In-person spin classes are the best kind of spin classes, in my opinion, but I know my perspective is very biased because I teach them multiple times per week. When I’m not teaching, I’m taking classes on my Peloton because that’s a brand I trust to provide me with credentialed, experienced instructors and thoughtful, effective workout routines. I am, however, a woman of the people, so I recognize there is a demand for free options that are still well structured and helpful.

If you’re on a budget, traveling somewhere, or just in need of a quick hit of motivation to hop on a stationary bike, you can approximate the Peloton or in-person class experience on YouTube. Some of the channels and instructors are better than others and there are a few pros and cons. Based on what I know about what makes a good spin class, both in the studio and online, here’s what I recommend.

Kaleigh Cohen

The virtual cycling instructor I give my biggest stamp of approval to is Kaleigh Cohen, who guides her 359,000 followers through not only spinning, but strength workouts, too. (Like Peloton’s app, she offers up a variety, but unlike Peloton’s app, it doesn’t cost you $44 per month to access.)

I like her because she gives straightforward safety and resistance cues and doesn’t chit-chat much. She even offers live classes, which is great for maintaining some accountability and sticking to a schedule. Finally, she actually has real songs—like with lyrics and fun beats—which you won’t find everywhere. Licensing songs is pricey, which is a big reason you have to fork over that $44 to Peloton every month, so a lot of these free channels are serving up straight elevator music. At least Cohen is giving you something fun to ride to, even if you haven’t heard it before.

She also has all the certifications you’d want from an instructor at a real-life gym. Her website actually has a guide that goes over positions, resistance, RPM, and more. She’s as good as it gets, which is why I consider her the best. She offers a variety of workout types, guided stretching (important!), and more, making her well-rounded and genuinely helpful.

Global Cycling Network (GCN)

GCN is closing in on 3.5 million followers, so the brand is clearly doing something right. Much of GCN’s content is about actual outdoor cycling, but it also has some indoor classes, and those are extremely thorough, led by professionals who truly know what they’re talking about.

What I like about the Global Cycling Network is how expansive the content really is. I am not an outdoor rider by any means and have no plans to be, but a lot of my in-person students are, so I try to keep familiar with all of it and produce classes that can be helpful to them. GCN is a great bridge between indoor and outdoor cycling that can help you become familiar with all kinds of bikes, terms, and processes, so whether you’re staying in or actually plan to go out and hit the literal road, you can acquire knowledge from experts that will make you better.

Joe Alvarado

I cannot understand why or how Joe Alvarado only has about 10,000 subscribers, but I do know you should join them. His channel offers two things I think are pretty important for a quality ride: First, he provides dedicated videos that explain key concepts, like how heart rate should play into your cycling workout. Second, he has real music.

However he’s licensing these, we should all be grateful. But his channel is also great because he’s encouraging and the videos are well produced. On the screen, you can see where your resistance should be set and there are even countdown timers to let you know how long you have left on a certain activity, like riding at a moderate effort. He also has actual certifications in teaching group fitness and cycling. I know I sound like a broken record, but that’s really so important.

Kristina Girod

I like Kristina Girod‘s classes because a lot of them are actually filmed POV-style while she’s teaching in a studio. When you’re taking an in-person class, it’s really helpful to see what other people are doing, especially if you’re a beginner, and you get that benefit here. She uses remixes of popular songs, too, which is always engaging and probably a big reason she has 168,000 subscribers.

Two things to keep in mind about Girod’s videos: At times, it can be hard to hear exactly what she’s saying, which I think is just an audio issue that crops up.

Girod also incorporates a lot of different movements. If you’ve ever been to a Soulcycle class and been asked to do pushups on the handlebars or jump in and out of your seat, you might be familiar with this approach, but it’s definitely not done everywhere. From using weights to incorporating some pretty complex moves with your hands on different parts of the handlebars, these classes are challenging. There’s a lot of debate in the cycling instructor world about doing all this stuff and I won’t bore you with it, but I will say I incorporate weights and some choreography into my own classes and am a proponent of it. If you’re used to a more old-school style, you’ll either find Girod’s techniques intriguing or confusing—or maybe both.

