What Was Your Favorite Workout of 2018? Well+Good Staffers Share Their Picks
Though we may have vastly different sweat preferences (one woman's spin class therapy session is another's treadmill sesh), one thing that nearly all of our editors agreed on this year was that the digital fitness revolution is here to stay. Many of us swapped their fancy gym memberships and boutique class habits with workouts we could do in their living room, or as one editor put it, with "no pants required."
Keep on scrolling to see our editors favorite workouts of year—nearly all of which you can download and do no matter where you're sweating it out.
Aaptiv, $15/month, digital
"After years of dropping a lot of cash on boutique fitness classes and brand-name big boxes, I finally joined a no-frills neighborhood gym, complete with a lap pool, sauna, reformer classes, and brand-spanking new equipment. Okay, okay, Chelsea Piers Fitness in Brooklyn isn't totally no frills, but it's a lot less moola than I was paying, so I'll stand by that statement. As of late, I haven't been going to the studio-led classes, however, I've been following along on cardio and strength workouts on Aaptiv. My fave thing to do, as of late, is to flip on an interval tread program and follow it up with a couple of short strength sessions. The audio-only element of the app is genius because I just need directional cues on what to do next rather than a video streaming platform to guide me." - Ali Finney, senior beauty and fitness editor
Pony Sweat Aerobics, $14/class, Los Angeles
"It's a dance cardio and aerobics class based in LA that's all about being super body/gender/everything inclusive, set to fun pop, rock and punk music—I did it when they did a pop-up at Coachella and found it to be 100 percent magical. It was honestly the workout class equivalent of dancing out all your emotions in your bedroom. Their thing is that they're 'fiercely noncompetitive,' so it's all about having fun and not treating the class like you're punishing your body. And it was definitely one of those classes where you cheered for and high-fived your fellow classmates. That made it so cute and fun." - Molly O'Brien, video producer
Class Pass GO, free
"I use Class Pass GO and alternate between two of their 25 to 35 minute HIIT workouts. I've really gotten into audio workouts in the last few months, because I'm a verified homebody and it's winter, so working out at home has my name all over it. I love HIIT, and now I can do the exercises on my own, in my house (with or without pants...LOLs)." - Alex Taylor, assistant branded content editor
Hit House, $29/class, New York City
"You don't know how angry you really are until you step into a cushioned Muay Thai studio and start hitting and kicking. (The patriarchy! *Jab*! Subway delays! *Hook*!) Needless to say, the experience was the most cathartic sweat sesh I had in 2018." - Kells McPhillips, news writer
Obé, $27/month, digital
"I've always had pretty good grasp on navigating the gym on my own. When I moved, and had a home gym, however, it became harder and harder to get through a full workout. With Obé, I can get through it. It's only 28 minutes, and I have Megan Roup in my ear motivating me to finish my 900th fire hydrant. Plus, with her sculpt class, I do moves I would never add to my routine, working a wide range of muscles." - Ella Dove, video producer and strategist
Forward Space, $34/class, New York City
"Forward Space has the sickest beats and best music, an amazing studio vibe (the lights to the people who go), and it’s a deeply sweaty happy-making experience. Kristin Sudeikis is a dance thought-leader, and the class experience she and her instructors create is somehow not about the dance moves (though you’ll learn lots from a hip-hop repertoire), but what calls us to dance in the first place." - Melisse Gelula, co-founder
Pure Barre, $30/class, nationwide
I fell head-over-heels for Pure Barre this year. I was traveling a lot, and loved that I could find a studio pretty much everywhere I was. The classes give me a full body workout that strengthens and tones my muscles, and man am I sore the next day. - Zoë Weiner, associate beauty and fitness editor
Peloton Running, $20/month, digital
"This year, I discovered Peloton Running. My own treadmill routine had gotten very dull, so now I’m obsessed with browsing Peloton’s app for different challenging runs—all of which lead me to do way more than I’d do on my own. I’m now sprinting and running on inclines like never before. And there’s nothing better to me than having someone else tell me how to run. Also, all of the instructors I’ve used are so motivating and it really feels like I’m running with them (you know, as opposed to just me and my stress thoughts)." - Rachel Lapidos, associate beauty and fitness editor
Shadow Box, $34/class, New York City
"Usually I'm not a cardio buff, but this past year, I spent a lot of time planning my wedding—and often, that meant sky-high stress levels that needed some heart-pumping decompressing. And, there's nothing quite like punching a bag in a dark room with great music while a trainer shouts easy-to-follow choreography to help you feel like you've got this—whatever "this" is to you." - Alexis Berger, senior lifestyle editor
For more editors picks from this year, peep the beauty brands we'd buy if money was no object, and the in-office ab moves we'll all be doing at our desks once 2019 hits.
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