Best Online Workout Programs of 2023 | Garage Gym Reviews

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So, you built your home gym. Now what? To get the most out of your equipment, consider following an online training plan to stay focused and keep progressing. Not sure where to start? Our guide to the best online workout programs will point you in the right direction. 

Why You Should Trust Us

Our Garage Gym Reviews team is made up of personal trainers, athletes, weightlifting competitors, and fitness enthusiasts. The majority of us have been training in some capacity for years: following online programming, working with personal trainers, training at CrossFit gyms, or designing our own programming. Members of our team have used all of the programs on our top list. 

Best Online Workout Programs in 2023

• Best Online Workout Program Overall: Future 
• Best Online Workout Program for Motivation: iFIT
• Best Free Online Workout Program: Nike Training Club 
• Best Online Workout Program for Strength Training: JuggernautAI 
• Best Online Workout Program for Quick Workouts: NCFIT
• Best Online Workout Program for Live Classes: Peloton
• Best Online Functional Fitness Workout Program: Street Parking
• Best Online Workout Program for Bodybuilding: MAPS Anabolic

Best Online Workout Program Overall: Future 

Good for: People who need help sticking to a strict workout routine and want extra accountability from a certified trainer

Best Online Workout Program for Personal Training

Future

Future is the futuristic workout app. Future matches you with a certified trainer who creates personalized workout programs based on your goals, equipment, and current fitness level. You can chat with your personal trainer in the app, and your trainer modifies your workouts based on your progress and other factors.Click our link and get 50% off your first month.

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Pros:

• Personal training that can go wherever you are
• Accountability factor 
• Personalized workouts to help you meet your individual goals
• Workouts are created using the equipment you have 
• Garage Gym Reviews readers get to try Future for 50% off for the first month

Cons:

• Around $150 per month might be too expensive for some people
• Currently not compatible with Android devices
• Lack of flexibility if you miss a workout

GGR fitness writer Caroline Lubinsky has been using the Future app for the past few months, and it is safe to say she is a fan. This revolutionary personal training app allows you to pick your own real coach, and work on the fitness goals that matter to you. 

One of the best parts about Future? You can take it anywhere! If you’re someone who travels frequently and doesn’t feel like you have a stable workout routine, this app could help you feel a sense of normalcy and continuity. 

After informing a trainer what your goals are (could be weight loss, cardio, or strength-based), they’ll use the equipment you tell them you have access to in order to create workouts. You can get a workout every day if you want, or ask your coach to program certain days to be lighter days and certain days to be rest days.

Although Future costs close to $150 per month, this is still way cheaper than employing a personal trainer to assist you multiple times a week in person (plus, if you click this link you can get your first month for 50% off). Once you’ve signed up, Future will send you an Apple Watch to use (if you don’t already own one) while you workout so your trainer is able to keep you accountable.

Something Caroline isn’t the biggest fan of is the lack of flexibility to miss a workout. As a former NCAA D1 Women’s College soccer player, Caroline has been on the other end of the spectrum with working out: she did it too frequently. Now, some days she wants to take a rest and not overwork her body. She prefers a more intuitive workout experience, but can see why the accountability factor that this app brings might be enticing.  

On the flip side, Garage Gym Reviews editor Kate Meier also used Future and found that her coach was extremely flexible and able to switch up or replace workouts based on Kate’s needs and how she’s feeling. Coop has also used Future and loves the accountability of a real coach.

Read our full Future app review. 

Best Online Workout Program for Motivation: iFIT

Good for:People who want an instructor who will hype them up for any workout

Live Class Option

iFIT

When it comes to virtual training, iFIT is perhaps one of the most comprehensive and established subscription platforms currently available. iFIT offers three membership options. A yearly family membership can be purchased for $396 a year or monthly subscription for $39 a month. Individuals can get a membership for $180 per year. With your membership, you gain access to a library of more than 16,000 live and on-demand classes led by world-class trainers in any environment you choose for a truly immersive experience. Want to run along the coast of Bora Bora? Now you can. iFIT’s virtual global access and training routes are made possible with Google Maps. Classes range from yoga and strength to HIIT classes and cycling, which meets the needs of just about every fitness enthusiast. The ability to personalize your fitness and health goals are endless. The iFIT platform records every iFIT workout, calories logged, activity from your mobile phone and sleep patterns. This information is collected from the iFIT Cardio and iFIT Sleep apps to sync with iFIT Coach, making it possible to achieve success using a data driven, individualized approach. iFIT is compatible with NordicTrack and ProForm equipment as well as Weider, Freemotion, 29029 and Sweat platforms. When using these brands and the iFIT platform, real-time automatic trainer adjustments and terrain-matching connect you to your trainer, environment and the iFIT community. You can also choose to be part of live races/events, monthly challenges, cooking classes, and various training progressive series. Now, iFIT is certainly not for everyone. It is not cheap, and if you are someone who prefers to train solo or without direct coaching, this may not be the membership for you. That said, iFIT is great for people who like coached classes, a community, varied workout types and high quality, immersive technology driven experience, iFIT is hard to beat.

