TORONTO -- At her residence on the Hamilton mountain, Maddie Lymburner is creating another at-home workout for her five million subscribers and reflecting on her new title as the number one YouTube creator in Canada for 2020.
"It's honestly like mind blowing," she said.
On Dec. 1, YouTube announced Lymburner as both the top creator and top breakout creator in Canada. Her page is called MADFIT and offers anywhere from five minute to 30 minute workouts--and the 25-year-old does it all.
"I basically just sit here in may apartment, create the workouts, film the workouts, edit the workouts and repeat that every single day," she told CTV News Toronto.
Her studio is her living room, using just a camera, a light, and a simple philosophy.
"People really need a friend, they need a workout buddy because we can't workout with people right now so I'm just kind of showing up for people in that sense."
And her story is unique. Lymburner is not a personal trainer by trade. She studied competitive dance from the age of three until 18. Often in the studio for hours after school, most days of the week.
As an adult she began creating her own at home workouts often using no equipment, just her experience. Lymburner says she studies everything from "HIIT style training, strength, yoga, stretch, dance, bare, pilates."
"I kind of have meshed everything that I know into one style of training," she said.
In 2018, her then-boyfriend made a suggestion. He said "you did dance, you're a dance teacher, you're a natural at this, you should just teach it, start making YouTube videos, and MADFIT was born."
Lymburner started posting her workout every day. Soon, she was setting the workout to popular music. Her audience quickly grew to a million subscribers by the end of 2019.
"And then, obviously, the pandemic hit and as soon as COVID hit, within the first month and a half or so I'd gained another million subscribers because I already had a library of hundreds of workouts," she said.
"I've built a sustainable business and i'm able to financially support myself and I'm very, very comfortable which is really great," she says.
It has also grown to a large presence on Instagram, with another 1.1 million followers.
These days, there are about 300 workouts on her YouTube page.
She says there is much more to come in the future, and she has big plans for 2021, but for now, she is able to reflect.
"It's just kind of like a dream come true like a never really expected to be doing this."