Fit For the Saddle: The Best Online Workouts

When my alarm goes off at 5:30am, the last thing I want to do is work out. I’ve struggled with motivation and get bored very easily with the same thing. And living so far out in the country, the only option for exercise this early is to find a DVD or online channel to take virtual classes with. Let’s face it, I’m not driving 40 mins into town to work out on an elliptical! And I tend to be more motivated to do something like yoga or pilates because I know they are great for equestrians.

And as a bonus, your morning workout will help keep your dog entertained! Koda loves to “help” by demonstrating the poses for me, licking my face to make sure I’m still alive and sharing his bone as a treat when I complete my workout! Here are my some channels and videos that I really enjoy:

1. My absolute favorite YouTube channel right now is Yoga With Adriene. I’ve been doing the 30 Days of Yoga for 14 days now and I love the variations. I’ve always wanted to learn more yoga and this channel is awesome for that. And the best part? Adriene is super patient, calm and explains every move in a way you can easily understand it. And she offers alternatives for varying skill levels. I can’t say enough great things about it! She is so down-to-earth and makes workouts fun each morning. Love it!!!

Benefits for Riding: Balance, alignment and core! I’ve found that the stretches and positions that challenge me the most are the ones that are most beneficial to me in my riding, like the warrior poses, tree and eagle. Cat-cow feels amazing after a ride and so does the spinal twist. The opposite arm-leg extension pose has been the absolute hardest for me so far but great for the core and for balance!

2. I’ve been adding in some pilates workouts from The Balanced Life with Robin Long with my yoga and I really enjoy the two together. There are similar aspects to each, but pilates really focuses on your core and can be more of a workout for your entire body. I started pilates in high school and continued in college, so it’s something I’m familiar with and enjoy. This channel has a 28 day series, but the videos are short (5-10mins) so I start with these and then do Yoga With Adriene because hers tend to be about 20-30mins long. Her “Monday-Friday” videos are full length and are great on their own.

Benefits for Riding: Core! Core! Core! Excellent for all riders, particularly Dressage. Sitting the trot can improve as your build strength in your core. Just about everything improves with core strength – straightness, position weaknesses, balance, coordination…. Like Dressage for riders.

3. BeFiT is a great channel for the days when you want to mix it up. I like Denise Austin and Jillian Michaels, but there are several others with great yoga and cross training workouts. This is my “go to” when I want to try something a bit more intense than yoga or pilates.

Benefits for Riding: Strength & Coordination! Most of these videos work your entire body, which helps with coordination. I don’t know about you but I definitely have an “off” side (cough:left:cough). It’s great to find workouts that build strength on both sides and that translates into much more effective cues for your horse.

4. You can find multiple “Biggest Loser” workouts on YouTube, but I’ve had better luck with the Biggest Loser DVDs from Amazon (30 Day Jump Start, Yoga & Boot Camp). I got excited when I saw that they were priced under $10 and ordered multiple! I sweat a lot when I do these workouts and I also tend to yell back at Bob quite frequently. If you like more intense workouts – the kind you can feel for a few days after – these are perfect for you!

Benefits for Riding: More muscles! One of my favorite aspects of these workouts is the use of smaller weights. I don’t have a lot of upper body strength, so this is a great way to incorporate weight training into a workout.

There are plenty of other websites, YouTube channels and even apps you can download that all have great videos to choose from. I’m so thankful to have these resources to keep my fitness routine interesting! What are your favorite at home workouts?