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Pros:

• Wide variety of on-demand classes
• Many options for equipment-free workouts
• Quality instructors

Cons:

• App is occasionally glitchy
• Not much accountability (if that matters to you)
• Slightly more expensive than similar apps
• No live classes

Similar to Peloton, the iFIT app may have been designed to work with NordicTrack and ProForm cardio machines, but even people who don’t own one of those can use this app. iFIT also offers countless on-demand workouts for things like mindfulness, high-intensity interval training, strength training, and much more. We’re big fans of all the music used in iFIT classes, and it’s clear they spent a lot of time and money to get some high-profile artists on board.

While they no longer offer live classes, the breadth and quality of on-demand options iFIT does offer is impressive. There’s something for everyone, no matter your time or equipment constraints, and the instructors are great at what they do.

At $15 a month for an individual plan (which only gives you one user profile) and $39 a month for a family plan (multiple user profiles), you get pretty good value considering how many options iFIT has. With motivating instructors and quality workout programming, it’s one we recommend you at least take for a test drive. You might end up liking it.

Check out our full iFIT reviews for more thoughts.

Best Free Online Workout Program: Nike Training Club 

Good for: Trainees looking for a robust workout library with live and on-demand workouts at no cost. 

Best Free Online Workout Program

Nike Training Club

Nike Training Club has a massive library of completely free workouts. Yes, completely free. Yes, the quality is as good as you would expect from Nike. It sounds too good to be true, but it’s actually real.It wasn’t always this way: Previously, Nike retained its best workout content for paying subscribers, but when the COVID-19 pandemic forced everyone out of gyms and created financial hardship, Nike made the move to make all of its premium content free for everyone. You just have to make a free account and it’s yours for the taking. The app has a ton of one-off workouts you can choose from when you just need to do something quick. But it also offers an impressive library of periodized fitness programs catered toward different goals, such as running a 10K or building muscle. The programs are led by certified instructors and trainers, so you know you’re getting the real deal.

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Pros:

• Completely free
• Massive library of on-demand workouts and live clases
• More than 10 workout categories 
• App is easy to use

Cons:

• Workout videos stop if you lock your screen (unlike some others that continue the audio) 
• No individualized programming
• It’s hard to get the instructor and music volumes right if you stream your own music from your phone

The vast majority of free online workout programs available are pretty blasé. Most don’t have a very big library of on-demand workouts, live classes led by certified trainers and instructors, periodized programs, or more than 10 workout categories. 

Nike Training Club has all of that and more—and it’s all entirely free! It honestly doesn’t get much better than this if your budget is zero dollars. The high-quality content on this app wasn’t always free, but Nike made all of the app’s previously premium content free and available for all members when the COVID-19 pandemic was in its early stages in 2020. Even before this move, the workouts were pretty good, but now the app is unbeatable as far as free programming goes. 

I’ve had Nike Training Club downloaded on my phone for years, and while I’ve never exclusively followed a full program on it, I open it up whenever I feel like doing something different or I don’t have the brainpower to write my own workout for the day. 

You can choose from cardio, HIIT, strength training, bodyweight, endurance, and more. To make it easy to find what you’re looking for, the app allows you to filter by workout length, fitness level, type of workout, and equipment. 

Both the on-demand workouts and live workout classes have good instruction, although it can be hard to hear the instructors if you stream music from a separate app during the class. I never found a way around this solution and just decided it is what it is, since it’s a free workout app. Other than this, I have no problems with Nike Training Club, and I think it’s a wonderful free option for people who like to do a lot of different types of workouts. 

RELATED: HIIT Treadmill Workouts

Best Online Workout Program for Strength Training: JuggernautAI 

Good for: People who are serious about improving their performance on the “big three”: squat, deadlift, and bench press.

