10 Best Fitness and Exercise Apps

Nike Training Club offers a variety of classes, whereas an app like Strava is ideal if you’d like to keep metrics on your outdoor adventures. A good place to start is by searching your App Store and seeing what free workout apps it has to offer. If you, too, are overstimulated, we’ve rounded up a list of standout apps that cater to all fitness goals.

Should You Get a Fitness Tracker?

The production quality is polished, the instruction remains clear and accessible, and madmuscles subscription cost the app makes it easy to keep track of your progress. It’s a great option for both beginners and more experienced yoga practitioners, and for other forms of movement as well. While some classes require Peloton equipment, many strength, yoga, and mobility workouts can be done with minimal gear, making the app useful even without owning a bike or treadmill.

  • Just like their local class options, these trainer-led workout videos vary from strength training to high-intensity workouts and everything in between.
  • While BetterMe is more affordable than the average workout app, it doesn’t have quite as many strength-training plans.
  • You can deviate from the workout plan given by BetterMe, though, as there is an entire workout library.
  • I tried the handstand program for two months and actually nailed the move!
  • You’ll have a variety of classes to choose from, like full-body sculpt to core mat definition and mobility, so you can always stay on top of your goals.
  • Some apps, such as Future, offer virtual personal training so you can receive tailored guidance from the comfort of your home.

Best prenatal and postpartum fitness app

Another one for treadmill runners, the Apple Fitness Plus subscription has a number of treadmill workouts to keep you busy. This isn’t the best app for serious runners – there are no training plans or competitive running metrics, but if you want to make running with your local running club more fun, it’s a cool way to do that. Peloton has also added outdoor running classes to the app, so if you’re a runner who loves to take your training outside, you can follow an audio session from one of your favorite trainers. The main plus with the Peloton app is its trainers – from Becs Gentry to Susie Chan.

Our CNET fitness experts have put together this list of the best workout apps for women based on how well each app supports sustainable movement, mental health and motivation. While these fitness apps primarily target women and many of the certified trainers featured are women, it’s worth noting that anyone can benefit from them, as there’s really no such thing as gender-specific exercise. There are a few mobility plans in there, but nearly all of the programs are focused on strength training, using your body weight, dumbbells, garage gym, full gym, or any other type of equipment you have access to. When choosing a plan, you can easily filter the programs based on your training goals, experience level, desired number of days per week, and equipment access. “Targeted plans, specific muscle focus, full-body—you name it, they got it,” says Savary. The Alive app is SID class of 2024 trainer Gabrielle Savary’s “go-to” for strength training workouts.

Nike Nike Training Club App

There are personal training apps, treadmill training apps, weightlifting apps, and general fitness apps, to name just a few. In this article we want to highlight the best workout apps for men specifically. These apps let you take control of your health and help you reach levels of fitness that maybe you haven’t before or haven’t in a long time. We’ll talk about the benefits of each app and why it might be the best for you. Runna (acquired by Strava in 2025) is focused entirely on structured run training.

Find a training shoe designed for your routine

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Pricing guide for monthly subscription

If you’re looking for an app that takes the guesswork out of your training, TR[Ai]NER by Element 26 is worth considering. This AI-powered workout app offers programs you can customize based on your preferences, equipment access, and personal goals. Available modules include a four-week dumbbell muscle build program, a four-week metcon/HIIT program, and a six-week full gym strength gain program, among others.

top workout apps for active lifestyles

Caliber Strong Fitness App

He currently lives in Las Vegas, NV, and enjoys working out, reading, writing, watching sports, and traveling. Furthermore, head over to this post about good daily habits to learn how to keep energized through the day. Remember to properly gear up for the weather and road condition, such as getting the right headlamp for running or the right boots (for men and women) if you’re going hiking. The app also assists in helping you reach a deeper level of consciousness for mindfulness and meditation. There’s the type of music you want for your background as you do your reps, your level of difficulty, and how long you’re planning to work out for that session. It helps you monitor how long it took you to sleep, the duration of different sleep levels, as well as your waking time.

This level of customization and personal touch can enable you to stay focused on your goals, and you can rest assured that each workout you complete has been tailored to help you get closer to them. To earn 3 out of 5 stars, there may be some repetition and many similar workout formats/types, but it’s tolerable, and our testers could see themselves using this app for quite some time. We’re huge fans of JuggernautAI’s programming and progressive-overload-focused approach, but there’s one big drawback. However, she does note that the app can send you notifications if you enable them in your settings, and you can join programs or challenges. Overall, Amanda gives Nike Training Club a 3.5-star rating for accountability.

This app offers 7- to 45-minute-long workouts, 180-plus stand-alone exercises (high side plank, anyone?), and a Workout Creator that generates custom sweat sessions designed to fit your specific fitness goals. Fitbod’s goal is to make you stronger and they do that by adapting your workout plan to your current strengths and weaknesses. The app is always collecting data on your current fitness level and adjusts your training—such as sets, reps and weight—accordingly, all to get you stronger in the safest way possible. If you’re looking for a strength training app that can give you a workout plan based on the equipment you have available, this one’s for you.

Our Thoughts on Reverse Health

Below are some considerations worth thinking through before hopping into the app store and deciding on a plan for your needs. During trials, our tester enjoyed how much interaction you have with the app through readiness prompts each day before training. These prompts gauge how prepared you are for a given workout, along with other inquiries asking if you’re dealing with any soreness, fatigue, or other factors that may influence your training. For those who are training for a race or looking to add running to their high-intensity workout regimen, I think Nike is among the best running apps. After using this app for years myself, I think this one is hard to beat, especially if you have new running goals.

Best for Circuit Training – Shred

top workout apps for active lifestyles

IFIT offers fitness lovers versatility with machine-based classes and classes that do not require anything more than a towel or mat. Anyone looking for a home-exercise program will be hard pressed to find a more technology forward, expansive and inclusive platform than iFIT. While BetterMe is more affordable than the average workout app, it doesn’t have quite as many strength-training plans.

Best Workout App for Data Tracking: Peloton

You should expect a little muscle soreness after workouts, especially in the beginning. But if you find that your body is simply not recovering between workouts, you may be overtraining. With the exception of “welcome” muscle soreness, an exercise program should make you feel good. Getting your heart rate up and challenging your muscles benefits virtually every system in your body, and improves your physical and mental health in myriad ways. Physical activity helps maintain a healthy blood pressure, keeps harmful plaque from building up in your arteries, reduces inflammation, improves blood sugar levels, strengthens bones, and helps stave off depression. In addition, a regular exercise program can make your sex life better, lead to better quality sleep, reduce your risk of some cancers, and is linked to longer life.

If you’re an outdoors person, especially runs and rides, Strava is the perfect app for you. Use our quick round-up below to immediately find an app that fits your needs – and you can read more about it by jumping to our full write-ups and explanations using the links. The free version does have one major limitation if you’re trying to get off the beaten path, though.