The world of online workouts听can be a strange place鈥攕ome YouTube accounts inexplicably become virtual diaries for trainers (鈥溾��) or can听feel more harmful than helpful (think:听jumping into a heavy weight training video without any instruction).

But there鈥檚 a simple听reason many channels and influencers have follower counts in the millions: it鈥檚 a lot easier to work out when you don鈥檛 have to come up with the moves and routine yourself. And in the midst of a pandemic听that has nearly the entire country on lockdown, working out with the help of a digital trainer听is the closest most of us听can get to our regular fitness routines.

There is a seemingly endless array of free online videos and apps听promising to get you in the best听possible听shape, and it can be tricky to determine听which ones are worth your time. So, over the course of seven weeks, I down-dogged through yoga classes, sweated through HIIT workouts, and grunted through bare-bones weight training sequences to test 24 of the most popular programs and bring you a verdict. These five听programs came out听on top, thanks to knowledgeable instructors, easy-to-follow and well-produced videos, and a variety of workout types.听My journey began before the pandemic hit, so I did plenty of experimentation at my local gym. But with some basic equipment, you can do most of them at home: some call for weights, bands, and mats, and others only require a little space.

Bring the Barre and Pilates Studio Home

You may have to scroll past some non-workout content on the听 YouTube channel (unless you are genuinely interested in a video of the trainer explaining听how cheap bikinis compare to expensive ones), but these low-impact workouts are good for strength and mobility听and don鈥檛 require any equipment. Certified Pilates and group fitness instruct辞谤听听leads听classes similar to what you鈥檇 encounter in a barre or Pilates studio. There are听听for those who want continuity, like听 辞谤听, and there鈥檚 a wide selection of 脿听la carte听full-body and area-specific routines, which run听from five to 30 minutes long. I tried听, which included 100 donkey kicks on each leg, and I almost had to be forklifted out of the gym.听Ho does a good job of describing each workout ahead of time听and offers recommendations for household items you can use in place of equipment, like a stack of books instead of weights for an ab workout. If you are braver than I am, you鈥檒l love the workouts that are set to听popular songs.听I tried to do a part-ab workout, part-dance routine to听 鈥淪enorita鈥澨齛t a crowded gym. I听ultimately decided if I busted out Ho鈥檚 鈥渟exy legs鈥� move, I would scar everyone around me for life.

For a Simple, Bare-Bones Workout

is the opposite of a Shawn Mendes鈥搃nspired dance workout. The channel is run by personal trainers听Daniel and Kelli Segars听and is ideal f辞谤听anyone who wants a no-frills, in-and-out workout. Some HIIT and full-body routines are around an hour and meant听to be done on their own,听while others are around ten听minutes and target spots like your abs or arms. The trainers don鈥檛 outline the exercises beforehand, which could be disorienting for beginners, though they do provide modifications for difficult moves. A timer in the upper right corner counts down each video, and there鈥檚 no music or aesthetically pleasing background to offer a distraction. I did three workouts in my studio apartment鈥�,听 箩耻蝉迟听.听Each video was to the point and efficient, which I appreciated, although I did end up streaming music on my phone to drown out the sound of my wheezing.

Find a Yoga Practice for Every Mood

Certified yoga teacher Adriene Mishler has been streaming yoga videos on her YouTube platform听 since 2012听and has more than 7 million followers鈥攎ore than almost any听other fitness channel on the site. Her videos have more than 500 million views听and range from short ten-minute flows to听40-minute classes targeting specific areas like your arms or core. Mishler also has听classes that address certain needs, like and .听I liked Mishler鈥檚 channel because of her clear instruction, high-quality presentation, and personable nature. Also听because her dog, Benji, makes an appearance in most videos. In addition to regular yoga flows, I听streamed a few of her听, which were a nice way to wind down at the end of the day. Note that听the channel can get kind of kooky鈥攊n 鈥�,鈥� Mishler wears antennae and a turquoise bodysuit. Namaste, earthlings.

