All posts tagged: Workouts

Best home gym equipment for effective workouts

Best home gym equipment for effective workouts

Published by Sam Flores

45kg weight 4kg flywheel weight 30 resistance levels No screen, but a tablet holder Reviewed by Abigail Buchanan The Apex Smart Bike is excellent value for a web-connected exercise bike. We actually preferred it to Peloton in our review of the best exercise bikes. The cheaper price is thanks to a lack of HD touchscreen. Instead, there’s a tablet holder for you to insert your own, or your phone, where you can stream classes via an app. The classes are of excellent quality, ranging from 15 minutes to an hour, and there are strength, mobility and beginner-friendly exercises, by British instructors from Boom Cycle studio in London. The Apex is perhaps better suited to spin and indoor cycling fans, rather than anyone looking for performance training, as there are no options for simulated outdoor rides. Design-wise, the Apex bike is good-looking enough to (almost) blend into a living room, with a compact 4ft by 2ft footprint, and four colour options. It has a wireless phone charger, tablet holder for streaming classes, plus a water bottle …

The best gym leggings for comfort, support and style

The best gym leggings for comfort, support and style

Published by Sam Flores

The first and arguably most important aspect to consider when shopping for gym leggings, is fit. Your leggings should feel supportive without digging in and they should stay in place when squatting, running, stretching or simply walking. Each pair has features made specifically for various activities, so make sure you aren’t buying a pair of yoga leggings to wear for your treadmill runs. Yoga leggings, for example, tend to be made from softer fabric while running leggings are made from stretchier, sweatproof fabric. Look for four-way stretch materials for flexibility that moves with you. If you’re someone who sweats easily, go for moisture-wicking or quick-drying fabrics that help you to stay feeling fresh. The fabric should also stay opaque even when pulled or stretched, particularly for lower-body exercises, such as squats. A high waistband offers more support and may be more flattering than a lower waistband. And don’t forget to check the seams; they can be irritating, which can impact comfort. Although price doesn’t always dictate quality, it’s worth testing out a range of gym …

Whitney Port Talks Serving ’90s-Inspired Tennis Looks and the Beauty Essentials in Her Match-Day Bag

Whitney Port Talks Serving ’90s-Inspired Tennis Looks and the Beauty Essentials in Her Match-Day Bag

Published by Daniella Wilson

Serving in more ways than one! Whitney Port is bringing back ’90s -inspired tennis fashion in a big way. The Hills alum sat down with ET to dish on her sporty style and the beauty essentials she relies on for match-day while celebrating her co-designed capsule with Courting. While tennis has become a major part of the reality star’s fitness regimen, looking cute on and off the court is what always scores points. Chloé Horseman “I got more into playing in recent years. … I love that it’s both mental and physical. It forces you to be present, which I find really grounding,” she shares. Putting a chic spin on vintage sportswear styles is also part of Port’s game. “We wanted to bring back contrast, bold color, and a bit of experimentation from the ’90s. … It’s about mixing tones and playing with shape,” she notes. Chloé Horseman Think classic silhouettes with an edge, from oversized proportions and fold-over waists to a standout Moto Jersey. “The vibe is elevated sport with personality. … It feels …

6 Interval Training Workouts to Help Runners Level Up

6 Interval Training Workouts to Help Runners Level Up

Published by Jenni Sidey

There comes a time in every runner’s life when it’s time to kick things up a notch. That means one thing and one thing only: interval training. There’s a reason loads of runners don’t like intervals. They hurt. They’re exhausting and they force your legs, lungs, and central nervous system to work harder than ever. Your first Rolling 400s might seem like the hardest thing you’ve ever done, but follow a good plan (a coach or running app can help) and you won’t just find your fitness improving, you’ll notice your mental resilience hardening, your legs bearing the burden with greater efficiency, and faster run times. Do it enough and you might even learn to love them. From your Fartlek to your Over/ Unders, below is an expert guide to the different types of interval training and what they’re best for. What are running intervals? “Intervals are simply planned changes in pace,” says Ben Lucas, head coach at the TCS Sydney Marathon. “You run hard for a set time or distance, ease off to recover, …

I tried the most popular 7,000-step walking workouts on YouTube—this was a clear favorite

I tried the most popular 7,000-step walking workouts on YouTube—this was a clear favorite

Published by Jenni Sidey

While I love walking outdoors and being in nature, it doesn’t always feel so appealing in the colder months. To stop my step count from plummeting on rainy days, I’ve recently started following indoor step-count workouts on YouTube. I’ve always thought that I should be aiming for 10,000 steps a day, and while that target comes with plenty of well-established benefits, a 2025 review published in The Lancet found that you can also achieve worthwhile results with just 7,000 steps a day. Another advantage of a lower step-count target is that it’s easier to achieve—certainly the case when the 10,000-step workouts on YouTube take around an hour and a half! So I’ve been testing three of the most popular 7,000-step walking workouts on YouTube. Spoiler alert: I have a clear favourite. You may like 1. BurpeeGirl: Fast Walking Workout for Weight Loss – 7300 steps 🔥Fast Walking Workout for Weight Loss🔥1 HOUR WALKING WORKOUT🔥 Steady State Cardio for Weight Loss🔥 – YouTube Watch On This one-hour workout from fitness trainer BurpeeGirl is designed around 30-seconds …