Best Online Powerlifting Program

JuggernautAI

Use code “GARAGEGYM” for a discount on JuggernautAI training. JuggernautAI is the smart powerlifting and powerbuilding program from Chad Wesley Smith, an accomplished strength athlete and owner of Juggernaut Training Systems. JuggernautAI uses information such as your weight, training history, current fitness level and training load, personal records, goals, and ideal training schedule to create strength and hypertrophy blocks to prepare you for powerlifting or bodybuilding meets.

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Pros:

• Smart and responsive AI 
• Highly individualized program
• Discount if you use code GARAGEGYM
• Seamless and intuitive app experience
• Two-week free trial

Cons:

• No interaction with a live coach
• No cardio workouts (only for strength training)
• No accountability factor

If you’re looking to get stronger at the “big three”–back squat, deadlift, and bench press–look no further than JuggernautAI. This AI-based powerlifting program (or power-building, if you choose) is the closest thing you can get to personalized coaching from an elite athlete without actually paying for personal coaching from an elite athlete. 

JuggernautAI is the product of Chad Wesley Smith, a wildly accomplished strength athlete who can squat numbers most people never even dream of. Using the JuggernautAI app is like having all of the knowledge and experience of an expert personal trainer for a palatable price of $35 per month (get a discount if you use code GARAGEGYM). 

I followed JuggernautAI for several months and noticed ample improvement in my compound lifts. I not only PR’d my squat, deadlift, and bench press, but I also began to move more weight on accessory lifts such as lunges, good morning, Romanian deadlifts, bent-over rows, and so much more. 

Programming is personalized to your goals, current fitness level, and daily readiness (AKA, how sore or fatigued you’re feeling on a given training day). You can modify workouts based on your readiness level, the equipment available to you, or simply if you want to try a different exercise in the prescribed movement pattern. For example, you can sub back squats for Bulgarian split squats if, say, your hips are extra tight or you want to add some more unilateral work to your day. 

My only qualm with JuggernautAI programming is that there’s no conditioning element, but to be frank, if your goal is to become a better powerlifter, you don’t need conditioning. I just personally prefer a mix of strength and conditioning, and that’s why I don’t exclusively follow JuggernautAI. 

Read our full JuggernautAI review. 

Best Online Workout Program for Quick Workouts: NCFIT

Good for: Students, parents, professionals, or anyone who needs quick but effective 30- or 45-minute workouts.

Best Online Workout Program for Busy People

NCFIT App

The NCFIT app is a tool you can use for at-home workout programming. With it, you can choose from on-demand classes and daily workouts, as well as get access to an extensive library of exercises. There are four workout tracks to choose from:NCMETCON is high intensity interval training that combines aspects of fitness like conditioning, weightlifting and gymnastics.NCGO is strength and conditioning work that combines traditional strength training with a metcon.NCX is a track that uses dumbbells and bodyweight movements.NCCOMP is a “competitors’ track” meant for people who want to compete.Jason Khalipa, CrossFit Games champion and elite athlete, designed NCFIT programming with the intention of helping people build healthy lifestyles. Every class via NCFIT is led by a top-level coach with years of experience in the field. Anyone at any fitness level can work with NCFIT.The app is available for iOS.

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Pros:

• Easy to use
• Anyone of any fitness level can sign up
• Unlimited access to four workout tracks
• Has short workout options for busy people

Cons:

• No individualized programming
• Requires a pretty robust home gym setup for most workouts
• No accountability factor 

NCFIT is CrossFit Games athlete and former Fittest Man on Earth Jason Khalipa’s programming. People immersed in the CrossFit world may already know that many CrossFit affiliate gyms use NCFIT programming. What most don’t know is that you can sign up for NCFIT programming as an individual. 

What I want to emphasize is that all of these tracks can be completed in 60 minutes a day. There’s also a competitor’s track, but it goes without saying that training to compete takes more time than training to be fit. 

On the NCFIT app, you have access to four tracks: NCMETCON, which feels pretty typical of what you would do at a CrossFit affiliate gym (warm-up followed by a skill or strength session followed by a metcon and a cool-down or accessory work); NCFLEX, a bodybuilding program, NCX, a strength and conditioning program, and NCGO, a high-intensity interval training program that only requires dumbbells. 

