NOTE: Originally published here on March 13, 2018

If you’ve been following my blog at all, you know that I’ve been really into running lately. But I still like to mix it up, especially if it’s really raining. So, I’ve been on the search for a good at home workout program. Here are four programs I’ve tried, and my thoughts on each. These all offered free trials, so you could try them all yourself. BUT, if you don’t feel like signing up for multiple websites/apps, maybe I can save you some time and trouble. 😉

**If you don’t feel like reading all of this, scroll down to my “Conclusion”. 🙂

Fitbit Coach (used to be Fitstar) ~ ($40/year, about $3.33/month or there’s a monthly version for about $8/month) This was the first one I tried (back when it was still called Fitstar), because it was associated with Fitbit. As a Fitbit user, I do appreciate the integration, although it’s not necessary. [You do NOT need to own a Fitbit. (But if you do want to own one, I really like the model I currently have.)] When you start out, you answer some questions to figure out your fitness level, and for me, it was pretty accurate. 🙂 It will also ask you after every exercise if it was too hard, just right, or too easy, but I’m not sure they actually use all that data as much as they sort of imply that they do. But either way, it worked for me. You choose a program based on your goals, and Fitbit Coach chooses workouts for you. Eventually you’ll end up with one you’ve already done, but there are quite a few. That was one thing I really appreciated was the variety. I had a free trial of this, I think for a month, and I consistently worked out 3 times/week during that whole period (which was a BIG deal for me). The website (I haven’t really used the app, because I prefer to watch the workouts on a bigger screen, but I assume it works the same way) really “incentivizes” you, by giving you a “Momentum” rating. If you do your workouts consistently, your “Momentum” goes up, but if you take a break, it starts to go back down. That might sound silly to some, but for someone who wasn’t in the habit of exercising, it was a big help. 🙂 When my free trial ended, I tried jumping around on YouTube watching free workout videos, but it was hard to find ones that were my level, and I didn’t have the “Momentum” to keep me motivated. 😉 But seriously, with Fitbit Coach it’s a lot easier to find the type of workout I want to do. Since I’ve been back into working out, I’ve gone back to using Fitbit Coach when I want an indoor workout on a rainy day. I really like the workouts. I’m still using the free version (since my trial ran out) so there are only a handful of the workouts I can do, but since I’m mostly running outside, that’s been enough variety for me. I’m seriously considering signing up again though, because I do really like it. It’s a bummer that you have to commit for a year, but for the price, I still think it’s a really good deal.

[UPDATE 6/29/18: I upgraded a couple days ago, and I’m loving it EVEN MORE. I’m trying “Get Strong” whereas last time I was doing “Get Lean” and it even had me work on assisted pullups, which I was already planning to do but I thought I’d have to do them on my own. My only disappointment is the music, but if you’re more familiar with current popular music you’d probably like it more. I’ve just been playing YouTube in the background.

Also, I don’t know how often they add new workouts, but I noticed they added some HIIT workouts and I think some other new ones, so I’m excited for even more variety. 🙂 They also have audio workouts which I look forward to trying soon.]

There are also some audio coaching programs for running (available on the app only) but they aren’t available on the free version so I haven’t tried them.

There is a separate app, Fitstar Yoga, which you have to pay for separately. I’ve never tried that one (partially because you have to use it on your phone/tablet), but the prices are about the same.

I can’t tell if Fitbit Coach still offers free trials. But you can use the free version. If you sign up for Premium, use this referral code and we each get a free month! Code: SRPRCL (Looks like they’re partnering with Ebates right now too, so you might want to sign up for that if you haven’t already. 😉 )

Beachbody On Demand ~ (About $8-$13/month, depending on length of commitment)

I enjoyed doing these workouts. But I think this would be better if you’re looking to start a whole new fitness regime, including a new diet. This website offers nutrition advice, which most of the other programs here do not offer, and they also sell supplements.

Although you can jump around, it seems sort of designed that you pick one program (which might be designed for a month, six weeks, etc) and you get the workouts and the diet plan for that program.

For me, I just want to log on and do a workout now and then, and for that, I think I’d do something else, both for the price and the format of the website.

BUT, the workouts were fun, and this is still surprisingly reasonably priced (unless you buy the supplements, then you’d be spending more money), so I think it could be a great fit for some people.

If you’re interested in giving BOD a try, drop me a message and I’ll get you connected with a great coach!

Customer Service Note: I accidentally cancelled *after* my trial ended, and I was worried that I was going to get charged a lot of money, but they refunded it automatically, without me even asking (I was just a day late or something). 🙂 That really impressed me, and is a point in their favor for me possibly signing up someday. 🙂

Aaptiv ~ (about $9-$15/month, depending on length of commitment) This one is actually different from the others, because it’s strictly audio, not video workouts. I was excited to use it for outdoor runs. First of all, I wish there was text in the description telling you exactly what you’d be doing. (There IS for Fitbit Coach!!) I started with a “beginner” workout, but quickly learned that it was WAY too easy. Then I tried an “intermediate” workout, and at first I was frustrated because I thought it was getting too hard, but I actually did it, and ended up with a personal best on my pace! So, overall I liked it, but not enough that I would pay for it. Also, I didn’t like that you can’t pick the music. There are different genres to choose from, sure, but you can’t listen to your own music and just have the talking track be separate. The first one I did was “pop”, which I thought I would like, but I didn’t, but then for the intermediate run I tried “country”, which I actually ended up liking.

