When you can't get to the gym, home workout apps are a great way to get moving. It can be difficult to determine which ones are worthwhile of your time. The App Store and Google Play Store are both brimming with apps that claim to help you improve your flexibility and fitness at home, but only the best are created by qualified professionals who understand what makes a workout safe and effective.
At a glance, the best home workout apps
1. Peloton:
Peloton is best known for its spin classes and live coaching sessions, which are all present and correct in the app. There's also a lot more to choose from, such as a variety of workouts that require little to no equipment or none at all.
Peloton is also running a workout-based challenge called Pelothon, which benefits hunger relief projects around the world. Peloton's 33 instructors are divided into six teams that will lead sessions on various days. Choose one to join, meet your weekly goals, support one another, and track your entire team's progress, and Peloton will start donating to one of its non-profit partners each week.
2. Aaptiv:
While most home workout apps use videos to demonstrate what you should be doing, Aaptiv walks you through each activity, so you don't have to prop up your phone or tablet and peer at your screen in the middle of a stretch. It also includes licensed music, so you don't have to worry about creating a playlist in another app.
Aaptiv-app-development
Workouts are divided into categories such as strength training and stretching, and each one includes an estimated duration and difficulty level, as well as star ratings from other users to help you choose.
All of the trainers featured in the app are relentlessly cheerful and encouraging as they push you to your limits, which can be especially helpful when working out alone away from the buzz of a real gym. All of this is available for a monthly fee of $15/£13 (approximately AU$26), with a discount available if you pay for the entire year in advance. That's a significant financial investment.
3. Fitbit Coach:
Workouts are divided into categories such as strength training and stretching, and each one includes an estimated duration and difficulty level, as well as star ratings from other users to help you choose.
When you first launch the app, you'll be prompted to create a Fitbit account (or log in with an existing one), after which you'll be taken through an eight-minute fitness test. After that, you'll be able to dive right in and choose from a variety of programs designed with various goals in mind.
You don't need a Fitbit device to use Fitbit Coach, but if you do, connecting it is simple. The app can also connect to Facebook and Google Fit, allowing you to share your progress with friends; another great incentive to get up and move.
4. Asana Rebel:
When you first launch the app, you'll be prompted to create a Fitbit account (or log in with an existing one), after which you'll be taken through an eight-minute fitness test. After that, you'll be able to dive right in and choose from a variety of programs designed with various goals in mind.
While the app is free to download and browse through its scores of yoga practices, accessing them all requires a premium subscription. This will also grant you access to meditation sessions, regular reminders, and guided meditations to aid in your sleep. Membership costs £9.89 per month or £47.88 if paid in advance, making it one of the most affordable home workout apps available.
While many yoga classes and apps appear to be primarily aimed at women, Asana Rebel's developers have made sure to include plenty of guides from male instructors as well, as well as options for all capacities.
5. Adidas Training and Running by Runtastic:
Adidas Training and Running by Runtastic has one significant advantage over most strength-training apps: it includes a good number of free features. As you could consider, the Adidas brand is heavily promoted throughout, but this isn't just a marketing strategy – when you peel back the three stripes, it's a seriously good app.
Workouts are guided by videos and audio narration. There is little motivational speaking in this video; you are simply told what to do and for how long. It will help to have your phone at eye level the first time you try a new exercise so you can compare your form to the video provided, but once you've mastered it, you'll be able to get by with just the voice instructions.
There are numerous pre-made workouts to choose from, and if none of them appeal to you, you can create your own by selecting body parts and setting a duration – a thoughtful feature that could save you a lot of scrolling.
6. Nike Training Club:
Nike Training Club, like Adidas Training and Running, provides an excellent archive of free content in exchange for burning the athletic wear brand into your consciousness – and it's another impressive app beneath the brand identity. There is also no paid tier; everything is completely free.
After entering a few details in yourself and your current energy levels, you'll be presented with a useful set of workouts (complete with timings) that might suit your needs. Can't find what you're looking for? You can also search for options based on muscle group or type of workout (endurance, strength, mobility, or yoga).
Many of the apps on this list can cast a video to your TV, but Nike Training Club is the most user-friendly, allowing you to send workouts to a big screen with just a couple of taps.
7. Zwift:
Zwift's home workout app covers both running and cycling, and unlike most apps on this list, it requires some hardware to get started. You'll need a treadmill and the tiny Zwift RunPod (a cadence sensor that attaches to your running shoe) to run. Almost any treadmill will work as long as you have the RunPod, though there is an increasing number of smart treadmills that will connect with the Zwift directly
A bike and a trainer are required for cycling. Even better if you have a cadence sensor, heart rate monitor, or power meter. Whatever workout you choose, you'll be able to explore a variety of virtual courses while running or riding alongside other app users from all over the world.
There's also the chance to run for a good cause. Zwift is currently hosting a mission in collaboration with Great Ormond Street Hospital in which you can sign up to help meet a community running goal of 18,000 miles and unlock a $25,000 donation to help the hospital's 18,000 sick children who visit each month.
8. RockMyRun:
If running is your preferred workout, RockMyRun can provide some inviting musical accompaniment for any length of the run. The app can sync music to your steps or heart rate, and you can also manually adjust the music to match your times per minute.
RockMyRun includes curated playlists, which combine songs to help you get the most out of your workout. Stations cover a wide range of genres, including hip-hop and rap, as well as pop, alternative, reggae, and others. RockMyRun also claims to be simple to integrate with other apps such as Apple Health, Strava, Nike+, Runkeeper, MapMyFitness, and Runtastic.
While the emphasis is clearly on running, RockMyRun can also be useful for home exercise, providing a steady beat while you work out on your treadmill or elliptical machine
9. Yoga Studio:
Gaiam's Yoga Studio has a library of over 70 yoga and meditation classes ranging in length from 10 to 60 minutes. These classes focus on strength, flexibility, relaxation, balance, or a combination of all four, and you can filter by duration, focus, and ability level. Advanced Yoga Studio users create their own classes using the app's library of nearly 300 poses and 20 pose blocks.
Users can download videos and watch them later without needing to connect to the Internet, and instructors can connect Yoga Studio to television via Chromecast, Apple TV, or AirPlay.
Yoga Studio has switched to a subscription model, which allows you to try out the app for 7 days before committing to a subscription. A monthly pass costs $9.99, and an annual pass costs $69.99.
If yoga is your preferred form of exercise, be sure to check out our roundup of the best yoga apps; we can also assist you in finding the best yoga mats for your workout.
10. Workout Trainer:
Skimble's Workout Trainer app provides exercises and training routines for both gym newbies and seasoned gym-goers. A simple questionnaire that assesses your physical fitness yields recommended exercises and workout plans that are tailored to your fitness objectives. Notifications, reminders, and streak and stat tracking help keep you on track; users can even hire one-on-one trainers with a variety of fitness specialties.
While Workout Trainer is one of the best workout apps based solely on those features, it also includes a premium subscription tier starting at $6.99 per month. Your paid subscription gives you access to over 100 different workout programs, the ability to customize your workouts and exercises, and bonuses like wearable fitness tracker integration.
How to Select the Most Acceptable Workout App
The best workout app for you will cover the exercises you want to do at a level that is appropriate for you. A good fitness app should ideally support multiple levels of expertise, allowing you to push yourself to the next level as you get fitter and more comfortable.
Several of the apps on our best workout apps list will track your workout data. If you have an iPhone, pay close attention to any apps that integrate with the phone's built-in Health app.
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