The Top 10 Fitness Searches on YouTube [2021]

Should I start a fitness YouTube channel?

If you consistent post fitness content on Instagram, you've run into an idea rut at some point during this pandemic. With more trainers stuck at home hustling to gain user attention on social, it's hard to consistently deliver content that your followers want.

The top ten searches on YouTube

In this post I'll share the top ten searches on YouTube that have any of the following keywords:

"workout, exercise, fitness, stretch, weight loss"

1. "workout music"
2. "fitness blender"
3. "ab workout"
4. "popsugar fitness"
5. "workout"
6. "hiit workout"
7. "fitness marshall"
8. "abs workout"
9. "workout motivation"
10. "shoulder workout"

How does this data help you?

With concrete data, you can create fitness content more deliberately based on topics and questions your target audience is interested in. Unlike Instagram, Google Search and YouTube provide better visibility into what people search for every day.

Also, YouTube just released a "Culture & Trends Report", and it's no surprise the report featured breakout fitness creators like Chloe Ting and "Wake Up with Joe". Their rapid growth in 2020 reflects the shift in our fitness industry by the current pandemic.

Remember, Youtube is the second largest search engine in the world. If you're looking for a workout to follow, you're likely starting on YouTube.

#1. "workout music"

117K searches

Not much opportunity for trainers. To be honest, I have no idea why this is so popular. Personally, I just play my old favorites or a playlist on Spotify; I'm surprised how popular music playlists are. Though, considering that every gym and fitness studio needs something playing all day, searches for "workout music" make more sense.

#2. "fitness blender"

117K searches

Fitness Blender was started by Daniel and Kelli Segars in 2010. They've created hundreds (if not thousands) of free workout videos and instructions over the last decade, and their successful website and YouTube channel are a testiment of the duo's consistency.

Check out their channel for inspiration on your next fitness post. Here is a link to their YouTube videos, sorted by popularity.

#3. "ab workout"

72K monthly searches in US

Abs. The word that shall not be spoken by "real" strength training professionals. Ab workouts are controversial because extended flexion of your next and back can be bad for your spine.

The truth is- people won't stop searching for fresh ab workout video content. Add core workouts to your content arsenal, and also mention the words "ab workout" in your blog and social posts.

#4. "popsugar fitness"

69K monthly searches in US

POPSUGAR Fitness is a YouTube channel with HIIT, dance and general fitness at-home workouts. The company operates much, much more though- from subscription boxes to a fledged media company at www.popsugar.com. As big as they are now, PopSugar began as a simple pop culture blog by married couple Brian and Lisa Sugar. It's never too late for you to start in 2021.

#5 "workout"

65K monthly searches in US

People just want a workout.

#6 "hiit workout"

65K monthly searches in US

People just want a quick workout with high intensity.

Some of the top YouTubers that dominate this keyword are Natacha Océane, SELF and THENX. Reference their channels for pointers on how to produce a successful follow along at-home workout.

I particularly like this one by Chris Heria. The workout video is simple and seemingly low-budget with minimal video edits— and it's reached over a million views in just 4 months.

#7 "fitness marshall"

43K monthly searches in US

'The Fitness Marshall' produces dance workouts to today's hottest music. Dance workouts blew up in March-April of 2020.

YouTube channels like Fitness Marshall, POPSUGAR Fitness, MadFit and 305 Fitness will continue growing as safety precautions for boutique studios remain uncertain.

#8. "abs workout"

39K monthly searches in US

Same as #3, but "ab workout" is searched more than "abs workout". In total, ab workouts account for around 110k monthly searches on YouTube.

#9. "workout motivation"

35K monthly searches in US

Who doesn't need workout motivation every once in a while? 😆 My personal favorite- any Erik Thomas speech over Hans Zimmer's "Time" from Inception.

Workout motivation is interesting because it can mean someone is tired, unwilling or adjusting to a new habit. A great way to grow a loyal and motivated community is to advocate working out in the morning.

Yes- I know there are benefits of working out later in the day, but from a habitual perspective, I believe motivation is limited. It depletes and regenerates every day, so if I want to get something done, I move the task to the start of my day.

#10. "shoulder workout"

32K monthly searches in US

I'm surprised chest workouts did not make the top ten! Apparently there are more people searching for shoulder workouts by YouTubers like ATHLEAN-X and THENX.

Related topics on Google for shoulder workouts include "rotator cuff", "bench press" and "overhead press".

For your next post, here are some post title suggestions based on "shoulder workout" queries on Google:

1. "back and shoulder workout" 2.3k searches/month
2. "shoulder workout with dumbbells" 1.8k searches/month
3. "shoulder workouts with dumbbells" 1.8k searches/month
4. "shoulder workouts at home" 1.6k searches/month
5. "shoulder workouts for mass" 900 searches/month

Conclusion

Use these top searches as a reference for your future content. It helps to know what fitness topics get searched the most. Let me know if you have any questions. These searches and estimations come from ahrefs.com.

Oh— and as a bonus, here are the top searches from 11-20:

11. "fitness"

12. "arm workout"

13. "cardio workout"

14. "weight loss transformation"

15. "weight loss"

16. "chest workout"

17. "kettlebell workout"

18. "leg workout"

19. "resistance band workout"

20. "back workout"

Why didn't you just check Google?

I certainly could have! In my previous posts covering the run coaching industry (pt. 1 & pt.2), I surfaced several Google keyword trends run coaches must know about.

I focused solely on YouTube this time because generic searches like "fitness" don't provide us much insight on Google.

For what it's worth, the same keyword search directly on Google Search returns:

1. "planet fitness"
2. "24 hour fitness"
3. "la fitness"
4. "adele weight loss" (422k searches in the US since October 2019).

To find the keyword diamonds in the rough, subscribe to this newsletter if you haven't already. 😏

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