If You Want More Variety

is a good option if you听prefer to听work out with a variety of instructors. The YouTube platform often has guest hosts, like celebrity trainer ,听辞谤听. You can experiment with听tabata, dance, barre, yoga, kickboxing, Pilates, and workouts that are muscle-group specific.听(There鈥檚 even a听,听if you鈥檙e feeling bold.)听The videos听range from one-minute challenges to 45-minute dance routines. Most videos have three trainers, with two providing modifications to the moves.听I did two听 and听 in my studio apartment and didn鈥檛 have any issues with space,听though you may want more room if you decide to stream a kickboxing or dance class. The group is also providing free access听to听, an app-based program sans commercials, during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Elevate Your Strength Training

If you have workout equipment at home, try the听听YouTube channel鈥攎any of its workouts use dumbbells, kettlebells, or resistance bands,听although there are some that just use bodyweight.听Like many other platforms, HasFit offers a multitude of workout options like HIIT or tabata, but I chose it for the strength training exercises. Workouts run from around five to 45 minutes, so you can combine a series of听 or just do one long video. Certified personal trainer Joshua Kozak and his wife, Claudia, demonstrate all the moves beforehand. Claudia uses a lighter set of weights to showcase the modified versions, which I found helpful. One warning, though: There are some dorky moments. Joshua refers to his followers as members of the 鈥淗asFit tribe,鈥� and the workout videos are broken up with motivational poster鈥搑eady quotes. (鈥淵ou only succeed as much as you try.鈥� Deep, HasFit.) But ultimately, the workout is worth the cheese factor.

Honorable Mentions

Annie Clarke

While I found the Yoga with Adriene channel to have a wider variety of options, I did like the听 and guided听听offered on听the听听YouTube channel. The London-based yoga teacher鈥檚 presentation feels authentic, though Adriene was more engaging.

Sarah Grace Fitness

This听 features lots of kettlebell and dumbbell workouts that involve moves like snatches and presses. I liked听鈥攐nce I caught up to what was happening. Grace听offers just a quick outline and then dives into a fast-paced workout, which can be hard to follow. But her workout kicked my ass.

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I became alarmed around the third time I saw someone almost get nailed in the boob. On a recent Thursday evening, I stood on the sidelines in a community-center gym in Washington, D.C., watching a group of millennials duck and run while covering their heads and muttering expletives. Around them听a cloudburst of rubber balls streamed through the air, like unfed birds sweeping in toward death. I was there to observe a dodgeball game organized by , an听adult recreational league that organizes teams for after-work games like Skee-Ball, kickball, or ultimate Frisbee.

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Adult sports leagues have been popular听for decades, centered around听competitive activities听like squash and soccer. But in recent years, a newer brand of grown-up recreation has begun听to materialize across听the country that emphasizes听fun over competition, with a carefree name to match鈥攁dult recess. Last month, in Chicago hosted an adult field day, where folks ran relay races and bounced through inflatable obstacle courses. In Kokomo, Indiana, United Way hosts 听up听to ten times a year听filled with grown-ups听playing giant Jenga or four square. Other adult recesses feature scavenger hunts, tug-of-war, or capture the flag, all activities that require a little less blood, sweat, and tears than signing up for a softball league. They allow adults to focus on the real benefit of these after-hour meetups: playing.

When contract manager Oliver Chang first moved to San Francisco ten听years ago听when he was听27, his options for after-work activities were limited to either joining a supercompetitive听rec team听or partaking in something more laissez-faire,听like kickball. So听he decided to create the , which combines the ethos of each. 鈥淲e wanted to bring that kickball attitude, that playfulness and lightheartedness, and apply it to all different sports,鈥� Chang says. The group switches activities weekly听to keep things interesting and easygoing; one week it could be ultimate Frisbee, the next a scavenger hunt. Play Recess started out with just one seasonal league, and it鈥檚 now up to five annually, with about 1,000 yearly participants, most of whom, perhaps unsurprisingly, are young professionals in their twenties听and early thirties, says Chang.

DC Fray has a similar backstory. Its CEO, Robert Kinsler, started the group as a Skee-Ball league a decade ago, thinking it was 鈥渁 super silly, fun thing to do at a bar鈥� with friends. Now听the company manages over 15 activity leagues in four different cities, where participants can enjoy everything from flag football to bingo to听cornhole. It also hosts onetime events, like a Halloween scavenger hunt or an adult field day with potato-sack races and a watermelon-eating competition (plus drinking games like flip cup). Kinsler estimates that听the Fray organization, which also includes NOLA听Fray, PHX Fray, and JAX Fray,听sees around 55,000 participants a year.

