If you're not familiar with German influencer Pamela Reif's workouts, know they rack up anywhere between 1 and 45 million views on YouTube. Renowned for sharing simple to follow workouts, 24-year old Reif has a gaggle of over 7.4 million subscribers. Woof.
Whether you want to virtually sweat with her in her living room – the signature style of a Pamela Reif workout – or tune in for a sunset stretch on the bow of a yacht (not a joke, she did that), Pam's got you covered.
Over the last four years Reif's shared reams of workouts to her YouTube channel to rapturous response. Credited with everything from providing challenging home workouts to being better than her YouTube peer, Chloe Ting, she's Stanned. Hard.
'I walked with Chloe so I could run with Pamela,' one viewer comments whilst another mentions seeing expedited bodily change after switching to Reif's workouts.
The one catch to her offering? She's not actually a qualified personal trainer. Because of this, we've asked a couple of certified PTs to give their verdict on her sessions. Safety first, people!
Of course, part of her mammoth following has to be credited to the fact she has an aesthetic desired by many – strong, lean and fit, with visible muscle definition and glam that just doesn't seem to slip. Inspirational, yes. Achievable? I wasn't so sure.
Rather than watch her view count roll up (and up and up and up) from the sidelines, I thought I'd jump in, trying her three most viewed YouTube workouts ever. Each video had over 35 million views and fortunately targeted a different body part each time.
Could I do it? Would it all be worth it? Read on, dear reader. Read on.
Pamela Reif workout 1: 10-min 'six pack' workout
Views: 41.1 million
After waking up late, a quick core workout was exactly what my morning needed. Speedy, efficient and I probably wouldn't have to shower afterwards. Job's a good'un.
Jumping in, I was surprised to find out that Reif says (and I stress the 'nothing' part of this) absolutely nothing during the entire workout. No explanations, no encouraging platitudes, just the dulcet beat of unplaceable Ibiza-esque club music.
I wasn't against it but I was surprised. Usually, a trainer injects their personality through motivational shouting and the occasional berating. It's friendly and terrifying and motivating in equal, unrelenting waves.
But, classic her, Pamela Reif was swan-like, all cool and calm. Whilst I sweated, she glowed. When I moaned about being hungry and wanting to stop to eat breakfast, Reif remained composed, moving without fault or pause. K, then.
Now for the breakdown. A mix of crunches, reverse crunches, planks and twists, my core (and upper arms) were shot by the end of the ten minutes. And, whilst it wasn't different to other ab-based workouts I've done, it was made more questionable by Reif's complete lack of coaching insight throughout. Without any form tips or set-up explanations (or a nearby mirror), it was impossible to know if I was doing the moves correctly or just wildly flailing around. Most likely a mix of both.
The next day I was sore as hell. My core ached, but more than that, I felt stiff, as if I had engaged too many ancillary muscles and not targeted the ones I had been meaning to. Error.
Although, I found myself still bopping to the tunes post-workout, so that's a good thing.
PT verdict: Hollie Grant, owner of Pilates PT and Pilates and pre-natal fitness expert.
First of all, there is absolutely no disclaimer at the beginning telling anyone who has recently had a baby, anyone with diastasis recti, or anyone with a back injury that they should not do this workout. I would suggest very heavily that they should not do this routine.
Secondly, she’s actually got very good technique, but the general population are not going to, and there is no cuing, description or mention of technique, plus there’s dance music over the top.
The reason we do workouts with instructions is so we can give cues and say where you should and shouldn’t feel it. Lots of those exercises will be done incorrectly by the general population, especially if they aren’t as strong as her and and looking at her she is very strong.
Lots of the exercises are performed with straight legs moving towards the ground. It’s very difficult to keep your lower back in contact with the floor or your pelvis in neutral as you do that.
When you let your back aggressively arch away from the ground, it's really not good. What you’ll find is that as people take their legs towards the ground, they’re going to be arching their back away from the floor which will really hurt the next day.
The positive is that there are some creative ideas in there and she’s got good technique so if you were to copy her perfectly you couldn’t go far wrong. However, I do question her programming. That’s a lot of abdominal and hip flexor exercise all in one go and that’s just now how muscles work.
Pamela Reif workout 2: 10-minute booty burn
Views: 37.2 million
The second workout in the great Reif experiment coincided with the start of my period and the onslaught of accompanying pain. Super fun.
By the time I'd finished work and washed down a couple of painkillers, the last thing I wanted to do was get sweaty. Honestly, I just wanted to fall face-first into some pasta and then my bed.
Instead, I stayed the course and set up for a 10-minute glute-focused workout. Starting with some pulse lunges, my quads fired up and an inkling that this was going to be more difficult than expected crept in.