Spin Obsession (by Jessi)

Finally, I like what I’ve seen from Spin Obsession‘s Jessi, who teaches outdoors and has high production quality. Again, you see timers on the screen, as well as visual instructions about what you’re supposed to be doing, but she also has a variety of videos available. In some, it’s only music and cues with no chit-chat, while in others she provides more verbal instruction.

The classes come in different lengths and styles, so whether you’re looking for a tabata ride or a hardcore 45-minute grind, you can find something. The channel doesn’t update often and has few followers, but the content that’s there is great.

What to keep in mind when taking YouTube spin classes

There are loads of other channels offering spin classes on YouTube. I didn’t include them because I don’t love them—the video quality sucks on a lot of them, some that seem really promising are in languages I don’t speak, and others just didn’t meet my standards for a good class—but everyone is different and you may find something you’re into by poking around in the “suggested videos” accompanying the ones I linked above. The real benefit of looking into these free classes is that you have so much variety available to you, which isn’t always true when you’re taking a class in-person.

If you’re a beginner, these free classes are a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they can give you a taste of what to expect if you sign up for an in-studio class near you. I’ll be the first to admit the vocab and moves can be hard to grasp if you’re a first-timer (though you should absolutely go early to your first few classes and tell your instructor you’re a beginner, I beg you). On the other hand, the benefit of going in-person is that you get more detailed, specific instruction and there is someone else there to help you or stop you if you’re doing something wrong. If you want to try following along with a class on YouTube, please select one with a knowledgeable, clear instructor and/or on-screen cues and graphics. Watch some videos on topics like bike setup, positions, and resistance before you start. Cohen has a great one and Girod has a very thorough video available to explain all the different kinds of choreography you might be exposed to.

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

Cooking a great steak is an art, but that doesn’t mean it needs to be a challenge. It’s a no-brainer to trust a chef with steak when you go out to a restaurant, but even the unsure cook can make good steak casually at home. Personally, I’ve taken casual steaks to new levels in my trusty Instant Vortex air fryer. It took some troubleshooting, but I finally zeroed in on a simple method to air fry steak that saves me time, mess, and makes a near masterpiece every time.

Cooking steak on the grill, in a pan, or in a cast iron skillet are pretty popular and common techniques. Though fast, all of these methods, even reverse searing, still require a lot of attention—and some days I am just plain tired of paying attention. Air frying steak gives you freedom to leave the room and, my favorite part, there’s way less smoke. This is primarily why the Instant Vortex is my go-to air fryer for daily cooking (read my review here) but these other top picks will do the trick as well. 

In addition to being easy to clean, the air fryer cooks steak quickly and can keep the center juicy due to convection heating. Convection ovens, like air fryers, are both powerful and use ambient heat—the steak isn’t right up against the coil, but the fan forces hot winds around the basket. While you absolutely can overcook something in a matter of minutes, you certainly won’t overcook your steak if you use this trick.

The trick to a juicy air fried steak

The key to cooking any steak is to manage its doneness in the center. Since an air fryer can take any piece of meat from undercooked to dry in a matter of minutes, the key is slowing down the cooking a bit in the center so you have time to catch it. If you’ve checked out my steak bites recipe, you know that these little morsels stay juicy because I freeze them first. 

When you’re air frying your steak, bring the temperature down first—especially if it’s a small cut of meat. The smaller or the thinner the piece of steak, the colder it should be. If you have a flat flank steak, freeze it first and add it to the air fryer frozen—seasoned, but frozen. If you have a New York strip steak that’s 5 inches long and 1.5 inches thick, then fridge-cold or borderline frozen (about 15 minutes in the freezer) is great. The steak will warm up and begin browning on the outside while the center is still coming up to temperature. You’re buying yourself time, and keeping the center juicy.

How to air fry a steak

1. Freeze or chill the steak

I like to season my steak when it’s still thawed and then pop it in the freezer for 15 minutes, or up to an hour if I want it solid. Spritz or drizzle a thin layer of cooking oil on the steak. If you didn’t season it beforehand, you can do it now. 

2. Air fry it

Pop your steak in a 400°F air fryer set to the “air fry” setting. The time will vary depending on the size and cut of your steak. Steak bites may take as little as three minutes, and a thick steak might take 20 minutes. For larger steaks, try to aim for flipping it somewhere around the middle of the cooking time.

