with me, but if you are motivated by challenges and don’t mind that you won’t exactly get what is promised from a video title, then Chloe Ting is for you! Pamela Reif is a German model that started on Instagram before moving to YouTube. In a few of her videos that I tried, Pamela jumps immediately into her exercises without an introduction. There is no explanation of the exercises throughout the workout beyond the name on the screen and her demonstration, so it may be difficult to follow along if it’s your first time using a particular video or you are unfamiliar with exercise terminology. You actually don’t hear her voice at all throughout the video, so there are no words of encouragement or tips on how to execute the moves properly and effectively, which I find makes the workout boring and her channel lack personality. Not being able to hear her breathing or any sound from her makes me feel alone in the struggle. There are no rest periods built into the routines, and I found that the exercises themselves are organized in a way that repeatedly works the same muscle groups (i.e. multiple plank variations one after another), which can be hard to keep up with until you build up the strength needed. Although she does have some videos geared towards beginners, most of her videos are not accessible for everybody. She does post-workout plans on her Instagram highlights and has dance workout videos if you are looking for a way to make cardio fun! Bottom line: If you only want to listen to music while you work out and aren’t self-conscious about having to pause the video while your instructor never breaks a sweat, then Pamela Reif is for you! PopSugar Fitness is a sub-brand of the lifestyle and pop culture focused media company, PopSugar. This channel has guest fitness instructors lead a variety of classes, from yoga to kickboxing and HIIT workouts. The videos are longer (30 - 40 minutes) and usually include a warm-up and cool-down. Most of the videos include two demonstrators in addition to the