Throw in some jump squats, sumo squats and kickbacks and glute bridges, and we had ourselves a SULA (sweaty upper lip alert).
My bum, you ask? On fire, mate. Pure flames.
A mix of heart-raising lower body exercises and activation moves, my glutes were engaged and I found myself sweatier than I had anticipated. By the end of the ten minutes I was properly warmed through and feeling limber.
Once again, the no-talking element was interesting.
For a beginner, it would be difficult to know how to do the moves correctly without any sort of explanation. But at the end of a long, highly menstrual day, I wasn't fussed. The music pulled me through and there was the promise of carbohydrates soon after. I was content to challenge some of the largest muscles in my body for ten minutes and ten minutes only. Roll on bedtime.
PT verdict: Adele Anderson, owner of Ravenscourt Bootcamp and founder of Apocalypse Survival Training.
As a general rule, I would never recommend anyone who is not a highly experienced exerciser to follow a silent workout video. Coaching, and providing a range of options, is an essential responsibility for anyone providing exercise workouts. While almost any exercise can be made safe with coaching and options, almost every exercise can be unsafe if unguided.
This workout is mostly low impact and doesn’t involve technical exercises and so is pretty safe.
The frog kicks however may be frustrating for some people if they are unable to engage their glutes and hamstrings, and so they may end up, instead, trying to lift their hips on each side, twisting awkwardly through their lower backs.
This exercise should not be performed with any lower back injuries and should be coached and optioned for everyone for their safety, as well as to assure them it is common to find it difficult to achieve.
Pamela Reif workout 3: 20-minute full body workout
Views: 35.5 million
Workout three and I was ready to sweat. I'd woken up happy, rested and without the pre-menstrual tension that characterised my first two fitness forays. In fact, I felt positively positive!
This time, I was ready for Reif's total silence and, full disclosure, I really enjoyed it.
Early on a Friday morning, with emails already flying in, focusing on doing each exercise correctly was really all my brain could handle pre-caffeine.
The same format as her other two most popular workouts, Reif performed each exercise for 30 seconds before rolling straight onto the next. This time we were treated to two 60-second breaks which was laavley.
The workout started with lower body cardio exercises. Think squat jumps, plank jumps, squats with kicks, jumping jacks and commandos. Then, once warm, Reif moved onto slower, strength-focused exercises targeting the glutes, back and core.
The range of moves was great and I felt challenged enough to not clock watch. Some exercises were more advanced than others – a side plank with side crunch at the same time, for example. And, because of this (and the zero instruction from Reif), it wasn't the most accessible session.
A sweaty, happy, hot mess afterwards, I thoroughly enjoyed the workout at the top of a busy day. Long enough to feel exerted but short enough to not raid the fridge for sustenance straight after. Winner.
PT verdict: Adele Anderson
Starting a workout with high impact exercises like squat jumps and plank jacks increases the risk of injury during the workout and muscle soreness after. Additionally, this design will tire people out very early, leaving them struggling within the first five to ten minutes, which can be disheartening.
Including the same exercises but in a different order would create an exercise ramp that eases people up into the workout and helps them feel successful while still being challenged.
For example, the choice to have push-ups performed on the toes in the first three minutes and then on the knees later, is interesting. Doing a knee push-up first would help warm up your shoulders for a workout like this where a lot of time is spent with hands on the ground.
Secondly, all plank work can cause shoulder and lower back pain within a workout - and injury if performed incorrectly long term - so should be coached and come with easier options. Plank jacks are an advanced exercise which can lead to lower back pain if the hips are too low, and which won't work the abs if the hips are too high.
Flutter kicks and toe taps can also really pull on the lower back, especially the very advanced range of motion Pamela is showing if your abs are not trained to support the spine during leg extensions – they need to be coached and optioned.
Pamela Reif workouts: the verdict
Surprisingly, I now consider myself a bit of a Reif convert. Initially wrong-footed by the lack of coaching during her workouts, I came around to the idea eventually. (Sometimes it's nice to exercise without another voice entering my already overfilled brain, y'know?)
Saying this, I do feel working out without guidance is a one-way ticket to injury. And, whilst I enjoyed the mental break, cognitively I know it's not the best way to get the most from your workouts or fitness.
The sessions themselves, though, were efficient and enjoyable – most likely more so because I have a very soft spot for club music. (#Klurb.) I felt that each workout targeted the areas it promised to and I was far sweatier in each one than I had expected to be.
However, as Reif isn't a qualified PT, I can't in good conscience endorse making her workouts the bread and butter of any fitness routine. What I will say is that for inspiration for moves you could use, she's got the goods.
Plus, she made day-one-of-her-period-Morgan feel good after a workout. For that, I owe her the world. Or at least a YouTube thumbs up, right?
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