If you’re a parent, professional, student, or any combination of these things, a fact of life is that it’s hard to fit your workout in sometimes. I think NCFIT is the best workout program for busy people because it offers much more variety and intentional programming than most fitness apps marketed for busy people. 

Sure, I could download a different app and do a random 20-minute workout each day, but will I really get anywhere? NCFIT lays out everything you need from warm-up to cool-down so you can maximize your workout time and make good progress without spending too much time in the gym. 

Best Online Workout Program for Live Classes: Peloton

Good for:People who want to shake up their workouts on a daily basis

Best for Motivation

Peloton App

The Peloton Bike is pretty impressive, but what made the brand a household name was its innovative live and on-demand workout classes featured in the Peloton app. The instructors are top-tier, the options expansive, and the leaderboards keep people coming back just to see their names climb up in the ranks. The Peloton app is necessary to access most of the bike’s most basic features, but it’s honestly one of the best training programs we’ve seen offered on any piece of exercise equipment.Although bike workouts are its bread and butter, the Peloton app also offers strength and conditioning, pilates, and other off-bike workouts. 

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Pros:

• Engaging, motivating instructors across multiple workout categories
• Only $12.99 a month
• Daily live classes
• Connects to Apple Watch

Cons:

• Leaderboards are only available with all-access membership ($39 per month)
• Most strength training options use dumbbells
• Loading classes takes up a lot of space on your phone

If you’re thinking, “Oh, I don’t do cycling classes so this isn’t for me,” then just give us a minute of your time before you click away. Peloton offers workouts across multiple categories, including running, meditation, yoga, strength training, boxing, Pilates, and so much more.

And just like their iconic cycling instructors, each one is taught by an instructor who won’t only get you the results you’re looking for but also make you want to do the work. Our content publisher started swearing by this online workout program when it got her to like tempo runs, which took her marathon training to a whole new level.

Even better, you don’t need a Peloton bike to use the Peloton app. The one downside is that if you want to take live classes and use the leaderboards for even more motivation, you’ll have to upgrade to the $44 all-access monthly membership.

RELATED: Peloton Bike Review

Caroline tried out the Peloton app during the 2020 lockdown (ahh, memories), and she actually looked forward to connecting with her favorite trainers every day. No matter what workout she was doing, she found every instructor to be thorough and engaging in their instructions, to the point where some of their trademark phrases are still stuck in her head, “How you do anything is how you do everything.”

We will say if you’re someone who’s looking for barbell training, this ain’t it. There’s a lot of strength training classes that use dumbbells, but if you’re looking to improve on the Big Three then we recommend you look at our strength training pick.

Check out our full Peloton app review for our full look at one of the best online workout programs.

Best Online Functional Fitness Workout Program: Street Parking

Good for: People who want traditional “constantly varied” programming to do in their home gym.

Best Online CrossFit Workout Program

Street Parking

Street Parking is a CrossFit-style program that encompasses all 10 of the “general physical preparedness” skills needed to be a well-rounded athlete: cardiovascular endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy.For the $19 per month subscription price, you get access to the main daily workouts, which include a warm-up, metcon, and cool-down, as well as access to optional strength, endurance, skill, and mobility tracks. One thing we love about Street Parking is that the programming includes alternative workout options based on weather conditions and equipment availability. There are always “coaches’ notes” explaining how to modify a workout for various reasons.

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Pros:

• Affordable at-home CrossFit-style programming ($19/month)
• Membership pricing goes down if you commit to a longer time frame
• Can achieve a lot with basic fitness equipment 
• Great for conditioning

Cons:

• Very metcon-focused and less strength-focused 
• No individualized training
• Limited coach contact (you can email the team, but there are no assigned coaches)

If you have a CrossFit-centric home gym, Street Parking could be the best online workout program for you. Street Parking follows a very typical functional fitness format with a prescribed workout of the day (WOD) that is highly focused on conditioning. Street Parking workouts tend to be AMRAPs (as many reps/rounds as possible) or “for time” chippers or circuits. 

Street Parking does provide alternate workouts based on equipment access. For example, each day’s programming has a barbell version and a dumbbell version. There’s also a “coaches’ notes” section that provides alternative ideas based on weather conditions and space limitations. It seems like the Street Parking programmers try to keep common limitations in mind and work hard to make the programming accessible to everyone. 