What I would *really* like (and maybe someone already makes this), is something that would actually connect to your GPS tracker and be based off of your pace, not just perceived effort. I have several running apps that track my pace, obviously, and will announce it to you every mile or so, or you can look at your device, but I mean something that will help you calculate a goal pace, and then instead of just coaching you to jog and then run and then jog and then run, it could say “now maintain this pace, now maintain this pace”. I don’t know, maybe I’m overthinking it. 😉 ANOTHER feature I’d really like, is if something like this let you input what your training goal is, like if you have an event coming up, and what your deadline is, and then help you develop a training plan. Oh wait, I think MapMyRun might do that, but it didn’t have a free trial.

Customer Service Note: I was having a technical problem with one of the workouts and the customer service people were quick to respond with a solution. 🙂 One tip though, they state on their website that you need to cancel your trial at least 48 hours in advance, because it might take that long for them to process it, and they state that they will *not* offer refunds. I barely cancelled in time.

Daily Burn ~ (About $10-$20/month, depending on length of commitment AND level of service) I expected to like Daily Burn the best, because it has SO many workouts available, and the ads made it look really cool. 😉 Plus, it was the most expensive, so I figured there must be some reason to justify that. Daily Burn does have more *types* of workouts: Abs Core, Barre, Cardio Strength, Dance, Kettlebell, Kickboxing, Mobility, Pilates, Strength, and Yoga. And they have something like 1,000 workouts with a new one posted daily. But I was disappointed in trying to find something at my level. Beginner seemed about right, but when I searched for beginner cardio, there’s 30 workouts (which is pretty good) but I don’t have weights, so when I limit it by no equipment needed, it narrows it down to 16, (which is still a pretty good number, but) most of which are only about 10 minutes long. I thought about trying to string some of the 10 minute ones together, but they’re by the same instructor and after trying a couple of her videos for a couple minutes each I just didn’t really like her style. I finally found one I liked, and I plan to continue trying new ones until my trial runs out, but it’s just not even close to worth it to me for the price. Also, in the commercial, it shows a questionnaire that looks like it’s supposed to help you find videos that are right for you, but I haven’t been able to find that.

I tried a yoga video too, and it was okay, but I actually prefer this one that I’ve been doing on YouTube. So, again, if you just really crave variety, I guess this is the one for you, but for me it was almost overwhelming just *how much* there was to choose from. 😉

They’ve also recently added audio workouts, including a few for outdoor running (there are also several other categories). The first thing I noticed when comparing these to Aaptiv, is that they aren’t categorized by music genre. The one I ended up trying was just sort of generic electronic workout music. I think these types of workouts just aren’t my thing, but they’re a new feature on Daily Burn, and they’re only included in the Premium membership.

Conclusion

Fitbit Coach is actually my favourite, by far! I’m surprised to say that. It honestly has NOTHING to do with how much I love my Fitbit tracker. I just really prefer the style of the workouts, the variety, AND the price.

Fave features of Fitbit Coach:

#1 It found workouts for me that were appropriate to my fitness level. This was huge for me. After starting and stopping workout programs numerous times, and feeling bad about myself for not being up to what I considered an appropriate level for my age, having a workout program that fit me was very exciting. 🙂 For instance, I don’t have much core strength, and the workouts would include exercises such as pushups against a wall. Not just an instructor saying “you can adapt this by doing such-and-such”. The person in the video is actually doing push-ups against a wall. 🙂 I just feel like I can’t tell you how happy it made me to see that.

The rest of the things aren’t such a big deal. It just has a lot of nice features. It comes with some music, but you can pick genres and can even turn that off (sometimes I just listen to my own music) but if you do use their music, it will automatically lower the volume when the instructor is talking.

Here’s a screenshot of some of the features I like:

It’s kind of hard to describe what the workouts are like, but instead of the typical (I would say pretty much universal) style where there’s a room full of people and an instructor and it’s like a workout class that’s been filmed, this is little clips of different exercises spliced together. It’s calmer, although still peppy (and again, you get to pick your own music). You choose a male coach or a female coach, and you hear their voice intermittently during the workouts, but on the screen it’s just one person at a time going through the workouts. Oh, that reminds me of another fave feature:

Every time you do an exercise, it’s exactly the same. After watching enough workout videos, you start to realize that there are only so many exercises. 😉 But, every instructor tends to demonstrate them a bit differently, and there are variations. But with this, every time when I’m supposed to do “Star Skaters” it’s the same clip of the same person doing it. One of my main objections to most workout programs is that the choreography is a little complicated, and I feel like I’m tripping over my own feet, or doing exercises incorrectly and risking injury. But with this, I really learn the exercises, but unlike watching the same workout video again and again, there’s variety, because it’s different exercises in a different order. Like I said, it’s those individual clips spliced together, with a voiceover by a coach, so there’s a bunch of combinations. It’s the only program I’ve seen like this.

There are SO many more things I could say about Fitbit Coach, but I really think you need to just try it for yourself. 🙂

I’m sorry for the length of this post, I’m just really passionate about this program. 🙂

Too long, didn’t read? Try Fitbit Coach! And if you sign up for Premium, use this referral code to get a free month! Code: SRPRCL (Looks like they’re partnering with Ebates right now too, so you might want to sign up for that if you haven’t already. 😉 )

If you know of one (or more!) online programs that I’ve missed, please let me know in the comments!