I like using a simple training journal to track workouts and progress. There’s also a wealth of third-party options available in the App Store. We even did a fun experiment and replicated the Whoop experience using Apple Watch apps. Fortunately, many of these sessions are now available for free in the Nike Training Club app. In late 2022, Netflix added a range of Nike Training Club workouts to its library. You could access these for free (so long as you have a Netflix subscription) and do the 10 or 20-minute sessions wherever you are.
Optimize training with personalized metrics
The recipes are delicious, and easy to follow, and I appreciated having everything in one place. Apple Fitness Plus is the best workout app if you’re embedded in the company’s ecosystem, especially if you use an Apple Watch. There are HIIT, strength, core, yoga, Pilates, and meditation classes, taught by a range of different trainers. Some are free or offer free trials for a week or month, which lets you test out the app before officially committing to it. Others can cost less than $10, under $50 or as much as $100 a month, depending on how personalized the experience tends to be.
FITNESS TRACKER DEALS OF THE WEEK
The full membership, Les Mills+ premium, gives you access to all classes and starts at $9.99 per month. Although there are plenty mad muscles of sessions that can help you build substantial muscle, we were impressed at the variety available through Centr. There are beginner-friendly workouts, high-intensity cardio sessions, and gym-based weights sessions, but the primary focus is on helping you hit your goals, whatever they are. Fiit’s group classes are completely free to join, and you only need a membership to tackle standalone sessions.
- Apple Fitness+ is the strength training app of choice for Editor Kerrie Hughes.
- In the Whoop platform, your Strain score is everything, so a correct assessment of your workout today ensures that your Strain recommendation and recovery figures will be more accurate tomorrow.
- Many startups have valiantly attempted to become the go-to option for strength training in that time, but almost all have failed.
- If you want more mobility or yoga workouts, you might be better off with an app like Fiit, which offers access to all group classes for free.
- This one from MyProtein comes in several resistances and is even more budget-friendly, making it the perfect workout companion for those short on space or anyone preferring not to have dumbbells at home.
- Plus, there are meditations, yoga sessions, and walking workouts too.
Best fitness app for race training
Fitbod and StrongLifts 5×5 offer structured programs perfect for beginners looking to start their fitness journey. Based on which you choose, the app will put together a running program for you. If I were new to running, this is exactly the kind of experience I would hope for. Runkeeper makes running feel attainable, no matter what progress looks like to you. I also liked that you can tell the app what kind of running shoes you wear, and it’ll tell you how many miles you’ll get out of them before needing to replace them. Another downside is that the sleep and recovery tracking are pretty mediocre.
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. CNET experts tested some of the most popular workout apps to see which ones actually offer great workouts.
It has a great workout builder though and is super easy to use once you get it set up, it’s definitely the best free app I’ve ever used. Sweat, founded by personal trainer Kayla Itsines, has plenty of structured programs based on your goals and lifestyle, offering workouts and nutrition plans to help you get the most from your training. Or, if you’re looking to keep costs down, Nike Training Club is completely free, while Fiit offers access to all group classes without charge. But if these aren’t quite right for you, we’ve rounded up the best workout apps for a range of training styles and budgets to get you started. The best free workout app depends on what you’re going to be using it for.
Specifications
Consider your specific goals, preferred workout style, and the features most important to you when making your choice among these top workout tracking apps for 2025. Although we rate it as the best workout app for most people, it is primarily focused on strength training, with some cardio and yoga on the side. If you want more mobility or yoga workouts, you might be better off with an app like Fiit, which offers access to all group classes for free. That’s why we put these fitness apps to the test, joining strength training sessions, yoga classes, and high-intensity routines over several weeks. If you’re looking for a top all-rounder, we recommend downloading Centr, the app developed by actor Chris Hemsworth.
Owning Your Menopause is an app designed to help with this, founded by specialist personal trainer Kate Rowe-Ham. Gymshark may be best known for selling the best workout leggings and running shorts but they’ve expanded their offering in recent years to include a strength training app. The Gymshark Training App is our best pick for beginners, as you can truly walk onto your mat, without any equipment, for the first time and take up strength training for the very first time. As someone who’s tried almost every workout under the sun, I wanted to create a best-of list that you can actually trust. For this list, I evaluated over 25 different fitness apps, from running apps to weightlifting logbooks to all-around activity trackers.
It’s certainly the most advanced strength training platform on my list – and possibly every list out there. However, the monthly platform subscription is still cheaper than one PT session in most places, and the Bike+ is undoubtedly a one-stop solution to full-body strength and cardio fitness. Of course, you have access to hundreds of pre-recorded workouts and live classes via the Peloton platform as usual.
Best strength training app for women over 45
The Nike Training Club is our pick for the best overall workout app because it’s free and offers a variety of classes, like HIIT, strength training, mobility and yoga. You can even follow a program over the course of a month and decide how often you’re looking to work out. Because Nike is such a big name in fitness, many of its workouts draw inspiration from famous athletes, like Simone Biles or Serena Williams.
Wearables for the gym: What to consider
But the lackluster wearable connectivity is a significant drawback—especially if you do most of your training outside. Unfortunately, if you primarily work out indoors, you won’t get much out of the app. It’s just not great at tracking activities like Pilates or weightlifting. And if you’re privacy-conscious or just not all that competitive, a lot of the strongest features are kind of useless. If you’re overwhelmed by the number of fitness apps on the market, you’re not alone.
“To see progress, add resistance or load to your sessions,” she adds. Otherwise known as progressive overload, to get stronger or build muscle, you’ll need to make your workouts harder so your body is forced to adapt to the stressor. Are you spending too much time scrolling through your phone between sets?
Best overall workout app
Ideally, a good fitness app will support multiple levels of expertise so that as you get fitter and more comfortable, you can push yourself to the next level. Not every workout app can be the best, but some can still be great and worth your time. These are the apps we’ve tested that didn’t quite make the cut, but are still worth a download if you’re after more options. Compared to some of the other apps on this list, this app is also pretty affordable. You can sign up for a free trial to see whether it’s for you, and after that, there are two different membership options to choose from. The Les Mills+ base membership gives you a stripped-back version of the app and starts from $4.99 per month.
Peloton Cross Training Bike+
Having a wearable that can share and transmit data to other connected gym equipment is also helpful. And the key to that is having something that offers ANT+ or Bluetooth smart connectivity. It gives you a Whoop-like ability to check off exercises in real time.
Frequently Asked Questions About Workout Tracker Apps
The app can feel a little overwhelming at a first glance, but classes can be filtered by trainer, time, and the music you prefer to work out to. You can also add classes to your library, which lets you select classes you’ve taken before, or plan on taking in the future, at a glance. Whether you enjoy weightlifting, yoga or cardio, the Fiit app has you covered. We’ve tested Fiit with and without equipment or chest strap monitors, and every class we’ve sweated through gets a huge tick from us. Finding your favorite workout app may require a bit of trial and error since you’ll want to see if you’re looking for a personalized experience or are comfortable with a cookie cutter plan. When I tried out this app, I signed up for a kettlebell class called Body & Bell, and what’s great is you get video demonstrations for the different exercises you’ll be doing.