In addition to the daily metcons, which usually last between 15 and 25 minutes, Street Parking also provides optional strength, endurance, skills, and mobility programming. If you do all of the day’s suggested work, you’ll be completing a very well-rounded CrossFit-style program that encompasses all 10 of the “general physical preparedness” skills: cardiovascular endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance and accuracy. 

For just $12 per month, Street Parking is a steal compared to the cost of going to an in-person CrossFit or boutique gym. Also, there is a members-only Facebook group to ask questions and feel like part of a community. 

Best Online Workout Program for Bodybuilding: MAPS Anabolic

Good for: People serious about getting strong and gaining muscle mass. 

Best Online Workout Program for Bodybuilding

MAPS Anabolic

MAPS stands for “muscular adaptation programming system,” and muscular adaptation is exactly what will happen when you follow MAPS Anabolic to completion. One of our Garage Gym Reviews team members completed MAPS Anabolic and experienced increases in strength and muscle mass in all muscle groups. MAPS Anabolic is a 12-week strength training program divided into four three-week mini-cycles. It requires two to three gym sessions per week, along with off-day “trigger sessions,” which are like mini workouts designed to target specific muscle groups. It doesn’t require a subscription, but rather a one-time fee. With that fee you receive lifetime access to the program, which means you can run it as many times as you like. Because it’s foundational in nature and smartly designed, you can 100% see continual progress if you run this same program multiple times. 

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Pros:

• No subscription fees; buy once and you have lifetime access to the program
• Carefully periodized programming
• Come with a free “at-home mod” for people with minimal equipment 

Cons:

• Traditional version requires a full gym setup 
• User experience in the web portal could be better
• No true personalization or accountability

MAPS Anabolic is one of many programs from Mind Pump Media, which designs MAPS Fitness Products. MAPS stands for “muscular adaptation programming system,” and it’s essentially a collection of targeted periodized fitness programs that range from four to 16 weeks. There’s a MAPS program for everything: building muscle, losing body fat, strongman training, powerlifting, obstacle course racing, mobility, and more. 

After following the MAPS Anabolic program to completion, I think it’s one of the very best online workout programs for building muscle. MAPS Anabolic is one of Mind Pump’s first fitness programs and it’s extremely foundational in nature, meaning it mostly focuses on essential compound movements, as well as tried-and-true isolation exercises. 

If you choose to follow MAPS Anabolic, be prepared for lots of heavy squats, deadlifts, overhead pressing, and bench pressing. You’ll also be doing weighted pull-ups, sit-ups, and other calisthenic movements, plus barbell curls, triceps extensions, good mornings, and more. 

As a personal trainer, I really appreciate and value Mind Pump’s dedication to simplicity with MAPS Anabolic. If you want to try all of the latest crazy exercises and spend a ton of time doing grueling HIIT workouts, this isn’t the program for you. But if you want to get really strong and pack on some serious muscle, this is definitely a solid choice. 

Perhaps the best part about MAPS Fitness Products is that you buy the program once for a flat fee and it’s yours forever. You can follow the program as many times as you like, and you’ll keep making progress as long as you continually overload where appropriate and stick to a proactive rest day schedule. 

How We Picked and Tested the Best Online Workout Programs

Most of the Garage Gym Reviews team has been working out for years. We’ve followed our fair share of training programs at box gyms, CrossFit affiliates, and our own home gyms. Just in the last six months, for example, members of our team have run cycles on JuggernautAI, NCFIT, Future, and more. 

We started with our own experience with various online workout programs, creating a list of plans our team members have personally used in the past. We then did online research to compile a list of programs that we haven’t done ourselves, but we thought were worth including due to the creator of the program or the research behind it. An example of this is HWPO, which is CrossFit Games champion Mat Fraser’s programming. 

We also polled our community to see what online workout programs they use and considered those results in our research. Finally, we collaborated among team members at Garage Gym Reviews to choose the best online workout programs you see in this guide. When finalizing the list, we accounted for factors like pricing, time requirements, equipment requirements, accessibility, and ease of use. 

Why You Should Follow an Online Workout Program

While many home gym owners are capable of designing their own workout programs, there’s nothing like having a program written for you. These are some of the top benefits of following an online workout program: 

Accountability factor

Having a coach or, at the very least, paying for a program will help you stay more accountable and not only show up to your workouts, but work harder. 

Time

Writing workouts takes a good deal of time, especially if you’re writing periodized programming for specific goals. Following an online workout plan eliminates this time suck. 

