Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Culture

Fitness Blender Workouts are like Exercising with Your Friends

By

Most men report to the mirror at least twice a day, in the morning and at night, if for no other reason than habit. And for most, that trip doesn’t include meeting eyes with someone who looks like Billy Blanks. Talking about body image is about as fun as discussing Federal tax code, but it’s hard to escape that most of us either would rather be in better shape or would at least like to keep whatever shape we’ve managed thus far.

One Youtube exercise series has become increasingly popular for its low-stress, high-return approach to working out. Using little equipment or space, Fitness Blender workouts can make the difference in your health routine.

Fitness Blender
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Daniel and Kelli Segar (husband and wife) founded Fitness Blender in 2008 after several years of working in the fitness industry as personal trainers. Today, Fitness Blender is an online health
and wellness community featuring a Youtube series with over 3.5 million subscribers, lifestyle guides, and community forums, and it has always taken an approachable, even welcoming, tone in the conversation on exercise and healthy eating.

What’s grown into a large and active community is still based in humble roots: Daniel and Kelly film every video in a walled-in garage, while a spare bedroom in their home functions as an office. They don’t offer a patented Exercise System, or Proprietary Crash Diet. Instead, they focus on health-centered exercises and rounded diets that use widely available knowledge.

But what makes the Fitness Blender workout videos so special is precisely this lack of pretense. These are people you see in your world, people who attend parent-teacher conferences or go to malls, people who drink beer and eat the food that’s put in front of them at restaurants. And that’s their exact appeal: they’re the type of people who might take you to the gym if they worked in your office.

Recommended Videos



Their videos range from kickboxing routines, to nearly impossible ab workouts, to HIIT workouts (high intensity interval training), which would make an Olympian cry for mercy. Kelly and Daniel take turns hosting the videos (sometimes hosting them together) and they talk you through each exercise as it’s performed. They suffer just as much as you do, possibly more, considering that they have to keep talking the entire time.

Fitness Blender
Image used with permission by copyright holder

When you complete a video, it ends with a white screen which says simply “Workout Complete.” Your body relaxes, your mind goes to rest, and you feel the purest rush of endorphins or runner’s high or whatever you want to call it, that you’ve ever felt in your life. Whatever your personal goals for working out happen to be, this stuff is effective. Give it a try and feel the results. 

Zach Middleton
Zach Middleton
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Zach Middleton is a writer and reporter based out of the University Park neighborhood in Portland, Oregon. He's covered tiny…
Topics

Editors’ Recommendations

How many minutes of exercise lifts your mood? What science says
Lift your spirits with the power of exercise
post workout recovery

I always feel a little more positive and productive after exercising. Even a short yoga session or a jog around the block perks up my mood and just feels good in general. The benefits of exercise extend far beyond the mood-boosting endorphins, and our muscles were designed to move, which helps nutrients flow to our joints and keeps us more flexible over time.

Researchers explored how exercise affects the symptoms of depression, and you might be surprised by just how little time it takes to get those mood-boosting benefits. You don’t have to run and lift weights for an hour to put a pep in your step and lift your spirits. Let’s delve into the research.

Read more
3 beginner stationary bike workout routines to build endurance and burn calories
Switch up your cardio with these effective cycling routines
A man in red T-shirt using an exercise bike, surrounded by several exercise bikes and other fitness equipment in a gym

The stationary bike can be a fun and effective way to get your cardio in, especially if you aren’t the biggest fan of the treadmill. As a personal trainer, I frequently recommend a beginner stationary bike workout plan for anyone who prefers a low-impact session or wants to build lower body strength while burning calories.

If you want to give that bike a spin, keep reading to learn about biking workouts you can try, the benefits of the stationary bike, and more!

Read more
NASA-approved workout? Why jumping is a smarter way to exercise
Can jumping around improve your bone mineral density? It's time to bring out your inner kid and have some fun.
two men doing jumping jacks jumping working out

When I was a kid, I loved jumping on my trampoline in my back garden and just randomly jumping around like a happy little bunny. Most of us jump less and sit more as we grow into adulthood and the years go by, especially if we work a desk job on the computer. Researchers have found a range of benefits from jumping and rebounding (bouncing on a small one-person trampoline), including boosting muscle strength, balance, endurance, coordination, and quality of life.

In one study, NASA revealed that rebounding is more effective than running because this type of exercise uses gravity to optimize gains while conserving effort. The NASA scientists found that just 10 minutes of rebounding is 68% more efficient than 30 minutes of jogging because it expends less energy and exerts less stress on your joints and cardiovascular system. The rate of oxygen consumption was up to twice as efficient rebounding compared to treadmill running. Personally, I think jumping on a trampoline is way more fun than running on a treadmill. Let’s look at some of the research on jumping for your joints.

Read more