3. Rest it

Always test the interior temperature with a meat thermometer to assess doneness according to how you like your steak. (Here’s the one I use.) For reference, a medium steak should be 130°F to 135°F when it comes off the heat, as the temperature will continue to rise a bit while it rests. Let it rest for 5 to 15 minutes before digging in. Today, I am making a steak sandwich, so I like a medium to medium-well steak for this purpose.

Air fried steaks aren’t perfect for everyone

There are definitely some downsides to the air-fried steak compared to the other popular preparations. You won’t get the same gnarly sear like on a pan or a grill grate, and there’s no good way to collect fond (the crispy, tasty bits that stick to a frying pan) and make a pan sauce. But I do appreciate how the edges of any exterior fat become crispy with cracklin-like qualities. You’ll have to ask yourself what your priorities are. If it’s speed, low smoke, and a quick and easy clean-up, then I suggest you try tossing a steak in the air fryer for sure.

Additionally, if you really miss a crusty brown exterior but you don’t have grill, you can still do a quick sear in a frying pan to give you that extra color and flavor. This is my air fryer reverse searing method and it works like a charm—I dare say, better than the original reverse searing method. When I’m finished cooking, the Instant Vortex’s non-stick basket is easy to wash clean. No need to whip out the Barkeeper’s Friend or scrub down a cast iron skillet. 

In an economy where more than a third of Americans are struggling to pay their utility bills, knowing what your future utility bills will be before you commit to buying a home is a crucial part of your decision making process—or it certainly should be.

Here are a few methods to estimate what your future bills will be for electricity, gas, and other utilities before you move in, so you don’t wind up getting a nasty surprise in the mail.

How to get a good estimate of a home’s utility costs

The first step is to figure out what the previous occupants of the home have been paying each month. Here’s how to go about it:

• Figure out the local rates. Knowing what the local utilities charge for electricity, natural gas, water, sewage, and other utilities is key. Most utility companies post their rates on their websites, so that’s a good place to start. If you can’t find rate information that way, you can use a website like Utility Rates to get an idea of electric and gas rates in that zip code. Online calculators like this one can give you a decent prediction of future utility costs once you have rate information to plug in.

• Collect the billing history. Your next step is to ask for the home’s billing history going back 12 months. Your real estate agent should be able to help you with this, but you can also ask the current owners directly. Seeing a year’s worth of bills will let you figure out an average monthly cost, adjusted (if necessary) for the number of occupants.

• Look at average costs in the area. If you aren’t able to get ahold of the billing history, you can make a much rougher estimate by looking at average costs in the area. There are websites to help you figure this out. For example, EnergyBot will calculate your potential utility bill based on zip code and average usage for the home’s size, or you can use this calculator from the Energy Solutions Center to figure your gas bill based on factors like the home’s size and how many dryer loads you run in a week. These calculators will only give you rough estimates, and your results may be higher or lower than actual costs, so tracking down actual bills is always going to be best.

Put past bills into context

Beyond just the monthly numbers, the key to estimating your own potential utility costs will require you to collect some extra information about the house and its occupants, including:

• Occupants. You need to how many people were living in the house for the period you’re looking at, so you can weigh that against your own potential usage. Sky-high utility bills are alarming if it’s just two people living there, but less so if a family of eight is crowded in there.

• Usage. You will need to know a little bit about how the previous occupants—whether they all lived there full time, whether they worked from home (which increased energy usage), or had hobbies that consumed extra energy, and whether they had a pool (which increases both their water and electricity bills).

• Problems. Ask if the house has had any recent plumbing or electrical problems. Leaks and faulty wiring can lead to spikes in usage, which could mean the cost history of the house will be less useful for predicting future bills.

Once you have a solid idea of what utility costs have been, you can make some adjustments based on your own lifestyle—number of people living there, whether you work from home, hobbies, etc.—to hopefully arrive at a number close to what your actual utility costs will be.

(Washington, D.C., June 13, 2025) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins issued the following statement in support of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) highest ever volume requirements for American grown biofuels in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS):

(Washington, D.C., June 12, 2025) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum today joined President Donald J. Trump for the signing of Executive Order Empowering Commonsense Wildfire Prevention and Response, at the White House.

Emojis are a fun evolution from the emoticons of old—but there are only so many to choose from. While a handful of new ones are added each year, for the most part, what you see is what you get, which is why Android’s “Emoji Kitchen” is so great.