Energy

Designing workouts also takes brain power, and it can become very tiring to program for yourself. When you follow an online fitness plan, you don’t have to think about what you’re doing—you just show up and do it.  

Attacking weaknesses

Most people tend to do more of what they like and are good at and less of what they don’t like or aren’t good at. If you follow a program, your weaknesses will be written right into your weekly plan, giving you less opportunity to avoid them. 

Periodization

It’s easy to fall into a trap of doing the same rep schemes, tempo patterns, and volume if you program for yourself. An online workout program helps to keep those things varied in a way that supports continual improvement. 

Rest days

Those of us who get super enthusiastic about fitness may inadvertently skip rest days. Following a program ensures you take necessary breaks and avoid overtraining. 

Related: 5 Common Workout Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

How to Choose the Best Online Workout Program

“Best” is subjective when it comes to fitness training. To help you narrow down your choices, here are a few things to keep in mind when looking into online workout programs. 

Primary Goal 

If your goal is to become a better powerlifter, you certainly shouldn’t subscribe to an endurance workout program, and vice versa. The first thing you should look at is your primary long-term goal, whether that’s to build muscle, lose body fat, lose weight, get stronger, get faster, increase your general work capacity, compete at an elite level, or something else. 

Time Requirement

Most of us are busy. We don’t all have time to train like high-performance athletes, unfortunately. Luckily, most at-home workout plans have 60-minute workouts at the most; many have 30- and 45-minute options and some have workouts as short as 15 minutes. Before subscribing to a plan, make sure it’ll fit with your schedule. 

Equipment Requirements 

Equipment availability is another big factor to consider when looking at home workout programs. As a home gym owner, you have the ability to add and remove pieces of equipment from your setup at will, but it’s a smart idea to choose your programming based on the equipment you have, and not the other way around. 

Accountability 

Some people need more accountability than others and that’s a fact. If you tend to miss workouts when you don’t have anyone to hold you accountable, consider using an app like Future, which matches you to a personal trainer. 

Cost

Of course, budget remains a top factor. Most home workout programs require subscriptions, so when searching, make sure to verify that the monthly fee falls within your budget. If you don’t have room for a monthly subscription, consider saving up to buy a program with a one-time fee, such as those from MAPS Fitness Products. 

Other Online Workout Programs We Tested and Researched

Our team has tried and researched dozens of workout programs, but not all of them were able to make our “best of” list. That’s not to say they were bad, and we’re sure a few people out there would enjoy giving them a shot. 

Power Athlete is a training regimen created by former NFL athlete John Welbourn. Power Athlete isn’t just one program; there are several targeted toward different goals, such as on-the-field athleticism, strength, conditioning, and mobility.

Grindstone includes strength training, accessory and skill work, and conditioning. It’s designed to be flexible and accommodate busy professionals, parents, and everyday athletes. The app is easy to use and it’s simple to track your progress. Instruction is also good, with demo videos and written instructions included for each exercise in your workout. 

Related: Power Athlete founder John Welbourn shares mobility tips

CompTrain is a popular functional fitness workout program designed by Ben Bergeron, a renowned coach in the CrossFit world. Bergeron has coached many elite CrossFit athletes to success, including Katrin Davidsdottir, Brooke Wells, and Cole Sager. As you might imagine, CompTrain follows a pretty typical CrossFit format with strength, skill, and conditioning segments. None of our team members have personally followed CompTrain for an extended period of time, so we can’t currently recommend it on our top list. 

However, Senior Editor for Garage Gym Reviews, Kate Meier, followed the classroom training option for months at a time in various CrossFit gyms. While she loves the metcons, she said you’ll definitely notice some slight periodization in the programming as Bergeron tends to go weeks at a time programming a few movements heavily, and you won’t see other movements at all until the next “cycle” rolls around. 

Another functional fitness program, Misfit is geared toward aspiring competitive CrossFit athletes. Like other CrossFit programs, Misfit Athletics provides a daily workout of the day with strength and conditioning prescriptions. There are several Misfit tracks, including a teen, masters, and “anywhere” program. Misfit also offers remote coaching for those who want extra accountability and personalization. Based on our research, the Garage Gym Reviews team thinks Misfit offers great programming, but we can’t recommend it until one of our team members tries it out. 