The best gym trainers for weightlifting, HIIT and CrossFit workouts, tried and tested

The best gym trainers for weightlifting, HIIT and CrossFit workouts, tried and tested

Published by Sam Flores

Much like when you’re investing in a pair of running shoes for women or men, choosing your gym trainers takes careful consideration. Stability is key. When you’re doing heavy lifts such as squats or deadlifts, the last thing you need is your feet rolling side to side. With this in mind, gym trainers are a little more rigid than running trainers and have a more stable sole. Versatility is important, too. A good gym trainer should perform across different workouts such as HIIT classes, weight training and potentially even short runs on the treadmill. This does depend on which workouts you do at the gym – some wearers might prefer a specialised pair for weightlifting, for example. You should also think about durability, fit and comfort. No one wants to feel rubbing or pinching while they’re powering through a set of walking lunges or going hard on the rowing machine. A final (and crucial) factor is the shoes’ traction and grip. From rubber mats to polished gym floors, you need trainers that let you move …

Midlife workouts could push brain aging in a younger direction

Midlife workouts could push brain aging in a younger direction

Published by Jenni Sidey

A year can feel like a long time when you worry about your future memory. It can also pass in a blur of work, family, and stress. New research suggests that what you do with that year may leave a mark on your brain. Scientists at the AdventHealth Research Institute report that a steady aerobic exercise routine helped healthy adults end the year with brains that looked biologically younger on MRI scans. The work adds fresh evidence that midlife habits may shape how your brain ages. The study focused on “brain age,” an MRI-based biomarker that estimates how old your brain appears compared with your actual age. The researchers tracked “brain-predicted age difference,” also called brain-PAD. A higher brain-PAD means an older-appearing brain, and prior research has linked higher brain-PAD with poorer physical and cognitive function and a higher risk of death. A One-Year Test of a Simple Routine The clinical trial enrolled 130 healthy adults ages 26 to 58. Researchers randomly assigned them to one of two groups. One group followed a moderate-to-vigorous aerobic …

I’ve replaced evening strolls with home walking workouts to keep active in winter—and these are my favourites

I’ve replaced evening strolls with home walking workouts to keep active in winter—and these are my favourites

Published by Jenni Sidey

It’s the middle of winter, the temperature’s plummeted and it’s already dark when you finish work. If you’re anything like me, it’s tempting to swap an evening stroll for a night on the sofa, and let your step count drop. The good news is, I’ve found a way to still get my steps in without leaving the house—and it doesn’t involve finding the space for a home treadmill. You may like YouTube is bursting with follow-along walking workouts that can easily be done in small spaces without the need for fancy equipment, from short 1,000 step workouts to 10,000 step workouts that will take more than hour. To see whether they could replace my usual evening walk, I tried some of the most popular walking workouts on YouTube. Because I have a pair of 2kg weights at home, I added them into the mix too, although all the workouts can be done without them, or you can use tins of food or bottles of water. If you’re looking for a fun alternative to outdoor walking …

I took creatine every day for a month—here’s how it helped me at work and during my workouts

I took creatine every day for a month—here’s how it helped me at work and during my workouts

Published by Jenni Sidey

Creatine monohydrate is one of the most well-researched supplements, commonly used by avid gym-goers to wring more out of every workout. Lately, however, creatine has gone mainstream, with claims it can help improve short-term memory and reasoning, reduce mental fatigue and even boost mood. Creatine is both produced naturally in the liver, pancreas and kidneys, and is found in the food we eat, such as meat and oily fish. However, there’s evidence that many of us could stand to consume more. A 2025 analysis found that only a third of a nationally-representative sample of US adults consumed the recommended dietary creatine intake of 1g or more a day. You may like With a busy training schedule approaching at the end of 2025, I decided to see if daily supplementation could give my workouts and working day a much-needed pick-me-up. To put it to the test, I started taking 4g of ESN Ultrapure Creatine Powder (fresh cherry flavor) mixed with 100ml of cold water first thing every morning. I then consulted a medical expert in sports …

I’m a running coach and here’s how I change my workouts in the winter

I’m a running coach and here’s how I change my workouts in the winter

Published by Jenni Sidey

Every winter the same thing happens. I’m not sure if it’s the shorter days or lack of sunshine, but I struggle to get out the door to exercise. I find myself struggling to stay consistent and motivated. I know I’m not alone in this. I’ve seen it with the runners I coach. Winter tends to change our routines, energy levels and even the amount of effort it feels like we have to put in to complete a workout. You may like I make a conscious effort to stop trying to force myself to perform the way I do in the summer and approach my winter workouts differently. There are a few adjustments that have helped me to stay consistent without burning out, perhaps they’ll help you too. Lowering the barrier to getting started The hardest part about winter workouts, for me at least, is not the actual workout itself, but getting off my butt to do it. Between the cold weather, darkness and lack of energy, moving my body sometimes just feels impossible. The more …