The feature lets you combine two emojis to create a brand new one, right on your device. If you want to send a winky face, but with the robot emoji, you can. You can make the skull emoji cry with laughter, or turn a piece of pizza into a rocket ship. The feature multiplies a limited yet sizable pool of emoji choices into a staggering number of varieties.

While Emoji Kitchen is now automaticly included on Pixel devices, it doesn’t even exist on iPhone, at least as of the latest official software version, iOS 18.5. With iOS 26, currently in beta testing, however, Apple has built an Emoji Kitchen-like feature that uses Apple Intelligence to mix multiple emoji or Genmoji together to make a new icon.

The feature didn’t get as much attention as some others during the WWDC keynote introducing iOS 26, but it seems like a fun use of Apple’s AI.

How to mix emoji and Genmoji on iOS 26

In order to try this out, you’ll need to be running iOS 26 on an iPhone compatible with Apple Intelligence (i.e. an iPhone 15 Pro or newer), though as the beta is still in its earliest stages, I don’t recommend you try it out at this time.

Once you’re running iOS 26, open the emoji keyboard, then tap “Genmoji.” Here, you’ll now see a new “Suggestions” section, which offers a row of emojis you can choose from. If you don’t like these suggestions, you can choose “Show More” to see different categories of emojis, including “Themes,” “Expressions,” “Costumes,” “Accessories,” and “Places.” As Emojipedia highlights, these categories feature icons that aren’t standard emojis, like a race car helmet and flower crown.

If you’re looking to mix specific emojis together, however, just tap the gray “smiley +” icon. This button will open the emoji keyboard, so you can choose whatever options you like, in addition to any text-based prompts you’d like to add. You can add up to six “concepts” (emojis and prompts) per generation, so you can really mix things up—though you might find that using fewer prompts returns results closer to your intended design.

From here, Genmoji will start generating new emojis from your selection, and you can scroll through the different options it presents. While the app hides the emojis and prompts here, you can tap the image to see which concepts it was generated from. If you like a generation, tap the checkmark, and Genmoji will automatically enter it into the text field for you to share.

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

We hate mosquitoes, and so companies make a lot of anti-mosquito things: candles, wristbands, chemical and herbal sprays—even electronic devices. But if you want to keep mosquitoes off your bare skin this summer, you really just need two things: bug spray and a fan.

The many alternatives either don’t work, or aren’t worth your time. Citronella candles aren’t significantly more effective than regular candles, which, as you might guess, don’t do much to ward off mosquitoes. Those light-up bug zappers aren’t helpful, because mosquitoes don’t care about light. Wristbands only keep mosquitoes off your wrists, so unless you’re weaving them into a full-body jumpsuit, they aren’t much help. You get the idea. I’ve explored these disappointing truths in more depth here.

So what does work? Two things, one chemical and one not, which I’ll explain below. It’s also worth mentioning that you should make sure your yard isn’t a mosquito breeding haven. Dump out or take steps to dry up their breeding places (like buckets and puddles) and consider setting up a “bucket of doom” trap. But when it comes to that evening where you’d like to hang out on your porch and need to control the mosquito population ASAP, here are the two things to do:

Get a bug spray that actually works on mosquitoes

First, bug spray. I know, you’re shocked. DEET really works, and so do picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus. If a mosquito repellent spray (especially a “natural” one) doesn’t have one of these ingredients, it’s probably no good. The easiest way to tell which products are legit without memorizing a list? Check the back of the label for an EPA registration number.

DEET was the subject of some fearmongering in previous decades, but it’s not actually a dangerous chemical—EPA reviews keep concluding that it’s safe when used as directed. (Don’t put it on your food or in open wounds, for example. But I hope you weren’t going to anyway.) My favorite bug spray is Cutter Skinsations, which doesn’t smell as nasty or feel as sticky as some of the more traditional bug sprays out there. It’s 7% DEET, which is plenty for most backyard lounging and casual use—but you can buy stronger stuff for, say, camping in a swamp.

