25 Best Workout Apps for Beginners to Jumpstart Your Fitness

It has step counters, provides calorie-burn calculations, heart rate monitoring, and more. You can set the duration of the workout, select what part of your body to focus on in each session, and check out your progress that connects to other health apps including Strava and Apple Health App. The app has the standard features similar to other weight loss apps mentioned above, such as an exercise and diet tracker. However, it also comes with a singular feature that encourages you to modify your behavior surrounding the idea of diets and losing weight. Many users are praising this app for intuiting their needs for a tool that helps them monitor their weight loss.

Consider sports, hobbies, and joyful movement practices such as walking groups, pickleball, dance, yoga, Pilates, or strength training. With upwards of 16 styles of yoga and Pilates workouts for every body part, goal, and mood, you’ll always have a motivating training session. For value, the team weighed all of these factors—features, coaching depth, workout quality, and flexibility—against the typical monthly subscription price. If you’re looking for more nutritional support, we suggest checking out our best meal delivery services for weight loss, or trying out Noom in combination with Reverse Health.

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(Zwift also works with cycling, but after a 7-day trial, rides require a $15 monthly membership.) If you’ve got the right equipment, Zwift offers a unique way to get more out of your at-home runs. The Nike Run Club app is a completely free running app that allows you to track your runs, tune into coached runs, and connect with runners in your local area. The breadth and depth of this free content feels generous, especially when you consider that Strava now hides this kind of stuff behind a paywall. Occasionally, some of the narration veers into being cheesy, but during testing, we found the upbeat run coaches were a solid source of encouragement.

How do I choose the right fitness app for me?

choosing workout apps based on experience

You video chat with them for an introduction, and from there, your training plan is customized to your abilities and available equipment. In addition to its paid subscription options, it also has a free version of the app that gives you limited class-streaming access but includes its new guided gym workouts. Sweat ($10-$20 per month after a seven-day free trial) is the app created by trainer Kayla Itsines and home to workouts from other beloved fitness pros such as Kelsey Wells and Britany Williams. The workout app has more than 50 programs that span modalities and workout goals, from pregnancy barre to elite conditioning.

  • You likely won’t get real-time feedback, but our product tester Amanda Capritto, CPT, CES, CNC, CF-L1, tested the Premium version and reports coaches respond ASAP.
  • The best workout app for you will vary depending on your fitness goals, budget, preferred training method, and the level of coaching you desire.
  • The interface is clean and easy to navigate as well, leading Amanda to rate both the setup and ease of use a 5 out of 5.
  • Why you can trust Tom’s GuideOur writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what’s best for you.
  • These “newbie” gains are often attributed to neurological adaptations1, which means your brain and body are coordinating to stimulate certain muscle groups and perform new movements.
  • We also ensure that all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.

selectThis foldable exercise mat doubles as a block or step — here’s how I use it in nearly every workout

Your running workout data can also be exported to any additional fitness trackers or health apps you utilize. MapMyFitness app screenshot GGR product tester and endurance athlete Amanda Capritto, CPT, CES, CNC, CF-L1 says if she didn’t have so much data already stored on Strava, she’d switch to MapMyFitness. Regarding setting up the app and the ease of use, Amanda gives both categories a 5-out-of-5-star rating. You may like knowing that the free version of the app is ad-free and grants you access to the entire exercise library, which has over 500 movements. The app generates workouts from your initial questionnaire based on your equipment, desired frequency, goals, and age. You’ll answer the same questionnaire when starting, even if you choose group coaching or private coaching.

Others have been around the block for quite longer but have staying power because users continue to love them. In-person sessions happen at your home, so you get the one-on-one attention and help you need without the intimidation of a gym. This service is ideal for people who want more than just workout videos to follow along with. Workouts are designed as a program and the intensity level increases with each week, encouraging you to get stronger. Plus, Sweat has a forum where you can connect with other women using the platform. Along with fitness advice, the app also provides nutrition guidance in the form of daily meal plans.

Best Online Fitness Programs and Workout Apps in 2026 (Tried & Tested)

During testing, we found the instructor-led workouts to be engaging and motivating, and also enjoyed the whiteboard workouts, which show you the entire workout so you can follow at your own pace. It’s not perfect, but for a free app, there’s plenty to keep you moving here. Most of the programs and apps listed in this article include free trials so you can try them out for yourself before committing. Muscle Booster and Fitbod are both excellent for home training, as they adapt to whatever equipment you have available, including none at all. Yoga-Go is also a strong choice if you prefer low-impact movement, with sessions starting from just 7 minutes and no equipment required.

Best running app for tracking your training

Whether you are using HIIT, running, the right nutrition, or or gym workouts to reach your fitness goals, this app can accommodate your intentions and work to help you accomplish them. The ideal fitness app allows you to connect socially with friends, family, and people who have the same health goals as you do. They can encourage you to keep going, you can challenge them to reach fitness targets, and it increases your personal accountability for your good health. Aaptiv workouts can be done anywhere — at home, at the gym, outside on a ridiculously sunny day — because all you need is your phone and some headphones. With a membership you get access to more than 2,500 guided workouts, with more than 40 new classes added each week.

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“Plus, there’s analytics, including an anatomy chart that’s heat-mapped based on volume, so you can add any neglected muscle groups to your routine.” He rates the ease of use a 5 out of 5. If you want a more affordable app that’s still personalized to your goals and performance, JuggernautAI may be worth a try, especially if you’re focused on strength goals. Although it costs about $200 a month, Future features a user-friendly interface, customizable programming, and excellent support from your personal coach. While some strength-focused apps expect you to have access to at least the basics, like an Olympic barbell, dumbbells, and squat rack, Fitbod truly allows you to customize your workouts to any type of equipment access.

Considering Exercise Variety

choosing workout apps based on experience

The researchers looked at 30 popular fitness apps and found that overall, the rate of adherence to guidelines from the American College of Sports Medicine was low. Most apps offer a free trial, so you can give it a road test before committing to a full month or year subscription. Investing in your health is important, but mad muscles reviews the price and how it affects your monthly budget are also important. Each app offers different features and workouts, so feel free to experiment with several to find one that best meets your preferences and needs. These apps can help you make better decisions when starting a new fitness routine.

Can you do personal training through workout apps?

FitOn uses AI-powered workout recommendations based on your goals, fitness level, and activity history to suggest the most relevant classes — helping users stay on track without the guesswork. Overall, it’s a great starting point for users who want structured guidance without a high upfront cost. Many workout apps now offer programs that use only bodyweight exercises, making it easy to work out with no equipment. Others focus more on strength training with weights, including dumbbells, kettlebells, or gym machines.

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Finding workout apps that actually adapt to different fitness levels is surprisingly difficult. Most fitness apps design for either complete beginners or advanced athletes, leaving everyone else frustrated with workouts that are too easy, too hard, or just plain boring. Real fitness apps need to grow with users as they progress from couch potatoes to fitness enthusiasts. Some workout apps let you download videos for offline use, while others require a constant internet connection. Live classes or sessions with virtual coaching almost always need a working connection, so it’s important to check how each app handles offline access.

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