blok, gyms, online fitness
Photograph: Blok
Photograph: Blok

The best online fitness classes

Being indoors doesn’t mean giving up on exercise – these London gyms are running online fitness sessions worth getting off the sofa for

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Starting to go a little stir-crazy in lockdown? Just because you’re stuck indoors doesn’t mean you can’t do some of the things you normally would – like working out. Gyms and fitness centres may have had to close their doors temporarily, but many are offering online classes via Zoom or their own digital platforms.

Here’s our selection of the best online sessions available right now, from soothing yoga to body-pumping HIIT. Bonus point? No one can see if you need to lie down and relax mid-class.

The best fitness classes streaming right now

  • Sport and fitness
  • Liverpool Street

1Rebel calls itself the ‘King of gyms’, and while you can’t actually set foot in its gyms at the moment, you can bring the gym to you thanks to Rebel TV. Its on-demand platform features 300 workouts, with four new ones (filmed in the 1Rebel studios) being added every week. The classes include everything: HIIT, strength workouts, boxing, yoga and mobility. You can try it out with a five-day free trial and then it’s £15.99 for a rolling monthly subscription.

Barrecore was providing on-demand online workouts long before coronavirus ruined everyone’s fitness routine and now it’s added live workouts too. The workouts use elements of ballet, yoga and pilates, focusing on small toning movements. On-demand classes are £25 per month and you get the first two weeks free. If you’re after live classes, the first one is free and then it’s £6 per class or £30 for five classes. Rolling monthly and weekly membership classes are available too. Don’t worry, you don’t need a barre.

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While its studios are closed, Barry’s devotees can get their fix with its vast programme of at-home workouts so you can attempt to recreate the gym’s famous Red Room in your, um, living room. Head to the ‘At Home’ section on its website to sign up for classes than span everything from total body weight to abs and ass. Classes are £12, but there’s a starter-pack option where you can get two classes for £12 if you’re new. Packages and membership options are also available.

  • Health and beauty
  • Nutrition
  • Clapton

Blok is known for its chic studios in Clapton and Shoreditch, but you can bring the expertise of its trainers into your home thanks to the arrival of BlokTV. For £20 per month on a rolling contract or £120 for a year’s membership, you’ll get access to both live and on-demand workouts. You can expect 60 live classes every week, more than 180 on-demand classes and 25 different types of classes. Usually, Blok offers a 14-day free trial, but there’s a 30-day free trial available until 31st January.

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Launched last year, Core Collective’s CCTV (that’s Core Collective TV) is an on-demand streaming service that costs £10 a month (you can sign up for a free five-day trial). The offering includes video classes on everything from power yoga to circuit training. If you prefer to work out with someone coaching you in real time (even if they’re not in the same room), the studio also offers live Zoom workouts, which are £10 per session (or £8 per session if you buy a five-class package for £40).

Beginner, pre- and post-natal, HIIT and WFH mobility: there's a whole load of classes you can sign up for from the comfort of your home from this pilates studio. You can sign up for a six-week package or try a one-off Zoom session. Classes are recorded so you can watch them as many times as you like. 

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Digme at Home has a huge library of over a hundred live classes and on-demand workouts each week, meaning you can work out whatever your schedule. Classes range from cycle and HIIT, to runs, yoga, and breathwork. Packages start at £9.99 a month for Digme at Home on-demand plus one live class, while £29.99 a month will get you access to Digme at Home on-demand plus unlimited live workouts. Until January 31, it’s also offering a 21-day free trial.

Doing a hardcore ballet barre workout to underground house and disco might not sound very home-compatible, but Disco Barre has its very own online programme. You’ll need minimal equipment (you’ll use kitchen worktops or a chair for a barre, and tins of beans for weights), and you can keep the music at a neighbour-friendly level – or not... Sign up via @boon__tv. It’s £7.99 per class or £25 a month for two classes per week. 

