I'm not gonna lie, once lockdown hit I traded-in dumbbells for Doritos. And slowly but surely, I watched those lockdown el-bees stack-up on the scale. I never thought I'd say this, but I really do miss the gym. It was a tough adjustment going from working out 3-5 days a week at the gym to suddenly, um, well... not. Now, I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I was a total gym rat B.Q. (before quarantine). My world has never revolved around fitness, but I'm all about maintaining a healthy lifestyle. You see, I'm a content creator so I spend a lot of time sitting at my desk writing and editing various projects. The gym was a place where I could get up, get out, throw on a juicy true-crime podcast, and sweat my stress away. Without it, I felt I had really fallen out of my fitness flow but after trying out some sessions on Men's Health's new app, All Out Studio, I'm convinced that I won't be going back to the gym.

There are a ton of different fitness apps out there, and yes, Ive tried quite a few from the gimmicky, make me look like [insert superhero name here] in 60 days to the overpriced (and underwhelming) trendy fitness apps Ive been there, done that. And they are either too expensive or they just really didnt hold my interest. Alas, I decided to give All Out Studio a shot.

The app gives you access to an entire library of premium workouts and fitness programs designed by experts and developed by Men's Health, Women's Health, Runner's World, and Prevention. It's divided into different sections so you can choose to "Go Hard," "Go Light," or even "Go All Out."

It also allows you to browse programs curated through specific brands like Men's Health, Runner's World, Women's Health, Cosmo, and Prevention. And these aren't just one-off classes they've got full-blown programs that are structured to provide proven results. It's like having your pick of personal trainers right at your fingertips. You can tailor the experience to fit your #bodygoals. While skimming the app for the first time, some of the programs that stuck out to me were:

While I was all about the clutch buffet of content, I'm the type of person that's all about the price tag. There are two subscription routes you can take both of which come with a free one-week trial. Option one allows you to go month-to-month for $14.99/month equaling out to less than 50 cents per day.

Option two is an annual subscription for $89.99. Let's break down that annual figure, shall we? At $89.99/year, that's approximately $7.50/month, and TBH I spent more than that on my coffee and breakfast sandwich this morning. But wait, if we break that number down even further, $7.50/month comes down to approximately 25 cents per day. Um, excuse me. What?! I've met gumballs more expensive than that.

For most of the sessions, it appears that a mat and dumbbells will do the trick so a fully equipped at-home gym isn't necessary. Theres no need here to splurge on expensive pieces of exercise equipment thatll probably end up becoming a dusty catch-all for your dirty clothes.

The app is available for download on iOS and Android, but it can also be streamed via Apple TV, Roku, or Fire TV which I liked because you can watch it on the big screen and really immerse yourself in the class. Plus, it's a rather seamless transition from your phone to TV so if you start a class on one device, you can easily pick up right where you left off on the other.

Photo Courtesy of Alex Aronson

Now that I had done all the preliminary leg work [pun sorta intended], it was time to stop procrastinating and actually get to working-out. Since the gyms have been closed for a few months now, I was a little anxious to really get back into it, so I decided to start out light and ease my way back into beast mode I hate that I just said that, but you get the idea.

I quickly discovered that the app provides a wide selection of quality fitness content at a bargain bin price.

Peep the app in the video below.

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I decided to check-out "Anarchy 10" in the Men's Health section and did a chest & back session with Andy Speer. There are four videos under this program each hovering around the 10-minute mark and they're designed to give you brief yet intense workouts. I knew the following day my chest was going to feel it, and, yeah, I was right. Speer came, conquered, and delivered with his "little" ten-minute session. It was a good way to get my feet wet.

What next?

As a consequence for the mass intake of pizza and wine I have consumed during this lockdown, I decided that a program called All Out HIIT sounded like the proper punishment. And it was. The program consists of six videos that focus on 15-minute high-intensity interval training workouts that combine cardio conditioning and a strength workout in one. For the total-body session, jumping jacks, burpees, squats, lunges, push-ups, and planks were all present.

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After dipping my toe into a few of the offerings, I decided I wanted to fully commit to a program, so I landed on Six Week Sweat. There are ten classes led by Sean Garner. Each one lasts about 30-minutes, and I must say, the program lives up to its name. By the end of a session, I am usually drenched and totally feeling it. There is also a handy workout guide that breaks-down the classes into an actionable schedule. Lets just say, Mr. Garner is now my new trainer, and I fully intend to see the full six-week program through.

(Stream 200+ workouts today at All Out Studio)

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I Tried 'All Out' for Two Weeks and I'm Canceling My Gym Membership - Men's Health