Visit any iOS or android app store today and you’ll be quick to find hundreds of fitness apps available to download. These days, new workout tips and tricks are available by the dozen, and it’s never been easier to find workout inspiration online. While there may be many great options out there, it can also be hard to weed out the fads from the truly effective workout programs.
We did the grunt work for you and rounded up the 7 best fitness apps available on the market today. Each app is vastly different from the other and offers something unique that will hopefully motivate you to get off the couch and into beast fitness mode!:
1. Runkeeper
With its 45 million plus members, Runkeeper is one of the biggest fitness apps currently available online. Its popularity stems from its ability to seamlessly sync with other fitness apps like My Fitness Pal and Fitbit, so you can keep track of your various fitness activities. Runkeeper also offers training plans with audio coaching, providing you with personal coaching without a real PT needed. Get off the couch and start your new fitness regime today with Runkeeper’s easy features that also include tracking your running speed, distance, elevation and calories burnt. No more excuses!
2. Rock My Run
Rock My Run is a fantastic app for individuals who rely on music to motivate them to workout. For only $2.99 a month, users get access to thousands of DJ mixes designed specifically for their workout. Search by genre and activity or curate a playlist that plays to the beat of your heart. Workout to the beat of your song and watch your performance levels soar through the roof.
3. Simple Steps
Simple Steps’ goal for its users is to have them “eat better, one small step at a time.” Their program focuses on individuals setting one small goal at a time, be it drinking more water or eating more vegetables. Instead of asking their users to commit to a complete lifestyle overhaul, Simple Steps wants individuals to make one small change at a time, until it becomes a habit. The app is set up like a game- the only way to advance onto your next goal is to succeed at your current one. Chosen by Men’s Fitness as the “Best Health App of 2016,” Simple Steps is a simple concept that has succeeded in turning a diet into something that is manageable, achievable and fun.
4. Just Dance Now
This app is fantastic for the days you’re coming up with excuses to not work out. If you’re not in the mood to leave the house for the gym or even complete a home workout, simply turn on Just Dance Now and watch yourself start to move! The app lets you mimic the movements of the onscreen dancers, getting you to work up a sweat while dancing up a storm to the latest hits. It’s fun, easy and makes for a great workout (without seeming like one!) There’s no limit to how many people can play together so turn your solo dance session into a proper dance party by inviting friends to join.
5. Seven
This award-winning app promises to transform your body for a mere 7 minutes a day. How does it work? Backed by scientific research, the authors behind the program have created 12 exercises that can be performed in 7 minutes but achieve the equivalent of an hour’s workout. It’s designed to be a high intensity work out so the harder you go, the better results you get.
The app tracks your results and encourages you to stick to the challenge by giving you “life lines.” If you miss 3 workouts in a month, the program will reset your progress and you’ll have to start from scratch. Seven is a very interactive app, tracking your results and providing you with spoken instructions and feedback, as well as workout illustrations, visual timers and graph progress charts.
6. Run Social
Beat the boredom with the Run Social app that changes the scenery for you as you run on your treadmill. Run Social creates 3D worlds for you to run through so while you may be running indoors at your local gym, for you it’ll feel like you’re jogging in New York’s Central Park, for example. Even cooler? People from around the world who are also using the app can see you, represented as an avatar, running the same route as them!
Run Social was designed to take your daily jog up a notch and it’s done so splendidly with its innovative virtual reality, live interaction with other runners and easy tracking system.
7. Couch to 5K
Couch to 5K is one of the highest rated health and fitness apps on the market, aimed at getting couch potatoes off the couch and into running 5 kilometres within 9 weeks time. It may sound impossible at the start, but the app’s gentle approach will help ease any doubtful participant.
The program helps participants develop basic muscular strength and stamina and allows individuals to alternate between running and walking during their workout. The program’s slow build up is what has made it such a success, with thousands of individuals attesting to the app’s effectiveness.
