icon-account icon-glass

Popular Products

The Lean Protein
Whey protein powder for weight-loss.

The Best Home Workouts You Need To Try Right Now

5th October 2020

5th October 2020

By Shivraj Bassi

Adjusting to the new normal has been a bit of a rollercoaster. We’ve all read and heard about the trials and tribulations of working from home – from Zoom fatigue to the importance of setting boundaries – but now it’s time to switch gear and talk about working out from home. With lockdown-esque limitations slowly creeping back in, you’d be justified in not feeling quite ready yet to get back into a packed, sweaty gym. But exercising is a well-known way of clearing the mind and releasing some (much-needed) endorphins, so why not try a home workout instead?

Although many of us had the best intentions of running 5k or religiously joining in Joe Wicks' at-home workouts every morning, motivation soon dwindled. But in response, fitness studios across the land have been working harder than ever to put together some amazing classes that everyone can access whenever they like and all from the comfort of our homes.


Many of us will know that pang of nerves that comes when trying out a new class at a new studio. Where do we put our bags? Where do we stand? Should I have brought a towel? Well, now that panic is over and you can try a seemingly endless list of classes for the first time without the worry of not knowing anyone, not knowing what to do, or quite frankly, what on earth is going on. And besides, if you get practising now from home, you’ll be all the more prepared for when things do eventually get back to normal, and you can walk into any class more confident than ever (even if you do need to ask someone where to fill up your water bottle).

To make things a little easier, we’ve chosen a few of our favourite classes from top studios in the country, with everything you need to know about how to get involved and what they entail. Bring on the burn.

BLOK

BLOK is now offering you their epic studio experience via their online channel BLOK TV, giving you access to 60 live classes per week and more than 100 classes on-demand across all of their 10 different disciplines. Whether you want to unwind after a busy day with a calming yoga flow, tone things up with a core-tightening Pilates class, or start your day with a HIIT workout like no other, BLOK has it all.


What we love about BLOK TV is the fact that you can access these classes and series at any time, so there’s no need to roll out of bed at 6.55 for a 7am class or face the post-work rush hour to make it to the studio just in time. Instead, you can incorporate these classes into your own personal schedule at a time that works for you.

Some of our favourite home workouts from BLOK include Blokbeat (a 60-minute dance class to get the blood flowing) and the Energising Morning Flow with Jules (a great way to wake up and start your day feeling refreshed and energised). Even better, they’re offering 14-day free trials, which you can find here.

Digme

Another one of our go-to home workouts here at Innermost, Digme has put together a stellar online offering of over 70 classes a week. Their extremely comprehensive list is available for you to mix and match - it’s a great way to utilise your spin bike at home (if you have one) for one of their famous spin classes or squeeze in a gruelling HIIT workout before starting your day.


One of our favourite classes is the Virtual Run Club. Whether you’ve got a treadmill at home or just some headphones and your phone, you can go on a ‘socially distanced’ run with an instructor who leads the 45-minute class. This one’s a great way for those with cabin fever to get out and about safely, and the playlists bang too! Sign up to their 14-day free trials here so you can make the most of all they have to offer.

F45

One of the biggest presences on the fitness circuit today, F45 took matters into their own hands when lockdown hit the UK. The global gym chain are still offering their comprehensive 45-day challenge from home, just as they normally would in-studio, so there’s no escaping from this one. You can sign up and participate whenever it suits your schedule, with online workouts available around the clock. You can also keep track of your progress via their portal – we like to think of it as a mini project for you to motivate yourself through the last few months of 2020.


Heartcore

Heartcore normally offer a fantastic range of in-studio Pilates, yoga, barre, and strength and conditioning classes all set to a backdrop of funky beats across London. They’ve since moved their classes to livestreams, all of which can be found on their website here. We love these classes for when we’re needing to unwind after a busy day or want to set ourselves up for a productive day ahead.


The Strength and Conditioning class, which combines bodyweight resistance and HIIT, is one of our top recommendations for boosting endorphins and endurance, and counteracting the general sluggishness that we’ve all probably felt at some point since lockdown started. The instructors take you through each movement at a dynamic but gentle pace so you can really get in touch with your body. All you need is a mat and enough room to stretch out.

So, whether you're ready to get back into your weekly HIIT routine or feel like trying a totally new discipline, we hope that these classes will help you get back on track and ready for when you're ready to get back into the gym. Let us know in the comments below how you get on!

Need Expert Advice?

