“I don’t have time.”
“I don’t know what workouts to do.”
“I don’t want to pay for a gym membership.”
“There’s no one to watch the kids while I work out.”
“Do I, like, HAVE to workout in public?”
These are the kinds of excuses you can expect to hear from people who have a hard time finding and fitting into a fitness routine, especially one that involves going to the gym. And they’re all valid reasons why going to the gym just isn’t for everyone.
YouTubers know this, found a niche, and ran with it. Look at the success of a channel like Fitness Blender, who grew their YouTube viewership to over 2 million subscribers by making simple, easy-to-follow fitness videos in their garage.
Getting in shape nowadays can literally be as simple as opening up your computer. Let’s break down some of the new truths of getting fit in the digital era.
You don’t NEED the gym anymore.
Let’s face it, that gym membership fee is being charged to your account whether you go, or don’t. You have to buy that workout DVD first before you even know if you’re going to like it.
Meanwhile, in order to get working out with a YouTube video there’s a no initiation fee, no monthly payment, no commitment option with an unlimited supply of workouts tucked away in a single app on the laptop you already have.
You can thank YouTube for saving you time and giving you the best gift anyone could ask for: a completely free opportunity at reaching your personal health and fitness goals.
Has YouTube really been that influential in changing up a huge portion of our society’s fitness routines? The answer is Heck. Yes.
YouTube adds variety.
One of the main contributors as to why people fall off track with their fitness routine is due to boredom. Their routine lacks variety and they get burnt out on doing the same ol’ thing. Whether that be the same machines at the gym, or maybe the same workouts from the infamous Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD. But don’t worry, from a simple “yoga workout” search on YouTube, approximately 3.7 million different results are available at your fingertips. It’s safe to say, variety is the least of your worries with this platform.
Working out at home saves time.
It takes less than a minute to open your laptop and find a workout on YouTube. When you journey to the gym, you have to account for driving there, finding parking, stopping in the locker room to adjust your shirt, take a selfie and make sure you look at least slightly presentable… it all adds up. Before you know it, it’s been two hours and you STILL have to drive home and make dinner somehow??
Not everyone has the luxury of spending two hours per day to dedicate to their workout. That’s where YouTube flies in with a red cape to save all the busy bee’s just trying to make fitness, well, fit.
Trainers can reach the masses.
A typical training session at a traditional gym might have 20-40 people in a single class. Trainers are restricted by access to equipment, space in the gym, and the geography of the area they live in. Even a trainer in a city with hundreds of thousands of people will be competing with a dozen other gyms within a 10 miles radius just to get patrons. And yes, there is competition on YouTube, but the potential audience is exponentially larger than your local workout spot. Good trainers on YouTube can attracts thousands (if not millions) of followers.
Take a look at some of the top YouTube fitness channels from 2016. They are all a little different, although they fall within the same vertical of fitness, and they all have a huge audience with the potential to reach millions more.
As with anything that comes from getting your information online, it’s always important to be wary of who you’re taking advice from. Anyone can make a YouTube channel, and anyone can put up a workout video. It’s not a bad idea to check their credentials and use your own judgement regarding the safety of the workout routine.
It just takes one click to exit a workout you’re wary about and another click to try a new one. Even with the safety precautions, so many people are still choosing this social media platform when they’re in need of good sweat sesh over gyms or workout DVD’s. Kudos to YouTube for being the easy and efficient answer to health in a fast-paced world.
Plus, with an at home YouTube workout, you don’t even need to triple check that your leggings aren’t see through when you bend over. Your dog could care less.