Nowadays, YouTube is a powerful tool for fitness enthusiasts of all levels, offering free access to workouts, expert advice, and motivational content. YouTube helps you to stay on budget and reach your fitness goals no matter where in the world you are located. However, many people do not know how to make the most out of this fantastic platform. And since my students have asked me for tips & hints on how to optimally approach flexibility and contortion training through Zohar.Yoga.Flex YouTube, I decided to create this best practices post. Let’s deep dive into the best ways to make the most out of YouTube as a platform for at home training!
Best Practices for At Home Training with YouTube:
Define your fitness goals
Choose Channels where the Coach offers Alignment Cues
Create a Playlist for each Weekday
Set up a Dedicated Training Space
Track your Progress
Have Fun and stay Consistent
Whether you're aiming for better flexibility, increased strength, or improved overall health, YouTube is your go-to platform for fitness workouts. Within the platform you will find every possible niche, without spending your budget in a gym, studio or a fitness app. Specially nowadays that inflation has exponentially increased the cost of living, free resources are a great help to cope with the financial burden and stay on top of your physical and mental health.
Before we move on: If you are looking to improve your flexibility, practice yoga, or learn proper stretching techniques, check out Zohar.Yoga.Flex on YouTube. I offer a variety of classes and tutorials, from adult contortion, to stretching for beginners and stiff people. My classes are focused on technique, and they will help you reach your flexibility and movement goals no matter your starting point.
1. Define Your Fitness Goals for an Optimal at home Training with YouTube
Before anything, take a moment to define your goals. What are you looking for? Are you looking to increase flexibility, lose weight, or enhance your endurance? Do you want to increase strength or tone your body? Goals help us to set priorities, optimize our time and select the right YouTube channels. Without objectives, you will spend more time navigating through the platform without success and demotivated.
2. Choose Channels where the Coach offers Alignment Cues
Not all fitness content is created equal, and you would not be the first one getting an injury from YouTube classes with non-existent or poor instructions. Throughout the years many friends asked me if I would recommend a YouTube channel for Yoga. My response has always been same: any channel, where the person gives verbal cues on alignment is recommendable. If you are a beginner and never did yoga before, or stretched, the chances that you will do a pose wrong are quite high. Therefore, I would never recommend channels, where you only get music and the name of the pose or stretch. Unless you are familiar with the exercises, or you don’t care about getting an injury ;-)
When looking for reputable coaches and certified professionals, these are key things to check:
Credentials and experience of the instructor – Do they have a website with student testimonials? For example, I have one page solely dedicated to student reviews on my website, so newcomers can get an idea of what to expect when training with me.
Positive reviews and engagement in the comments section – What has been others experience with that class? Usually, videos with positive reviews are worth to try out. Eventually, they may be too easy or too difficult (or not your thing at all); but at least you tried it. Reddit is also a great platform to get direct feedback and advices from the community.
Do they have programs? Some YouTube Fitness instructors like Heather Robertson offer programs that you can follow along. For example, Heather has a free 12-week workout program for HIIT & strength enthusiasts.
Once you find your right channel, do not forget to turn on the notifications. In this way you will always stay tuned for any new content they publish.
3. Create a Playlist for each Weekday
Instead of randomly selecting different workouts daily, create a playlist for each weekday that aligns with your goals. From experience, I can reassure you that doing every day a different workout does not bring results. Your muscles and body overall need time to adjust to the exercises and progress. Hence, stay consistent but also stick to one routine for 2-3 months to see real results. For example, imagine that on Mondays you want to work on your flexibility. You would create a playlist called Mondays and add there a stretching routine that you enjoy. You would do this routine for a while, until you see you do not progress anymore, or you have mastered it. If from the beginning it was too easy, you probably want to look for something more challenging.
4. Set Up a Dedicated Training Space
Your home environment plays a crucial role in your motivation and performance. If you can designate an area at home for your workouts, always leaving the mat on the floor (if possible), you will find it easier to show up and train. In addition, having basic equipment like yoga blocks, resistance bands, and weights can enhance your training and contribute to your progress.
5. Track Your Progress
Keep yourself motivated by tracking progress through a journal or an app. When I started my contortion journey, I used to have a small notebook with notes, but these days I prefer to do it digitally. I personally love using Good Notes in my iPad. In the app, I have a folder called Zohar the Nootzel, where I write down key training remarks and track progress of my tricks and acts. I can even add photos and point out alignment cues – it is really cool, and I find it extremely useful. Maybe for you it is also useful or maybe not. I always recommend my students to give it a try to digital journaling and see how it goes for them! The below example serves me as a reminder of all the hard work I did before an osteopath left me with a severe injury. It keeps me motivated not to give up and get back closer to the back flexibility level where I used to be.
6. Have Fun and Stay Consistent Training with YouTube
Finally, fitness should be enjoyable. We embark in our own fitness journey to do something positive for ourselves – for self-care. If you are bored or unmotivated with your current training, in YouTube you can explore different workout styles, from yoga and Pilates to HIIT and dance workouts. You can keep things exciting and eventually create a training plan that motivates you to move. Find what you love and stick with it! By commenting on videos, engaging with the fitness community or joining livestreams from your favorite coaches, you will find ways to boost your motivation to train at home and engage with a YouTube channel.
Listen to your body and modify as needed. By leveraging YouTube strategically, you can create an effective at-home training routine that keeps you engaged and progressing toward your fitness goals, staying on budget. If an exercise feels too intense, modify it to suit your fitness level. And do not forget to check additional content from your favorite channels. Many YouTubers share also valuable inputs on nutrition, recovery and mindset. Incorporating their knowledge into your routine can help you to build further a sustainable and holistic fitness lifestyle!
Remember, if you are looking to improve flexibility, practice yoga, or learn proper stretching techniques, check out Zohar.Yoga.Flex on YouTube. I would be excited to interact with you through YouTube!
I’d love to hear your thoughts! Share your views on your experience training with YouTube in the comments section and let me know how YouTube has helped you with your fitness journey. Happy training!
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