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On-Demand Fitness is Growing in Demand

on-demand-workout-585In the same way that music-streaming services and iTunes have largely replaced those shiny CDs (remember those?), streaming-based workouts are giving workout DVDs a serious run for their money.

Whether you get your sweat on with your phone, tablet, laptop or smart TV, on-demand fitness is growing in demand. While there are now dozens of choices, here are a few that run the gamut from new to established to free-of-charge.

1. BeFit. The main selling point of Lions Gate’s BeFit YouTube channel is that it’s free. And they’re not just 2-minute snippets. You can choose from big names, including Jillian Michaels, Denise Austin, Billy Blanks Jr., Kathy Smith or Jane Fonda. Within the channel there are workout systems, including 30-Day Fat Burn, BeFit in 90, BeFit Intensity and BeFit Beginners Yoga.

2. AcaciaTV. Brand new to the streaming world (but not the workout DVD world) is AcaciaTV, a subscription-based service accessible at US.Acacia.TV, on Samsung smart TVs, through Safari browsers on iPhones and iPads, and through its Roku channel. Members, who pay $6.99 a month or $49.99 a year, have access to more than 100 workouts. The channel also features workout challenge series, which include yoga, abs, dance and beginner’s programs. Some of the popular fitness gurus and titles include SparkPeople, Exhale Core Fusion, Shiva Rea, Kathy Smith and RIPPED.

3. Beachbody on Demand. The fitness juggernaut that is Beachbody has just entered the on-demand world, and to get access to all its workouts, you’ll pay $2.99 a week, billed $38.87 quarterly. You can access the workouts through the website or there’s a channel on Roku, Chromecast and Amazon FireTV. Turbo Jam, TurboFire, all the P90 programs, Insanity, Hip-Hop Abs (our all-time favorite), 21 Day Fix — they’re all here, as well as the workout and eating plans, which you can download.

4. DailyBurn. The longtime on-demand site got a major boost in popularity when it added Biggest Loser trainer Bob Harper to its mix of workouts. Harper’s intense Black Fire workouts are only one feature of DailyBurn, which also features yoga, Pilates, dance, kettlebell, cardio sculpt and pregnancy workouts, among others. You can pick and choose from workouts or follow one system all the way through. You can kick the tires with a 30-day free trial; after that the streaming service is $12.95 a month. It’s available online and on a slew of devices, including Xbox, many smart TVs, Roku, Chromecast and Apple TV.

5. CosmoBody. For $9.95 a month, members get unlimited access to CosmoBody on nearly any Internet-connected screen. All CosmoBody workouts are between 5 and 30 minutes, and include cardio, yoga, strength training, dance, interval training and super convenient “turbo” workouts that are 15 minutes or less (including the cheekily named “Sh*t, I’m Late for Work” workout). There’s a challenge page, where you can take part in structured programs, including Jump to It, a Get Started Program, Sexy Abs in 6 Days and even Yoga to Get in the Mood (hey, it is “Cosmo,” after all).

6. Les Mills On DemandThis streaming service, which just launched in July, gives people access to Les Mills’ workouts online at any time from a computer, tablet, smart phone or Internet-connected TV. For $12.99 a month, members can stream all Les Mills’ workouts, including Bodypump, Bodycombat, Bodybalance/Bodyflow, Grit, Sh’Bam, RPM and CXWorx. Unlike many streaming services, Les Mills On Demand is kinda hoping you’ll leave the friendly confines of your home every now and then and take a live class at your local gym.

7. Sfit GymPopular YouTube trainer and blogger Sarah Dussault has launched her own on-demand gym. For $9.95 a month, members have access to three new videos every week and a monthly workout calendar to follow. The videos are less than 20 minutes long and are a cardio-strength hybrid, body-part-specific strength training, and short, intense weekend workouts. Sarah still has plenty of free videos on her YouTube channel, but she promises that these members-only workouts are tougher and will produce great results. “I chose to do online vs DVDs because my audience is online,” Sarah told us. “They are the generation watching more online video than TV. It just made sense.”



Do you use on-demand workouts? Which one’s your favorite? We’re also big fans of Booya Fitness and Grokker! — Gail

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Comments

4 Comments
  1. Martha Galvez says:

    Oh wow I am so in love with your FB, blog and just overall everything! Keep all these worthwhile and informative articles coming!

  2. Lara says:

    I really love your site. It’s so many good tips for me. Thank you for sharing a usefull article.

  3. Amy Wyn says:

    Another one that you can add to this great list is Fitness Blender. Daniel & Kelly are terrific people from the state of Washington and their classes are just as varied; from yoga, pilates, low-impact, HIIT, to even sandbags, various length classes & best of all they’re FREE!! fitnessblender.com and they also have a Youtube channel!!

  4. Josh Zucker says:

    Thanks for the tips. You should check out Helthee. It’s a mobile application that delivers hand-picked certified personal trainers to you when and where you want in 1 hour. http://bit.ly/Helthee

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