Set up a box fan

Second, a fan. If you’re hanging out on the porch and don’t want to spray anything on yourself—or if you did use the spray but they’re still flying around you and getting on your nerves—just set up a box fan. You can get one for about 20 bucks at a hardware store, which is less than you’d spend on, what, four mostly useless citronella candles? Mosquitoes are weak flyers, which is why they surround you when the air is stagnant and soupy. Set up a fan—or take advantage of a natural breeze—and you’ll keep them at bay.

Besides these effective strategies, there are a couple more that I didn’t mention because they’re no-brainers: wear long sleeves and pants if you can stand them, and stay inside if you don’t need to be out. I know, those are no fun. So if you want to enjoy your porch beers in shorts and a tank top, get yourself some bug spray and plug in a fan.

If you’re finding some websites slow or totally unresponsive, you’re not alone. Much of the internet is currently impacted by outages.

Downdetector, a site that tracks user reports of site outages, is reporting dozens sites and services that are impacted in some way. These platforms certainly run the gamut: There are games, including Rocket League, Pokémon Go, and Dragon Ball; streaming services including Paramount+; cellular networks like Verizon and T-Mobile; and a number of Google platforms, including Gmail and Google Maps.

While Downdetector had listed Cloudflare and Amazon Web Services as part of the outage, it’s not clear these services themselves were affected. Per a spokesperson, the only Cloudflare services affected were ones that used Google’s hosting services. Meanwhile, an Amazon spokesperson tells me that none of its services were affected, and that you can check its service health here. A previous version of this article reported these two services were affected.

You can see these sites on Downdetector’s front page. Though the list changes frequently, here’s where things currently stand:

• Spotify

• Google Cloud

• Discord

• Google

• Google Meet

• Amazon Web Services (Amazon disputes this)

• Snapchat

• CharacterAI

• Pokémon Trading Card Game

• Cloudflare

• FuboTV

• Rocket League

• Vimeo

• Etsy

• UPS

• Box

• Google Nest

• HighLevel

• Mailchimp

• Microsoft Azure

• Shopify

• Verizon

• Dialpad

• NPM

• T-Mobile

• Cursor

• Pokémon Go

• YouTube

• AT&T

• OpenAI

• Ecobee

• Gmail

• Phasmophobia

• Dragon Ball

• Microsoft 365

• DoorDash

• Zoom

• MLB TV

Those sites and services listed here are based on user reports complaining of outages or slow connections. As such, they may change over time. If you’re noticing issues with a site not listed here, you can enter it into Downdetector to view its outage reports from the past 24 hours, as well as place a report of your own. (Note: Ziff Davis, Lifehacker’s parent company, also owns Downdetector.)

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

These Shokz OpenRun Pro headphones use bone conduction technology to keep your ears open and aware of your surroundings. Right now, they’re currently 31% off, down to $124.99—their lowest price ever, according to price trackers.

If you’ve never used bone conduction headphones, they offer the comfort of an open-ear headphone, but don’t sit inside your ear like an earbud. Instead, they transmit sound through the bones in your skull, leaving the ear canal open. Some people believe that they’re safer and better for hearing health than conventional headphones, as there’s no direct pressure on the eardrum. That said, they also won’t provide the deep, rich bass like a pair of over-ear headphones, but it may be a worthwhile tradeoff.

Lifehacker deal writer Daniel Oropeza tested the upgraded OpenRun Pro 2, and the original model offers a similar fit and weight (just over an ounce), making both models lightweight but durable. If you want fewer vibrations on your skin, a longer battery life, and better noise reduction during calls, you may want to opt for the upgraded model, though it comes at a higher price point.

These headphones offer up to 10 hours of battery life and have a quick-charge feature that gives you 1.5 hours of playback from just five minutes of charging. You can also easily toggle between two devices, like your phone and laptop, thanks to MultiPoint Bluetooth pairing. However, with that open-ear design, the sound isn’t as immersive, and it won’t block out ambient sound as well as in-ear or open-earbuds. (If you want to stay aware of your surroundings during a workout, that’s a good thing.)

If you’re looking for total sound immersion and noise isolation in a loud setting, noise-cancelling headphones may be a better choice. And while the IP55 rating protects against sweat and light rain, they’re not designed for submersion or heavy downpours. Overall, if you’ve struggled with the comfort (or fit) of in-ear and over-ear headphones and want a breathable, secure option that’s perfect for active use, the OpenRun Pro headphones are a solid deal.