Fitness podcasts can’t replace exercising, unfortunately, but they can sure help make it more effective, interesting, and enjoyable. The trouble is that there are so many of this type of podcast out there, it’s hard to figure out which one is worth your valuable time and attention.
That’s where we come in! I’m a big fitness fanatic, and over the years, I’ve listened to dozens of different podcasts on a wide range of related topics. While some have been great, some definitely haven’t. Today I’m sharing my favorites across a bunch of different approaches to staying fit and healthy.
Whether you are interested in powerlifting, yoga, or Crossfit, or you just want to lose a few pounds, this list has you covered.
How We Chose the Best Fitness Podcasts
While finding fitness podcasts is pretty easy, as the better aggregators have a dedicated category for this topic, figuring out which one is right for you is trickier. Here’s the list of criteria we used when selecting to help you figure out what to look for if you decide to search on your own:
- Your experience level: fitness is a journey, and you need different information at different times. Information suitable for beginners is likely to be boring for someone more experienced, while the detail a gym veteran wants to hear will likely overwhelm someone just starting out.
- Topic: fitness is a very broad topic, which is why it often makes sense to look into niches like bodybuilding, strength training, weight loss, etc. If you have a specific interest, you will find niche-specific podcasts much more fulfilling than general ones.
- Format: some fitness podcasts are in the form of a conversation, while others have a more pre-planned structure. The first type is usually a bit easier to listen to, while the latter usually provides more complete information. You’ll likely prefer one type to the other.
- Frequency and length: while having more content is good, daily episodes are probably too much if you’re short on time. Also, if you can only listen to podcasts for a set amount of time per day (let’s say half an hour while commuting), having to break up long episodes into two or three listening sessions isn’t ideal.
With that out of the way, let’s take a look at our current picks.
Best Fitness Podcast for Beginners: Muscle for Life
Muscle for Life covers a wide range of fitness topics in a very digestible way, but the information you’ll get from Mike Matthews and his guests is anything but shallow: each episode is packed with quality information.
Mike talks about everything from motivation and starting exercising to hypertrophy tips and weightlifting exercises. You will learn about training, nutrition, and supplementation, but also about health in general. He stays current with the trends, often putting out in-depth thematic shows about popular topics.
The podcast has different types of episodes of various lengths, letting you pick and choose based on how much time you have. Episodes with guests usually last longer, typically 1-2 hours. There are bite-size episodes as well, though, that cover a narrower topic or are Q&A-based.
Mike is very diligent, and you can expect a new episode every 2-3 days. This might seem too much, but given that not all of them are long-form, keeping up typically isn’t much of a problem.
Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts
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Best Short Fitness Podcast for Beginners: 20 Minute Fitness
As a complete beginner in the fitness space, it’s easy to get super-psyched about something new. Subscribing to 20 long-form podcasts and YouTube channels and following 150 influencers, only to be completely overwhelmed with a firehose of information, is a super-common mistake.
20 Minute Fitness is just what it sounds. You get bite-sized, 20-minute pieces of useful, actionable fitness information, delivered twice per month. That’s it?! Yes, that’s it, and it’s all that a true beginner needs.
Each episode covers one topic in just the right amount of depth. Topics vary from wider ones, such as intermittent fasting or the 80/20 rule, to calorie and body composition tracking, all the way to specific advice on measuring your waist circumference.
Some broader topics are covered across several episodes. This is good, since it doesn’t prolong the episode, but can also be a bit annoying when you have to wait a couple of weeks to get the final piece of information you want to hear.
The show seems to currently be on hiatus, with no new episodes for several months, but that’s really not a problem: there’s more than enough in the back catalogue to get you going!
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Best Casual Gym Podcast: Mind Pump
Mind Pump is one of the best-known and longest-lasting fitness podcasts, with more than 1800 (!!!) episodes. This is abnormal for a fitness-specific podcast, especially when you consider that Rogan also has around 1800 episodes and he covers literally everything.
Mind Pump is hosted by Sal Di Stefano, Adam Schafer, & Justin Andrews, who are certified trainers, entrepreneurs, and above-all, fitness enthusiasts. These guys have decades of experience coaching other people, and it shows: the information they provide is very easy to understand.
I particularly like the casual format of Mind Pump: each episode covers a particular topic, but doesn’t have a strict structure, since the guys aren’t following scripts. They are having a normal conversation on the subject, sharing their insights and experience with the listeners. Shows are dynamic and fun to listen to.
Each episode has a part dedicated to live listener questions, which get immediate answers. This is the most valuable part of the episode, as you get concrete answers to the specific questions that listeners ask.
The beginning of each episode usually contains a lot of fluff, with a lot of sponsored stuff and information from the guys’ lives, which you might not find interesting. They do tell you what’s coming up in the episode though, and it’s easy to skip ahead.
Mind Pump releases episodes pretty much every day, and the episodes are usually long, rarely less than an hour. This is a lot, and can be overwhelming. However, considering that this is a casual show, I’d suggest listening to it when you can, and don’t stress if you skip or miss a few.
Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts
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Best Science-Based Muscle-Building Podcast: Stronger by Science
Stronger By Science podcast is hosted by Greg Nuckols and Eric Trexler, both well-known among gym rats. If you’re into weightlifting and want research-based information from people who know what they’re talking about, both from their educational background and personal experience, this is the podcast for you.
Even though it may sound nerdy, Stronger by Science podcast is very easy to listen to. Greg and Eric have a normal conversation, often sparked by listeners’ questions. They often cite research and studies in their answers, though, and aren’t just speaking off the tops of their heads.
Most of the topics are straight-up gym-talk and revolve around muscle building, strength, and everything surrounding it like nutrition, recovery, and supplementation. That means you get the actual research data combined with real-life experience, packed into an easy-to-absorb format covering all aspects of gym life.
Each episode of the Stronger by Science podcast lasts around 90 minutes. While that might seem long, it’s only released once per week, and because of the conversational form, it never feels dull, especially if you have a good podcasts app with decent speed control.
Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts
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Best Podcast for Advanced Lifters and Coaches: The Revive Stronger Podcast
Revive Stronger is inclined towards those on the more advanced side of the fitness spectrum, as well as coaches. If you are deep into bodybuilding and/or powerlifting and are looking to get some actual, science-based knowledge, Revive Stronger is for you.
Revive Stronger covers everything related to improving gym pefromance and increasing muscle size. This includes workouts, exercise selection, technique, nutrition, supplementation, and recovery.
The information you get is genuinely in-depth, and comes from some of the biggest names in the fitness industry. Elite coaches are often on as guests, but you’ll also hear what top athletes have to say, as well as researchers. The tone is conversational, which keeps everything easy to digest. It never feels like a lecture!
Currently, they release two episodes per week, one Revive Stronger and one Improvement Season (which has different hosts and is bodybuilding-specific). Episodes last about an hour, cramming in an impressive amount of information on any gym-specific topic.
Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts
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Best CrossFit Podcast: Talking Elite Fitness
If you’re a CrossFit fan, you’ll love Talking Elite Fitness. Hosted by two CrossFit Games analysts, Sean Woodland and Tommy Marquez, you can expect the latest CrossFit information and coverage, along with interviews with athletes and coaches, and other relevant info from the CrossFit industry.
Because CrossFit touches so many aspects of fitness, Talking Elite Fitness covers a broad umbrella of topics. Along with the obvious performance-based topics, you’ll hear a lot about nutrition, supplements, and a healthy lifestyle in general.
There are also details of new fitness companies and products, plus discussion of other functional training forms that aren’t directly related to CrossFit.
Talking Elite Fitness releases new episodes every few days, which is more than enough to get all the necessary CrossFit information. The format is conversational, and Sean and Tommy are very interesting and enjoyable to listen to, making it easy to digest whatever they’re talking about today.
Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts
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Best Yoga Podcast: The Lucas Rockwood Show
Several yoga podcasts offer a spiritual experience, and some offer guided meditation. In general we think dedicated yoga or meditation-specific apps are a better choice when you’re trying to put these concepts into practice. If you’d rather learn more about yoga, mindfulness, and associated topics, however, then The Lucas Rockwood Show is for you.
While Lucas is a well-known name in the world of yoga, this podcast is more than just yoga chat. It will help you live a well-balanced life, covering various topics that go hand in hand with yoga – mindfulness, focus, healthy diet, aging, exercise, and common health issues and diseases and how to treat them.
Lucas brings in experts from different fields, and you’ll often hear what doctors and other coaches have to say about important questions. Episodes are content-rich and go far beyond yoga, typically lasting 30-45 minutes.
All in all, if you love yoga but are interested in living a healthy lifestyle in general, subscribe to The Lucas Rockwood Show.
Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts
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Best Weight Loss Podcast: Half Size Me
If you’re struggling to lose weight or are just about to embark on that journey, the Half Size Me podcast provides the necessary information to do things the right way.
This podcast will teach you how to lose weight slowly but consistently, and also how to keep it off once you hit your goal. You’ll get plenty of motivational stories from people who have done it, but also expert advice and tips that help you stay the course.
You’ll also learn what to do if you slip up, which is entirely normal, and how to learn from your mistakes and keep going even when life gets in the way.
Half Size Me episodes usually last 30-60 minutes and are released once a week. This makes the podcast very easy to keep up with, never overwhelming you with information, but serving as a regular friendly reminder and motivation to keep going.
Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts
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Bottom Line
The podcasts we’ve mentioned will give you plenty to listen to and learn from, no matter what your fitness goal is. Fitness podcasts are one of the best sources of quality information on the subject, packed into a convenient, fun, and easy-to-understand format.
While you won’t break those PRs and get bigger and more shredded just by listening to podcasts or watching videos, a little quality content like this helps keep you motivated and embracing a healthy lifestyle. If you enjoy your journey to get fit, after all, it will be much easier to reach your goals!
Main image via Ground Picture/Shutterstock.com
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