Are you looking for the best workout apps for home workouts or exercising on the go? Workout apps can provide an excellent fitness solution that is convenient and affordable.
The best workout apps can help you get fit, monitoring your progress along the way. You will get the benefits of a great workout without having to make the trip to the gym (or pay for the costly in-person gym membership). You can also exercise whenever it fits your schedule.
Workout apps have improved tremendously in recent years. As the demand for top-notch home fitness content increases, they provide more variety and better quality fitness instruction.
However, with a huge saturation of apps to choose from, it can be difficult to figure out which app and workout program is best for you. Whether your goal is to build strength, lose weight, or gain muscle, there is an exercise app for you.
That being said, here are the best workout apps to download in 2023 for every fitness lover and every budget.
10 Best Workout Apps of 2023
Apple Fitness Plus
Apple Fitness Plus is one of the best workout apps for iPhone and Apple Watch wearers. With HIIT, strength, core, yoga, Pilates, and meditation classes amongst others, there’s a huge variety of workouts to choose from. These are all taught by a range of different trainers.
The app also has two instructors in the background during classes, showing modifications for beginners, or those looking to push themselves harder. This is particularly useful as there is no option to filter classes by difficulty.
At first glance, the app can feel a little overwhelming, but you can filter classes by time, trainer, and the music you prefer to work out to. You can also add classes to your library, which lets you select classes you’ve taken before, or plan on taking in the future, at a glance.
If you are wearing one of the best Apple Watches during a workout, you will be able to see stats from your Apple Watch on the screen. And following an update in 2022, you don’t need to wear an Apple Watch to be able to access Apple Fitness Plus classes. And even without wearing a watch, you will still get access to thousands of fitness classes you can do at home or in the gym.
The Apple Fitness Plus app is one of the best workout apps because of the huge variety of workouts it offers and its seamless integration for connecting with the iPhone and Apple Watch. Apple also adds new workouts to the platform to help prevent users from getting bored.
Beachbody on Demand
Beachbody On Demand is an impressive workout app with lively, invigorating classes and programs led by high-quality instructors. Testers gave it top scores thanks to a wide variety of classes and activities offered, ranging from challenging boot camps to Pilates.
The app itself is easy to navigate, and you’re able to search for classes and programs based on your needs and interests.
Get started by choosing from a variety of programs, like a six-week cardio plan, or a two-month hip-hop program that focuses on ab work. You can also just join a quick BODi Camp workout streamed from your living room.
Nike Training Club
Nike made its Nike Training Club app content completely free for 90 days in March 2020 to help people keep fit while they stayed at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the app has been completely free for users, and there is no paid version anymore.
However, as a consequence of the update, Nike removed some of their training programs, which used to be a popular feature of the app. Instead, you now have the option to filter workouts by muscle group — abs and core, arms and shoulders, or glutes and legs, workout focus — endurance, mobility, strength, and yoga, and by equipment. There is also the option to filter by duration, level, and intensity.
The instructor-led workouts are engaging and motivating. The whiteboard workouts, which show you the entire workout so you can follow at your own pace, are enjoyable. There is also the option to connect the workout to your Apple Music. It’s not perfect, but for a free app, there’s plenty to keep you moving here.
SWEAT
SWEAT is a workout app designed specifically for women by women. Sessions are led by female fitness professionals that are considered some of the best in the industry. The High-Intensity Zero Equipment sessions led by Kayla Itsines feature high-intensity circuit training that is suitable for all levels.
The post-pregnancy program from Kelsey Wells is a standout on this app. It is also a great option for beginners looking to make a fitness transformation.
The community is vast, the content is effective and user-friendly, and the app and instructors are very motivating. You can also preview each workout before getting started, and the majority of exercises are easy to follow.
Peloton
If you are unable to afford a Peloton exercise bike or Tread to stay in shape, the Peloton workout app is the next best thing. It has thousands of interactive classes to take that’ll help you and the instructors stand out from the crowd in terms of their enthusiasm. There is also the option to join live classes and compete with friends.
