text: Each of the On Beat Fitness classes make me feel like I'm working out with a group of friends. I may have never met these people in real life, but their energy radiates so much that I feel like I know them personally. After completing intense parts of each workout, you'll sometimes also hear the camera crew start cheering. It's a very nice touch, especially when you don't have anyone to physically cheer you on in quarantine.
  I also love the concept of focusing the workouts around mood rather than a targeted body area. I'm not a morning person, but for the purpose of testing this app, I pretended to be. And, let's just say, I developed a major appreciation for the "chill" section of the app.
  One morning, at around 9 AM, I found myself doing an ab and arm workout to a very soothing indie playlist that made me feel like I was in a yoga class. Normally, I'd go for a run or take a class on the Peloton Bike — two options that would've made me feel nauseous that morning. Instead, I was calmly lifting weights and doing crunches without feeling like I was going to throw up afterwards.
  There's also the fact that, while I need music to get me through workouts, it also functions as a really great aid to help me keep up or match the pace of the rest of the class.
  During a 2000's Rockin' Emo Abs class (which was the first one I immediately gravitated towards), the instructor had us doing bicycle kicks to "Black Parade" by My Chemical Romance. Building up to the song's chorus, the kicks were slow. But as soon as that started up, kick speed increased for a few counts.
  Meanwhile, during an electro dance cardio class, you'd apply the same methodology whenever the beat dropped, but with dance moves. Essentially, you had the option to increase your speed to match the music. But you also had the option to keep it slow if you felt like you needed it.
  Typically, not having the ability to choose between levels like beginner, intermediate, or advanced would alarm me. But the classes are designed to cater to all capabilities and the moves are easily modifiable. This doesn't mean the workouts aren't intense, though. Even the "chill" ones had my arms feeling sore a few hours after I completed the session.
  So, you can rest assured these workouts are quite effective even in a quick five-minute session. But most importantly, they're super fun.