Sync Cronometer with all your devices and track all your biometrics from pain symptoms to gut health to blood sugar levels and more. Since 2002, members have used Meetup to make new friends, meet like-minded people, spend time on hobbies, and connect with locals over shared interests. Whatever your interest, from hiking and reading to networking and skill sharing, there are thousands of people who share it on Meetup. To join Apple Fitness Plus, you can try it out for free for up to three months and then have the option to pay month-to-month, $10 or $80 for the year.
Best Workout App for Beginners: Muscle Booster
If you are on the hunt for a free workout tracker, Hevy enables users to create routines, monitor progress with exercise charts and personal records, make exercise-specific notes, and connect with other users. Any functional fitness lover will appreciate the variety of CrossFit exercises available on SmartWOD. This app is a WOD generator as well as a WOD creator, so you can search for workouts or make your own custom workout using the app’s integrated timer and marking off reps and rounds. If you’re looking for a quick, new workout to do, SmartWOD can provide it.
How We Picked and Tested the Best Workout Apps
To compile our list of the best free workout apps, we used the same methodology, except for the caveat that the app had to have a free version. 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.
Fitness app users who engaged in upward fitness comparison had elevated motivation and participation in PA, especially it makes them feel happy (24). Exposure to images of idealized bodies in the media has been shown to increase body dissatisfaction among women. One of the mechanisms through which Apple fitness apps exposure influences body dissatisfaction is appearance-based comparison with the people in the images (26).
Paxton Heads to White House Following Cornyn Defeat
This app received high scores in nearly every category, but it’s a little limited in workout variety and interactive features. The Nike Training Club app received high scores for most categories, though it earned average rankings in a few select areas like equipment demands and progressive overload. The app works well, but doesn’t offer any sort of interaction, such as live classes or interaction with instructors.
Workout Tracking
Some of our favorite free workout apps include Caliber, Nike Training Club, and Map My Fitness. If those don’t do it for you, we have more free workout apps to choose from on our best free workout app roundup. The workout tracker is basic but deep, allowing you to create your own workouts. If there is a workout that you frequent, you can create it as a workout routine to simplify logging it in. In addition, Heavy provides some basic strength training routines of their own, such as 5 x 5 back squats. You can look at Hevy’s and other user’s workouts for inspiration, if you’re not sure what to do that day.
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
- It’s important to speak with a healthcare professional and get a physical examination before starting an exercise routine.
- Available modules include a four-week dumbbell muscle build program, a four-week metcon/HIIT program, and a six-week full gym strength gain program, among others.
- Using fitness apps allow users to engage in constant self-tracking and are described as a way to practice body awareness, it was found that fitness app use and wellbeing has causal relationship (1).
- It is biased to analyze the impact of upward social comparison on user behavior from a single negative or positive perspective.
- If you own an iPhone, it’s a no-brainer to sign up for a workout app that is already built into your smartphone and allows you to work out anywhere.
- Nobody wants to pay for something they may not like, so fitness apps with free trials earn higher points than those without.
To help you set safe weight goals during signup, we use a BMI calculator. BMI is based on the ratio of your weight to your height, and we don’t allow you to set weight goals below a certain ratio. Cancel at least 24 hours before the next renewal date to avoid being charged for the upcoming billing cycle.
What should I know before printing my QR Code?
As for accountability and interactive features, there aren’t a lot in this running app. Push notifications are present, and you can create and join plans to help with holding yourself accountable—but that’s only present in the premium version. There is basic community interaction through a community feed, but if you’re looking for a lot of support in your fitness journey, you may want to look for a different running app.
![]()
Renting the Pod
They have a workout library, too, so you can go off plan if you want to. You can deviate from the workout plan given by BetterMe, though, as there is an entire workout library. That said, Nicole notes that you may have to dig around to find what you need. “Once you get used to it, it’s easy enough; things are clearly labeled,” she adds. Rather, we find it better suited for people who have been training for at least six months because it lacks some of the human coaching and motivational tools that gym novices may want.
Progressive Overload

Some apps are meant for those who are entirely self-sufficient with no community or coach interaction, some offer fully customized coaching from a personal trainer, and many fall somewhere in the middle. To earn 3 out of 5 stars, an app should have programs you can join that give you a structured workout schedule, but they are not coached programs or group programs (you just follow it on your own terms). Maybe you get push notifications, or there’s a feature where you can integrate the workout app with your online calendar, but no human support or interaction. JuggernautAI costs slightly more than the average app, thought it offers a longer trial period than most so new users can experience the programming. If you’re not a powerlifter looking to boost your big three lifts, you may want to consider an app service like Shred, which offers workouts for a variety of fitness goals. Although more equipment is needed than in other apps we reviewed, Amanda still gives JuggernautAI a 4-out-of-5-star rating for equipment demands.
Factors to consider when choosing a workout app
For anyone in the market for a Peloton app alternative, iFIT should scratch the itch. This platform, which ranges from $15 to $39 per month, offers a library of 10,000-plus workouts streamed right to your phone/tablet or integrated cardio machine. The massive workout selection is led by more than 180 trainers, helping you find the right fit for your training style. Our tester and former lead reviewer for Garage Gym Reviews Everything, Lindsay Scheele, CPT, CNC, notes there are bodyweight, dumbbell, and barbell progressions for most movements.
I will say, though, that Zwift does a great job of bringing outdoor rides into your home thanks to its video-game-style design. I think the biggest evidence of my feelings toward Future is that I’ve used it every week since September 2020. While Muscle Booster can be perfect for beginners and provides decent bang for your buck, its lack of a free trial can’t be overlooked. While you can upload photos to send to your trainer, you can only send one at a time, according to Amanda. “Not only are there video demos for every movement in the Caliber app (which are really well-done), but you can even send form videos to your coach,” Amanda explains. “I think no matter where you are, there will be a workout you can do with the app,” says Lindsay.
