Expert-Tested: The Best Workout Apps 2026
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. Not every app will provide ongoing accountability to help you stay motivated, but we consider it a positive when we do see an app offering this feature. For general programming, apps earned a 4- or 5-star rating when the monthly membership fee was under $15. For an app to earn a 1-star rating, the app costs $35 per month or more. Nike is better than the average workout app in nearly every category, which is very rare for a free workout platform.
Booty Bands Set
There is a robust free-forever version and two paid options that grant you access to either group coaching ($19 per month) or a fully customized one-on-one coaching program (starting at $200 per month). At 10 Fitness, you belong—no matter your body type, fitness level, or experience. Whether you’re chasing your first gym PR, squeezing in a quick workout between school drop-offs, or just want to feel confident in your favorite outfit again—we’ve got you. With state-of-the-art equipment, motivating classes, and a supportive community, we’re here to help you feel stronger, live better, and show up fully.
Day 4: Active Recovery Day
But if your main concern is how to improve cardiovascular health, then you should put a premium on cardiovascular exercises that force your heart and lungs to work harder, sending oxygen to your cells. Many people think of exercise as an integral part of weight loss, and although diet is also extremely important, they’re not wrong. Generally, aerobic exercises (cardio) are great for expending calories and reducing fat. But don’t overlook the effectiveness of strength training, which optimizes your body’s ratio of lean muscle to fat (It’s also the best exercise for bone strength). For strength exercises, aim to work all your major muscle groups twice to three times each week, leaving 48 hours between each workout for recovery.
- Advanced lifters looking for an app made for pushing real weight will love the Juggernaut AI.
- It’s not perfect, but for a free app, there’s plenty to keep you moving here.
- In addition to our personal experience and expertise, here are the main factors we used to evaluate each workout app.
- For those who prefer a more personalized touch, look for apps offering one-on-one coaching sessions or tailored workout plans.
- The coaches do a great job of verbally guiding you through different effort levels, based on factors like your RPE and breathing.
- Anyone looking for a home-exercise program will be hard pressed to find a more technology forward, expansive and inclusive platform than iFIT.
Boost Mind/Body Health & Fitness
Featured by Apple, Rolling Stone, Men’s Health, and PCMag, it’s gaining recognition as a comprehensive training solution. We selected StretchIt as the best fitness app for stretching because we found the content to be effective, enjoyable to follow and simple to track progress. With over 10 million users and an impressive 4.7-star average rating, Cronometer has earned its reputation as the gold standard for nutrition tracking. The app goes far beyond simple calorie counting, tracking up to 84 different nutrients to provide comprehensive insights into your diet. The AI Coach is particularly impressive, combining advanced language models with Strength Well’s proprietary data to offer intelligent, on-demand coaching.
Learn How to Fuel Your Body
Based on my experience, before making a purchase it helps to understand what actually separates capable standalone trackers from ones that quietly depend is peloton app worth it on a phone for most of their useful features. Of course, if you really want to make noticeable changes to your body, you’ll need to focus on your nutrition. The app has hundreds of recipes to choose from, and I was able to tailor my meal plan to my dietary requirements.
What is the best fitness app for home workouts?
The first clinically proven longevity workout that transforms your physique while building strength, mobility and stability. We believe the choices you make today are the results you’ll see tomorrow. Try us out at one of our 150+ gym locations and see for yourself how we can help you reach your goals, your way. Our Retro Fitness App helps you along your fitness journey on your own time, wherever you are. We help companies develop strong health and wellness programs to bring mental and physical health to employees helping them increase their productivity in a smart way. If you want to stretch this into a 30 day challenge, repeat the final week and add two extra rest or mobility days.
The good news is that Strava offers a free 30-day trial to those who want to try out its upgraded features before committing. It also connects you to friends on the app who can cheer you on or comment on your posts that get uploaded to your Strava feed after your workout. If you prefer to keep your data and running routes private, you can also make those changes through your settings via the app.
Best workout app for running
You’ll pick your preferred training style and stay in that track for 5 to 6 week blocks, which gradually get more challenging. GGR writer and certified personal trainer Amanda Capritto gives Aaptiv a 4-out-of-5-star rating for accountability. She notes there is a supportive online community, challenges you can join, and the ability to add your workout program to your calendar. When you use the calendar option, your workouts come up as appointments with calendar reminders, which is ideal for anyone establishing a routine. Nike offers a free strength-based training app that reduces the barrier of entry for weight-based workouts at home or in a commercial gym.
Mobility: The Ultimate Look Good / Feel Good Hack
There are guided fitness animations for warm-ups across seven workouts, AI running plans and offline mapping, route guidance and off-course alerts. If you just want the basics like steps, sleep and resting heart rate – something to encourage you to move more – a budget-friendly tracker may be enough. Meanwhile runners, cyclists, swimmers and gym goers optimising their training will need GPS, a reliable optical heart rate sensor and a wider suite of training, coaching and recovery insights.
Most Accessible Walking App
The Fitbit Inspire 3 was the most accurate fitness tracker for step count and near the top of the rankings for every other test we performed. The touchscreen display is only 1.5 inches tall but is simple to navigate, thanks to its sharp colors and easily readable text and icons. The thin, half-inch band doesn’t feel clunky during workouts or everyday use, and the Inspire 3 weighs just 0.32 ounce — lighter than a typical USB flash drive. The Inspire 3’s battery is advertised as lasting 10 days before charging, although we found it to come in a fair bit short of that mark. The device constantly measures heart rate and stress levels, and SpO2 functionality and Body Battery monitoring are also available.
Perimenopause and Menopause: Exercise, Strength…
I love curating my own playlists while running and Nike took that into consideration. Our testers note that the workouts are easy to comprehend and feature simple, clear information for each session, rating the clarity at 4 out of 5 for the workout app. Using AI to generate a customized workout program continues to grow in popularity, but the results can vary from generic, repetitive workouts to downright bad exercise advice. TR[Ai]NER by Element 26 is our pick for the best AI workout app because it offers detailed, immersive training programs that you can modify at any time based on your performance and post-session feedback. Some programs are generic, and while they may help you address some of your fitness goals, they may not help you with all of your aspirations.
It’s best to stretch after you have warmed up for a few minutes, or perform stretching exercises after you completed your workout. When stretching each muscle group, take it slow and steady, release, repeat again. Stretching exercises keep your muscles and tendons flexible, preserve your posture, and improve mobility, especially as you age. The Polar Unite has the sporty look of a fitness watch, and it can hold up to 20 sport profiles. It was comfortable — its heart-rate sensor is flat, which is a nice touch. When it comes to tracking distance, the Fitbit Charge 6 performs well and has built-in GPS, which the Inspire 3 does not.