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Dig out the spandex, make some space in your living room and tune in on Zoom every Wednesday at 7.30pm for an aerobics lesson from drag queen Dolly Trolley. This is a revival of ’80s home workout videos, Zoom-style. Each class is £7 plus booking fees – sign up in advance on Eventbrite. 

Frame’s online offering promises ‘endorphins on demand’, which, frankly, we could all do with right now. Whether you want pre-recorded workouts you can complete at any time or need the motivation of a live-streamed session, you’ll find something to fit in with your day. All the gym’s usual classes are still available, including disco flow yoga, barre and sound baths, as well as some new lockdown additions – reform-ish pilates, flat-friendly cardio and duvet day yin. For £45, you get unlimited access to all the online goodies, including live classes. Alternatively, you can pay per class (£7) or sign up to on-demand only (£10.99 per month, or cheaper if you sign up for the quarter or year)

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Need to stretch those muscles? Function 360 offers virtual osteopathy appointments via Zoom, Skype, WhatsApp video call or FaceTime. You can chat through your aches and pains with an osteopath and they’ll put together a treatment plan designed for your needs. Time to finally deal with that WFH backache.

There are myriad apps to choose from when it comes to at-home fitness, so yoga, pilates and meditation specialist Glo is angling for your custom by offering new users a free trial (and we all love a freebie). If you do decide to stick around, there are more than 4,000 classes on demand and 16 different styles to try. Embrace your inner yogi.

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Don’t fancy joining a group class, even if it is online? HelloYoga is a one-to-one service, so you get your own trainer. The company is US-based but has teachers all over the world and you can try a session for free before you commit. You buy credits and use them to pay for sessions, starting at $50 (around £36) for five credits.

Body combat, body pump, body balance, body attack – these workouts from Les Mills will really make you sweat. There’s even a 30-day free trial, so you can try it out first. After that, it’s £11.95 per month – and considering there are more than 1,000 workouts available on-demand, it’s a pretty good deal tbh.

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Feeling stressed-out? We feel you. Find some zen with MoreYoga’s classes, which include hatha, ashtanga, vinyasa flow and restorative yoga and are available via its website. New livestream workouts are added daily (over 50 classes per week), and once you’re a member you’ll have access to more than 3,000 classes any time for £9.99 per month. Aaaaand breathe. 

Hackney’s Paper Dress Yoga offers live-streamed classes and on-demand videos to help you relax and stretch it out at home. Live classes are held on Zoom and cost £8, while on-demand classes start at £4.99 each.

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  • Shopping
  • Fitzrovia

Despite its name, Pscyle isn’t just about spinning. The studio specialises in spin, barre, strength and yoga, all of which you’ll find on the slick Psycle at Home platform. It’s £35 per month and gives you access to both on-demand workouts and live sessions. Don’t want to commit? It’s £12 for a single class or you can try a 30-day free trial courtesy of Time Out until February 5. 

If a gruelling HIIT session isn’t your bag, Retroglow aims to make fitness fun with classes that don’t take themselves too seriously but will still help you work up a sweat. Expect retro playlists, brightly coloured spandex and classes including ’80s aerobics, old-school Britney dance party and ’90s vs ’00s barre. Okay, there are HIIT workouts too, but with names like ‘’90s smash HIIT boyband bootcamp’, they sound quite appealing. Prices start from £3.50 for a drop-in 30-minute class or you can sign up for a monthly membership for £29.99.

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If you’re a hardcore rower with a machine at home, you can sign up for access to a whole library of classes available on-demand from this rowing-based fitness studio. Keep an eye out for immune-boosting nutrition tips from the studio’s trainers. 

This Hackney studio offers yoga with a difference – as well as giving you your downward dog fix, it’s a social enterprise that aims to make yoga more accessible. With its studio closed, it’s offering both live and on-demand yoga sessions, starting at £35 per month. If you sign up before the end of January, you can use the code HNY21 to get 25 percent off your first three months.

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