Sorinex Squatober/Deadcember

Fitness equipment company Sorinex sponsors Squatober and Deadcember, two month-long powerlifting programs in which you solely squat and deadlift (along with some accessory exercises) during the months of October and December, respectively. The programs are free on Instagram, and they’ve helped GGR staff writer Anthony O’Reilly add at least 20 pounds to his lifts each time he’s run them. 

But, the programs lack an educational aspect and assume people know the intricacies of powerlifting programming. The coaches try to answer as many questions as possible on the social media platforms, but there are some that go unaddressed. 

Who doesn’t love a good throwback? P90X is an at-home workout that combines weightlifting, bodyweight exercises, HIIT, and cardio all in one. The program is really effective in that it helps you lose fat while building lean muscle to get a toned physique. The problem is P90X hasn’t kept up with the times, and it’s still only available as a DVD set. 

You can get access to it through the Beachbody on Demand app, but that requires a membership that costs $99.99 a year, or $59.99 for three months. We would love to see it made available on a more streaming-friendly platform.    

HWPO stands for Hard Work Pays Off. This is five-time CrossFit Games champ Mat Fraser’s programming, offered through Hybrid Performance Method. There are three HWPO tracks: the traditional one, HWPO 60 for people who are tight on time, and HWPO PRO for elite level athletes. Garage Gym Reviews staff writer Sosha Lewis has been following HWPO for about 4 months and is a huge fan.

The programming is intentional and each week builds on the last. “I have definitely gotten stronger with the strength portion, but where I’ve seen the most results is in my endurance,” she says. “There is a daily video that includes a warm up, details about the wod and movement demos. There is a reason that Fraser was the five-time ‘Fittest Man in the World’ and it shines through in his online program.”

To begin, this app has a bit of an advertising problem in that it markets itself as a free app but you have to pay $19.99 a month to get the training programs–which isn’t really made clear until you download it and go through a quiz meant to design a training program “just for you.” 

The quiz asks you about your fitness experience, goals, and your height and weight before recommending a training and diet regimen. In full honesty, the training suggestions are spit out by an algorithm and while they’re effective (you will get results with this app) they’re nothing that special and, in our mind, not worth the money.   

If you want to follow what a fitness champ follows, follow PRVN. This programming is led by coach Shane Orr and Tia-Claire Toomey, five-time CrossFit Games champion. PRVN60 is intended for the everyday athlete, while PRVN remote coaching is reserved for competitive CrossFit Athletes. With PRVN60, you get strength training, skill work, and conditioning packaged neatly into a one-hour workout. 

CENTR has a lot of features, and GGR staff writer Anthony says it has one of the best recipe sections he’s seen in a fitness app (especially the kimchi fried rice and the tempeh reuben). There are a number of coached or self-guided workouts, apparently designed by the training actor Chris Hemsworth underwent for his roles, including Thor. 

But one of the biggest complaints we, and many other people, have is that it’s a buggy app. Even if you have notifications enabled it often doesn’t remind you of your daily workout goals, which could be vital for some people who’d otherwise forget, and it freezes up during use. If you’re doing the self-guided workouts you also have to click a button to progress to the next move (and who wants to constantly pick up their phone during a workout?). 

Obé Fitness

With 20 daily live classes and more than 8,000 on-demand options, Obé Fitness seems to be a great option for anyone looking to shake up their workout regimen. None of us have tried it yet, which is why it didn’t make this list.

However, if you’re someone who’s looking for prenatal or postpartum workout classes, Obé Fitness has many classes dedicated just to this and many online reviews swear by it for those cases.

P.Volve

P.Volve is a movement-based, low-impact workout program that promises to help sculpt and tone muscles while helping you progress in your “personal evolution.” To be honest, none of us here at Garage Gym Reviews have tried it yet so we’re not comfortable weighing in on it.

Daily Burn

Daily Burn is an online workout program dedicated to making fitness fun and accessible for everyone (which is a mission we support 110 percent!). Again, we just haven’t tried it our for ourselves but there are countless online reviews and testimonies saying it’s one of the best online workout programs out there.

Barre3

One of our summer interns, Claire, actually tried out the Barre3 free trial, and here’s what she had to say: “The thing I liked most about Barre3 was how organized it was, it was really easy for me to find the type of workout I wanted…No matter how much time I had to workout, I could find a video to fit.”

She says she would’ve signed up for the full version, but as a college student the $29 monthly subscription cost was just a bit too much for her. She does recommend it for others, though, even if you’re not someone who has Barre or dancing experience (though she would’ve preferred a bit more dancing incorporated into the workouts).

