🏋️ The 8 best online workout programs

Welcome to Home Gym Club! You may have heard the saying, “Sitting is the new smoking.” This statement is credited to Dr. James Levine and addresses the correlation between long periods of sitting and negative health outcomes. While we’re huge advocates for regular exercise, rest assured, smoking is still much worse for you than sitting.

What’s in today’s newsletter:

• We rounded up the eight best online training programs for your convenience.

• Our testers put the GymReapers Quick-Locking Weightlifting Belt through a heavy training session.

• We wore the Reebok Lifter PR 3 for an Olympic-style weightlifting workout.

• A personal trainer lists the 21 best squat alternatives.

Train Station

8 Best Online Workout Programs

So, you built your garage gym. Now what? To get the most out of your home gym equipment, consider following an online training plan to stay focused and keep progressing. It’s like having a personal trainer with you wherever you go, which can help you reach your goals and keep you motivated. Some studies have even shown that mobile apps can keep you more physically active.

“An online workout program is great for fitness beginners who need help developing a training plan, those who are experiencing fitness plateaus, or anyone who needs a little extra motivation,” says GGR performance editor Anthony O’Reilly, CPT. “There are a lot of good free ones, but even the paid versions end up being a little cheaper than an in-person personal trainer would cost, and you get to do it from the comfort of your home gym or wherever you’re working out.”

Our team of certified personal trainers, CrossFit athletes, weightlifting coaches, and fitness enthusiasts have tested more than 20 of the best online workout programs and narrowed our list down to eight. Check them out!

We Have Lift-Off

GymReapers Quick-Locking Weightlifting Belt Review

Weightlifting belts are one of the top pieces of support gear for lifters and fitness enthusiasts alike. Over the last two decades as a competitive weightlifter and coach, GGR senior staff writer Caine Wilkes has seen elite athletes—future Olympians—begin to use a belt for the first time and increase their totals by 15 or 20 kilograms.

How? Weightlifting belts add intra-abdominal pressure and support to your back and core, helping you feel more stable during heavy lifts.

With the two most popular types of lifting belts being nylon or leather, this review will take a look at one of the best-value nylon weightlifting belts on the market. In our Gymreapers Quick-Locking Weightlifting Belt review, we’ll go over this budget-friendly lifting belt’s strengths and weaknesses, and why the team here at Garage Gym Reviews made it our top pick as the best budget belt on the market.

OMG, Shoes!

Reebok Lifter PR 3 Review

From budget-friendly pairs of lifters by small brands to high-end premium lifting shoes from Nike, adidas, or Reebok, we’ve tried just about all of them. You better believe we know that weightlifting shoes can be expensive. It’s hard to drop that kind of money on a new pair of shoes just to see if you’d like Olympic weightlifting in your training program.

Fortunately, there are budget-friendly alternatives like Reebok’s own Lifter PR 3…but does this shoe handle as well as premium lifting shoes for squats, Olympic lifts, and other strength training exercises? How does it stack up in terms of versatility? We’ll answer these questions and more in this Reebok Lifter PR 3 review.

Expert Tips

21 Best Squat Variations

There’s a reason why back squats are one of—if not the—most performed exercises. They hit all of your lower-body muscles and the core, improve your mobility, burn calories, and even boost your hormone production naturally.

However, barbell squats aren’t the only way to get those benefits. There are plenty of squat variations that do a similar job. Some are less intimidating for beginners, and others may be easier on your knees and lower back compared to back squats. When equipment is limited, it’s helpful to have plenty of squat variations in your training repertoire.

We asked certified personal trainer Ravi Davda to describe how to do the different squats step by step so you can maintain proper form. We also put together three squat variation workouts. Let’s begin!

Quick Hits

How Much Caffeine Is in Pre-Workout?

• If you’re watching your caffeine intake, you may find yourself wondering, “How much caffeine is in pre-workout, anyway?” We asked a registered dietitian for their thoughts.

• We took the Sunlighten Solo Sauna for a test-sweat.

• Considering competing in bodybuilding? Here’s our guide to the bodybuilding poses you’ll need to know.