Kinsler thinks that听Fray has been successful in part because it offers a forced break from the tiny computers everyone carries around all day. Instead of scrolling through Bumble or Instagram or stalking your ex鈥檚 Venmo account (no judgment), you鈥檙e interacting with people in real life, which is an added bonus if you鈥檙e new to a city and looking to make friends, as many millennials, a notoriously , are. You just need to sign up for a group. Someone else will organize the teams, matches, and postgame bar hangouts. 鈥淔undamentally, you can鈥檛 do these things by yourself,鈥� says Kinsler of the activities. 鈥淧eople are craving connection with others. They need a way of breaking out of the digital world that we鈥檙e all getting wrapped up into every single day.鈥�

It also doesn鈥檛 hurt that playing has been听proven听to be听good for you. The definition of adult 鈥減lay鈥� can be more nebulous than when听it鈥檚 applied to children, but experts听generally define it as an act without any sort of utilitarian purpose; engaging in play is more about the experience. 鈥淧lay is pretty much in your head. So if I think, I鈥檓听playing,听then I am,鈥� says Garry Chick, a Penn State professor emeritus who focuses on play theory. 鈥淚f it feels like play to us, then why not? It is play.鈥� That means anything from a tennis match to a crossword puzzle qualifies鈥攁ll that matters is that it鈥檚 pleasurable听and not a necessary function of your day, says Chick.

Play is so important to听human well-being that Dr.听Stuart Brown, founder of the , classifies present-day society鈥檚 tendency to overlook it as a public-health issue. 鈥淪evere play deprivation is associated with smoldering depression, ideological rigidity, a lack of optimism, and often a quick response to confrontations that could otherwise be settled without violence or hostility,鈥� says Brown, who has examined听the play histories of thousands of subjects throughout his career as a clinical researcher. Engaging in play can help increase optimism, self-motivation, trust, and empathy for others, he says.

The allure of these recess events is that they make it easier for听people听who may not be as, ahem,听athletically inclined to get in on the playing. While baby boomers may have met up for activities like golf or squash, sports that听required expertise, time, and financial commitments, a tetherball face-off or hula-hoop contest doesn鈥檛 call f辞谤听that much equipment or skill (a welcome notion for the kids who sat in the outfield eating grass during听PE, like I did). They also force players to commit to a time when all they鈥檙e doing is playing鈥攁nd for a demographic that has been labeled the 听it may be more manageable to dedicate an hour to something fun if it鈥檚 tied to a reminder on your phone. 鈥淲e need to make sure it鈥檚 on our calendar, where we know, OK, that鈥檚 the time I鈥檓 going to have fun with my friends,鈥� says Kinsler of designating a night a week to bingo or flag football. 鈥淲e鈥檝e all gotten so busy that we have to be even more intentional about how we play.鈥�

Still, some older generations may see recess participants as kickball-playing Peter Pan millennials who can鈥檛 handle adulting. 鈥淭he cultural rules of the not actually too distant past were that these kinds of playful activities were not something that adults did, because adults don鈥檛 behave that way,鈥� says Chick. But听that assumption is simply incorrect, says Chang. 鈥淭hese are incredibly hardworking, very successful people,鈥� he says of the folks signing up for Play Recess,听who include lawyers, consultants, and nurses.听鈥淭hey, I think smartly, strive to find that work-life balance, and I think that鈥檚 part of what makes them so successful.鈥�

Beyond these benefits, getting out and playing a game for an hour or two simply feels good. It鈥檚 just fun.听鈥淭here鈥檚 a happiness associated with recess and getting outside and doing these things,鈥澨齭ays Chang.

As I watched听the players end their dodgeball game in the fluorescent-lit gym in Washington, I recognized鈥攁nd I was envious of鈥攖hat happiness Chang describes. There are few things that get me that excited in my adulthood. For a moment, I got it. Why do you come out on a Thursday night when there鈥檚 still laundry to be done and email听to be sent and a lump on the cat that could be cancerous?听You come to play, to forget, to listen to the sound of plastic on wooden floors. To听disappear,听just for a little bit, as another sweaty someone running through a crowded room, the world waiting behind the closed double doors.

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