Glo

If you’re someone who primarily does yoga, meditation, or Pilates, Glo seems to be the choice for you. There’s a 7-day free trial to check it out, and at $18 per month it’s not the most expensive training program out there. Some online reviews, though, say Android users have been pretty frustrated with the app’s interface.

Workout Programs Our Community Loves

Because we always want to know what our community is up to, we posted a poll in our Home Gym Community Facebook group asking what fitness programming our members follow. A whopping 148 members voted that they create and follow their own programming, but many also voted on these programs. Our team hasn’t tried all of these, but since our community loves them, we want to make sure our readers know about them. 

Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 is a simple but effective strength training program that involves doing a full-body resistance training workout three days a week. The 5/3/1 is the rep scheme for each exercise. Each day, you’ll perform a set of five, a set of three, and a set of one for each exercise you do. Day one includes squat and bench press; day two includes deadlift and overhead press; and day three includes squat and bench press again. On each day, after completing your big lifts, you’re supposed to do 50 to 100 total reps of accessory work, splitting the reps between two exercises. 

Pen and Paper offers nearly 40 different strength-focused training programs, some generalized and some specialized for a goal, activity, or muscle group. You can filter plans by training frequency, upper or lower body, limited equipment, or fitness level. 

The Conjugate Method was created by powerlifter Louie Simmons at Westside Barbell, and it’s sometimes called Westside Barbell Conjugate Method or Westside’s Conjugate Method. The Conjugate Method alternates between max-effort lifts and dynamic exercises in three-week cycles to refine strength and skills.

Starting Strength is a book about training methodology written by Mark Rippetoe, who is perhaps one of the most well-known strength coaches in America. Many fitness coaches use the Starting Strength method and you can be matched to one of these coaches through the Starting Strength website. Starting Strength is a long-term systematic type of programming that follows several macrocycles and mesocycles with a focus on barbell training. 

RP, short for Renaissance Periodization, is one of the original functional fitness online workout programs. With RP, you can choose to work with a remote coach or simply buy a customizable training template. With the custom templates, you choose your number of training days per week and which muscle groups you want to focus on. 

Mountain Tactical Institute designs online workout programs for tactical professionals and outdoor athletes. There are programs specific for law enforcement, fire and rescue, military, and mountain, which includes climbing, snow, wilderness professional, mountain guide, and more. All Mountain Tactical Institute plans include strength, conditioning, and mobility aspects relative to the goal at hand. 

RELATED: Outdoor Training Guide

Best Online Workout Programs FAQs

Here are some answers to commonly asked questions about the best at home workout program:

What is the best home workout program?

There are a lot of great home workout programs out there. We can’t choose just one as the best online workout program because everyone has different goals and different programs are geared toward varying goals. Our recommendations for the best online workout plans aim to cover the bases and provide you with a glimpse of some of the top training programs for different fitness goals. 

What is a good workout program to lose weight? 

Any workout program can help you lose weight if you stick to it. When it comes to weight loss, consistency is more important than the specific type of workout you are doing. 

Is it okay to exercise every day? 

It’s okay to exercise in some capacity every day, but fitness professionals generally advise against working out hard every day. For example, it’s safe for most people to do three to four intense workouts per week and go for a leisurely walk or cross-train with yoga on the other days of the week. It’s a good idea to take rest days or easy days to prevent overtraining. 

Most beginners can achieve great results by working out just two or three days a week. In fact, it’s really important for beginners to avoid doing too much too fast, as that can lead to injuries and burnout. 

How do I start a workout program at home?

For beginners, the best way to start a workout program at home is by subscribing to an online workout plan or working with a virtual personal trainer. 

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Amanda Capritto, CPT, CNC, CES, CF-L1

Amanda is a content writer and journalist with extensive experience in the health, fitness, lifestyle, and nutrition niches. Before joining Garage Gym Reviews, she worked as an independent writer for various brands and outlets.Her work has appeared in national and global digital publications, including Health.com and Shape.com (Meredith Corporation), CNET (Red Ventures, formerly ViacomCBS), LIVESTRONG (Leaf Group), Verywell Fit and The Balance (DotDash), SlickDeals (Goldman Sachs/Hearst), Health Journal, and more.Now, Amanda brings her expertise in fitness to the GGR team by testing equipment and writing authentic, honest reviews on everything you might need to stock your home gym.

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