Other Insights

Your Summer Survival Kit (From Someone Who Travels A Lot)
I'm putting the finishing touches to this post from an airport, which feels appropriate. By my count, I'll be going through three countries in the next six weeks. Meetings, a trip to see family including my niece and nephew, a supplier visit in Italy that I've been putting off for a year. And every summer the same thing happens. The carefully built routine, the one that took months to lock in, gets thrown into a suitcase and I hope for the best. Most people react to this by either giving up on the routine entirely ("I'll sort it out when I'm back") or overpacking so aggressively that half of it never leaves the bag. I've done both. Neither works. What actually works is deciding, in advance, which two or three things earn a place in my bag and which ones can wait until September. So here's mine. Not a wellness influencer's "what's in my bag" video. An honest list, built over about a decade of getting this wrong first. Why travel breaks routines specifically It's worth being precise about what actually changes when you travel, because it isn't just "less discipline." Three things shift at once. You sweat more and drink less water than usual, because you're distracted or the flight dried you out or the hotel room is warmer than home. You're outdoors more, often somewhere sunnier than wherever you live. And your meals stop being yours. You eat what's available, when it's available, and protein is usually the first thing to slip, because sugar, carbs and fat are what's on offer at 6am airport cafes. None of this is a discipline problem. It's an environment problem. The fix is making sure two or three specific things are in my bag before I leave home, so I’m not relying on willpower to begin with. 1. Electrolytes, non-negotiable Most people remember to pack sunscreen. Almost nobody packs electrolytes, and it's the one that actually catches up with you. Water replaces volume, not what you lose through sweat, which is mostly sodium and potassium and magnesium doing the quiet work of keeping muscles firing and fluid balanced properly. Miss that balance for a few days in the heat and you get the symptoms everyone blames on jet lag: the headache, the flat energy, the slight fog by 4pm that a coffee doesn't fix. It's usually not jet lag. It's electrolytes. I take The Hydrate Blend  for exactly this reason. Six electrolytes, no sugar, no synthetic flavouring, dissolves in a bottle of water in about ten seconds. One sachet on a travel day, first thing in the morning, does more for how I feel by evening than anything else in the bag. 2. Something for the sun you're actually going to get Here's the part most people don't think about until it's too late. UV exposure accelerates collagen breakdown, which is a slightly clinical way of saying that a week of proper sun does more to skin structure than most of the year combined. This isn't about vanity. It's a straightforward mechanism: UV generates free radicals that degrade existing collagen faster than your body can replace it. Sunscreen protects against the burn. It doesn't do anything for the collagen you're losing underneath. I've been taking The Glow Blend through summer for this reason specifically. Hydrolysed collagen peptides paired with vitamin C, which matters because vitamin C is a required co-factor for collagen synthesis and most collagen products leave it out entirely, then wonder why customers don't notice anything. It won't undo a week in the sun. It gives your skin something to rebuild with while it's under more pressure than usual. 3. Protein, especially when the meals aren't yours This is the one I've learned the hard way. When your diet goes inconsistent, protein is usually the first macronutrient to drop, simply because it's the hardest to find on the move. Airport food, hotel breakfasts, whatever's left at a conference buffet by 1pm, none of it is built around protein. And the honest science here is less dramatic than people expect: you don't need to train harder to maintain muscle through a disrupted period, you need to keep protein intake somewhere close to normal. That's the whole trick. I'll say this honestly because I'd rather be straight with you than pretend otherwise: my go-to for this is still The Strong Protein (whey based) and The Health Protein (vegan). They earn their place in my bag because they travel well, mix with nothing but water, and does the one job that actually matters on the road, which is making sure protein doesn't disappear from your day just because your routine has. The actual point None of this is about maintaining perfect discipline on holiday. Nobody does that, and if a brand tells you they do, they're not being honest with you. It's about deciding in advance which three or four things matter enough to bring, so the choice isn't being made for you by whatever's in the hotel minibar. If you've got a system that works for you when you travel, reply and tell me. I read every one of these, and I'm always looking to steal a better idea for my next trip. If this is useful, forward it to whoever in your life is about to live out of a suitcase for the next few weeks. It's the email I wish someone had sent me a decade ago. Read more
Why Natural Protein Supplementation Matters
Walk into any health shop, or scroll any supplement site, and you often find that protein powders start to blur into one. Almost all of them make the same promises on the front: ‘high in protein’, ‘no added sugar’, ‘no additional additives’. The wording is so similar that telling a genuinely good product from a synthetically produced product is harder than it should be. Read past the figure on the front however and you'll usually find a protein that contains artificial sweeteners, synthetic flavourings and colours, and even fillers or bulking agents just to name a few. The reason they tend to do this is that costs of production are much cheaper as a result of the lower quality ingredients. A naturally formulated protein supplement works the other way around. The protein comes from a quality source, the flavour and sweetness come from ingredients you'd recognise rather than ones built in a lab, and anything that doesn't need to be there is left out. This piece is about that difference: what natural really means for a