Casey Recommends: EMKFIT

The only workouts I've ever really loved

If you were always picked last in gym class.

If they always stuck you in the back during all the big dance numbers in the high school musical.

If you used to love running, but your knees and ankles beg to differ these days.

If you never loved running.

If the elliptical and the treadmill bore you to freaking tears.

If anything at the gym intimidates you.

And especially if all the other dance fit workouts on the internet make you feel worse about yourself because you can’t keep up.

I want to tell you, from the bottom of my cold, black, uncoordinated, flaily heart, not to give up on trying to stay active. Just try an EMKFIT workout and feel your life change for the better.

I promise you that, as always, this is not an affiliate or sponsored post, and I don’t make money from this. All my recommendations are authentically earned and genuinely shared.

I first discovered EMKFIT during the summer of 2020, when I needed something to do other than yoga and running (which had become a difficult, semi-panic-inducing situation in itself) and I had canceled the gym membership.

Lo and behold, Em’s Disney workout was the first dance-slash-cardio thing I found on YouTube that I could actually follow along with.

The conceit of an EMKFIT HIIT workout is this: You only need to learn two moves per song, and the moves are repeated thrice during the song.

And flailing and making it up is encouraged! In fact, there are two main rules:

Fake it ‘til you make it

and

wrong and strong.

The workouts are deceptively effective, easily addictive, and so freaking fun that I’m not sure how I would have gotten through that first pandemic summer otherwise.

Do you want to dance like Britney or a member of NSYNC? Do you want to channel your inner theater kid and do a Broadway workout? Or strut along to RuPaul’s hits? Or be a disco queen?

She has put out so many workouts that there’s bound to be one that speaks to you. Obviously the Taylor Swift ones are some of my personal favorites, but I love the one below because we end with the Cha Cha Slide.

These workouts, in fact, are so confidence-building that they inspired me to start strength training.

As I write this, I’m now in the last two weeks of the Strong AF Flex program — a 12-week full-body weight training sequence — that I’m working through for the second time this year.

I didn’t know I could be this person and I love that it’s possible. Yes, I own a whole bunch of dumbbells and even a weight training bench. And I had to buy all new pants because my booty is so juicy, but it’s all worth it.

(If you’ve never done strength training before, start with the video below. Otherwise, pick one of her other strength videos and start building muscle!)

So why am I telling you all this right now?

Not just because I also care about your booty. Though I do. I’m sharing this because it’s almost December, which is the most fun time of year for us EMKFIT Clowns. (Yes, clowns. It’s a thing.)

In a few weeks, we’ll do the annual HIITMAS Challenge!

Yep, it’s a monthlong holiday dance extravaganza celebration and workout challenge to keep us motivated and in a good headspace. There are holiday HIITs, live workouts, and general hilarity.

So if you want some accountability and inspiration to stay active during one of the most stressful times of the year, I encourage you to sign up and play along.

This video explains last year’s HIITMAS Challenge and this year will likely be similar. I’m obviously not connected behind the scenes, but it will give you a good sense of what’s going on.

And if you do want to start and need a buddy, please reach out! I will be playing along and am already so excited to do the Christmas Movies HIIT. Of course.

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And if you also become obsessed with these workouts…

May I suggest getting my Online Workouts Notion Template to keep track of all your favorites?

It’s exactly what I use to manage all the EMKFIT videos I love, and includes:

• a customizable database to keep all your YouTube workout links in one place instead of clicking to separate channels

• ability to filter by workout type — cardio, strength, yoga, etc.

• ability to filter by area of focus — full body, core, upper body, etc.

• sort by length of workout — pick a quick 6-minute abs challenge or a 45-minute power yoga session

• and a Last Played option so you know you’re not repeating the same workout you did last week