She’s been a journalist for the last 14 years and a CPT/group fitness instructor for the last 11 years. She grew up playing tennis, became an avid runner in college, competed in a bikini competition in her mid-twenties, and even completed a triathlon. Her workout of choice nowadays is strength training, plus logging her daily steps. After her first daughter was born six years ago, she became especially passionate about prenatal and postnatal fitness, teaching stroller bootcamp classes and working with expecting moms as clients.
Is there a workout app for women that is free?
- EvolveYouIf you’re someone who likes to mix up your workouts, alternating between cardio or weights, Pilates or HIIT, the gym, or workouts in your living room, EvolveYou is a workout app worth considering.
- You’ll usually trade off personalization, coaching, or advanced tracking at the free level, but free options can still work well.
- That’s why we’ve pared down the top fitness apps for home workouts that don’t require additional gear, save for your favorite yoga mat, light weights or an affordable fitness tracker.
- They also have a log so that you don’t have to carry around a notebook…
- It’s a simple, streamlined app that’s very beginner-friendly, but it’s not the best choice if you prefer to have access to more advanced features.
- It will also be helpful to have access to dumbbells, kettlebells, and resistance bands for a handful of different exercises.
Before you commit to a subscription, take a moment to reflect on what you truly require to succeed in your muscle-building goals. This list is valuable because it distills the overwhelming fitness app market down to a manageable, vetted selection. Each recommendation includes a snapshot of its ideal user, pricing, and platform availability, along with direct links to the app store. It’s an efficient way to get an unbiased overview before committing to a free trial or subscription, ensuring you find a platform that genuinely aligns with your fitness needs and preferences. From fully coached workouts, to audio and self-guided training – you can do at home, in the gym, or on-the-go.
Health Conditions
She also notes the app syncs with the Apple Watch but not apps like Garmin, Fitbit, or Strava, and she found it a bit frustrating to manually enter workout data later. To give you a clear picture, here is an example of how you might use the app over one week, whether you love gym training or prefer training at home. Always remember to adapt to your current fitness level and talk to a healthcare professional if you have medical conditions. Recent reviews highlight that resistance training for women improves body composition, bone health, cardiovascular markers, mental health, body image and building strength. Organisations such as the Royal Osteoporosis Society and Harvard Health also highlight that resistance training can help bones stay denser and less prone to breaking across your lifetime.
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. The full membership, Les Mills+ premium, gives you access to all classes and starts at $9.99 per month. 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. I like the specialization of the service itself as it caters to older athletes, but the variety of workouts beyond the Wall Pilates, Chair Yoga, or other general fitness recommendations is nowhere near as robust as other app platforms.
The app’s core strength lies in its multi-week, guided plans that eliminate guesswork. Users select a program and trainer, and the app provides a weekly schedule of workouts, complete with video demonstrations, timers, and exercise swaps. This structure is ideal for those who thrive on routine and clear progression. The platform also fosters a strong sense of community through regular challenges, encouraging shared accountability. Apple Fitness+ delivers a seamless fitness experience for Apple device users. With workouts led by expert personal trainers, integration with Apple Watch, and real-time metrics on your screen, it provides a personalized touch.
Best Fitness App for Nutrition Tracking – My Fitness Pal
But, when it comes to progressive overload, Aaptiv earns a 3-out-of-5-star rating. The principles of progressive overload are present in the app’s training plans, but Amanda notes, “The app offers basic progression. Most programs are just four to six weeks, so not really enough time to see big results for most folks, but would absolutely work for a beginner,” she says. The Alive app is SID class of 2024 trainer Gabrielle Savary’s “go-to” for strength training workouts.
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Metric VBT is so unique that it made its way into the WH 2025 Fitness Awards, so naturally, it deserves a shout-out here, too. It also shows the bar path so that you can address any technical issues. WH editors and SID trainers alike are obsessed with Ladder, which was co-founded by a WH advisory board member, Lauren Kanski, CPT. It gives you the best of both worlds with intense and effective guided workouts and personal training from actual coaches. A runner is going to want something totally different from someone primarily looking for an app that will help them strength train.
Best workout app for classes
If you care about progressive overload, tracking your 1-rep max, and hypertrophy, these are for you. These apps strip away the fluff—no videos of people smiling while they work out, just cold, hard data logging. If you’re going to be training in your garage gym, you’ll want to carefully consider what sort of home gym equipment may be required for the app you’re considering. Many apps have minimal requirements, and are designed to work with only your bodyweight and some light dumbbells. You receive a personalized plan that would costs hundreds of dollars elsewhere, and you don’t need to go to the gym to meet with a trainer, which is why we think it’s the best workout app for home use. You’ll pick your preferred training style and stay in that track for 5 to 6 week blocks, which gradually get more challenging.
Best fitness app ever
Every app we’ve tested offers a free trial, which you can use to help you decide before committing. Start by identifying your fitness goals, as they will guide your app selection. Whether you’re aiming to lose weight, gain muscle, improve flexibility, or train for a specific event, choose an app that specializes in the type of workouts and progress tracking aligned with your objectives.
How We Tested and Chose the Best Workout Apps for Women
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. Amanda gives NTC a 4-out-of-5-star rating for equipment demands, noting that you’ll need equipment for the majority of workouts, but you can filter workouts by what type of equipment you have available. “The app has videos and detailed instructions of each exercise, but it won’t be at the level of having a coach or group trainer leading a class,” Matt explains. Compared to the average workout app, Zwift is more affordable, and has a longer trial period. However, you’ll need compatible hardware, and it’s only good for cycling workouts.
Progress Tracking
And trust me, you can nerd out about fitness; it’s a highly complex topic. MapMyFitness is one of the best running apps we’ve tested, and you can get it for an affordable price of $5.99 per month for the premium version. It’s a little different than a strength training app that provides instruction and coaching, but the data it offers gives you fantastic insight into how you’re progressing over time.
Are you ready to start a healthy habit?
There are also handy features like Strava Beacon, which are designed to keep you safe, by allowing your friends or family members to track your live location on a run. However, if you use a non-Apple fitness tracker, you may be a bit limited for now. For example, I wasn’t able to connect my best Garmin watch to the SWEAT app. There’s free and paid options, but you get plenty of value if you do decide to pay, and you can access a free trial if you’re unconvinced. 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 mad muscle review keep you moving here.
Workout apps can provide you with expert guidance, either through professionally made programs and plans or through connecting you with a certified personal trainer or coach. While what a workout app does varies from product to product, they can help you track progress, keep you motivated, and connect you with like-minded individuals who can support you on your fitness journey. While some apps only have free trials, there are a few free workout apps. For example, Nike Training Club is completely free, offers workout databases, and lets you track your workouts. The Caliber app also offers a free version that can provide basic strength training guidance. Caliber’s free membership also lets you design your own programs (you’ll need to upgrade for personal coaching, however).