protein supplement, why it matters, and how to spot it for yourself. What "natural" actually means in protein supplements "Natural" is one of the most used and least understood words in wellness, printed on plenty of labels with very little behind it. There's no strict, regulated definition for it, so a brand can reach for the word fairly freely. This is why it pays to know what you're actually looking for. Used honestly, natural points to ingredients that come from recognisable sources and are processed as lightly as the format allows. For protein, that usually means a base derived from food such as: Whey Pea Hemp Brown rice Other plant-based proteins Just as telling is what gets left out, and how openly the packaging accounts for what stays in. A natural protein supplement has little to hide, so the label tends to be short and the reasoning easy to follow. The real test is whether the formula makes sense as a whole. Can you understand what's in it? Does each ingredient have a clear purpose? And does the brand explain the benefit plainly, rather than hiding behind vague wellness language? Why ingredient quality matters in protein supplements When people compare protein powders, the first thing they often look at is the amount of protein per serving. It matters, but this number doesn’t tell you everything about a supplement’s quality. A synthetically formulated powder may contain just as much protein per serving as a natural alternative, but it may also include more artificial additives that are bad for your health.  This is especially important as supplementation is usually taken regularly as part of a daily routine. If something becomes part of your breakfast, post-workout routine or afternoon shake, the quality of the overall formula may influence how well it fits into your daily routine. Natural protein powders are often separated by a few key criteria: Ingredient sourcing: Whey is highly bioavailable and naturally rich in essential amino acids that support muscle repair. A good plant-based blend can also be effective when it is built to provide a strong amino acid profile. What surrounds the protein: Sweeteners, thickeners and flavourings affect taste, texture and how a shake feels once you have taken it. Some formulas rely heavily on artificial sweeteners, gums or thickeners, which may contribute to bloating or digestive discomfort. Digestibility: A protein you absorb and tolerate comfortably is more useful than a bigger number on the label that does not sit well with your body. Purpose: A formula built around a specific goal, such as strength, performance, energy or satiety, is more useful than a generic powder with no clear reason behind the ingredients. The benefits of natural protein supplementation The real value of natural supplementation becomes clearer when you look beyond protein content alone. Below are some of the key benefits of choosing natural protein supplements over more artificial or heavily processed alternatives. Supporting strength and lean muscle Building strength and lean muscle is one of the main reasons people turn to natural protein supplements.  A good one supports muscle repair after training and helps maintain muscle over the longer term. That's especially useful if you train regularly and eat well but can't always put together a high-protein meal straight after a session. Helping with recovery after exercise After a workout, your body needs nutrients to repair and adapt, and protein is central to that process, particularly if you train several times a week. A natural protein supplement offers a convenient way to support recovery without making nutrition feel complicated, whether mixed into a shake, smoothie or simple post-workout snack. Supporting satiety and body composition goals Protein keeps you feeling fuller for longer, which makes balanced eating easier to stick to.  For anyone working towards fat loss, lean muscle or general body composition, natural protein supplementation helps steady your daily nutrition alongside whole foods, movement and rest, without relying on the added sugar that some cheaper formulas contain. Making daily nutrition easier Even with good intentions, it is not always easy to get enough protein through meals alone. Busy days, training schedules and travel can all make consistency harder.  A natural protein gives you a simple, repeatable way to keep your intake up on the days that get away from you, using ingredients you can actually recognise. Natural supplementation doesn't have to taste bland There's a common assumption that natural supplements have to taste bland, chalky or unpleasant. Plenty of people have met exactly that: a protein that sounds healthy on paper but turns out too earthy, too sweet or too gritty to enjoy. It gets used for a few days, then pushed to the back of the cupboard. The problem there is usually the formulation, not the missing additives. Chalky, overly sweet shakes come from corners being cut. Getting flavour and texture right without falling back on heavy sweeteners is genuinely hard, which is a good sign a brand has done the work. Taste matters for a practical reason as much as an enjoyable one. A protein you look forward to is one you'll keep using, and consistency is what actually delivers results. The best-formulated supplement on the shelf does nothing while it sits unopened. The innermost approach to natural protein Everything above is the standard we at Innermost hold ourselves to. Our proteins are built on clean and naturally-derived ingredients, formulated with the backing of nutritional science rather than guesswork. We leave out the fillers, bulking agents and needless extras that have no business being in a quality protein, and we're open about what goes in and why. We also happen to think clean and natural should taste good, because a protein you enjoy is a protein you'll actually use.  Explore our protein powders to find the formula that best fits your goals, routine and lifestyle. References Morton, W., Murphy, T., et al (2018). A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. Br J Sports Med. 52(6). Click here. Jäger, R., Kerksick, C., et al (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. Click here. Seijo, M., Naclerio, F. (2019). Whey Protein Supplementation and Muscle Mass: Current Perspectives. Click here. Read more