From strength to yoga, to HIIT cardio, the option to stack classes is great. It lets you add multiple classes together so you can seamlessly add a cool-down or stretch to your workout. The classes are easy to follow on a phone or tablet, but to get a real Peloton experience, you should stream the workouts on the TV.
The Peloton programs give you a longer schedule of classes to help you reach your goal, whether that be to get stronger, or to “crush your core” in four weeks. There are also different collections of workouts, which make it easier to find a range of workouts by type.
In May 2023, Peloton announced three new app-only membership options: Peloton App Free (free), Peloton App One ($12.99/month), and Peloton App+ ($24/month). App One members will get strength and floor-based workouts, while App+ unlocks cardio classes.
Strava
Strava is one of the best running apps on the market, with a free and paid subscription to allow runners, cyclists, and walkers to keep track of their progress. However, despite its reputation as a running app, you can track up to 31 different sports including hiking, canoeing, an E-Bike ride, rowing, alpine skiing, swimming, stand-up paddleboarding, and yoga.
While the free version of the app is great, the paid version lets users use the Routes tool on Strava. This gives suggestions based on where other runners in your area have clocked their miles. You also get segments, advanced performance metrics, and training plans.
Strava supports a variety of running trackers apart from Wear OS devices and Apple Watch. 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.
Of course, it’s important to point out that there are no actual workouts on Strava. Unlike other apps on this list, don’t log on and expect to follow a strength training session. This is an app mainly for tracking your progress.
Centr
If you want to get fit, you probably couldn’t do better than lessons from Thor himself.
Created by Chris Hemsworth and his hand-selected team of health professionals, Centr is a comprehensive fitness and wellness app that delivers effective workouts. The app’s exercises range from HIIT to strength and Pilates. However, the program is complete with nutrition guidance and healthful recipes curated by chefs to help you achieve your wellness goals.
If you are looking for a total nutrition and fitness lifestyle change with meal plans and guidance, this is a great pick. Many of its programs can help you build serious strength, including the new Centr Power, which is a dedicated muscle-building program.
EvolveYou
Are you someone who likes to mix up your workouts? Do you like alternating between cardio or weights, Pilates or HIIT, the gym, or workouts in your living room? Then EvolveYou is a workout app worth considering.
Designed for women by personal trainer Krissy Cela, the app has six different trainers on board, all of whom have a number of different workout plans to choose from.
The app is easy to navigate around. And although it is a little glitchy now and again, it is still one of the best workout apps. The workouts are simple and extremely easy to follow, making the app well-suited to complete newbies and more experienced gym-goers alike. There’s also the option to play your own music or listen to a podcast while working out.
EvolveYou has a 14-day free trial. This allows you to access all areas and give the workouts a try before subscribing.
Future
A combination of personal training with the convenience of working out at home on your schedule ensures that Future gives you the best of both worlds.
You start by matching with a personal trainer based on your goals and fitness level, and you can train all month for the price of what one personal training session would typically cost at a high-end gym. Just note that, apart from a live call at the beginning, you won’t see your trainer during every session. However, they will be there virtually for providing feedback and adjusting your program.
Your weekly training plan is created just for you, with audio and video guides for every movement. There is great personalization for each workout, and it is also nice having a trainer to track your progress and listen to your feedback to help modify exercises.
HWPO Training
Are you a CrossFit fanatic? Or are you simply taking your first tentative steps into the world of weightlifting? Whichever category you fall into, you will find something for you on the HWPO training app.
HWPO stands for “Hard Work Pays Off” and it really does. Because these workouts work. Designed by Mat Fraser, the only CrossFit Athlete in history to win five consecutive CrossFit Games, the exercises are clearly written out and easy to follow. They come with instructional videos to help you master the perfect form. You can also work out both in the gym or at home, as they don’t require endless equipment.
The downside here is that the app is definitely on the expensive side. But if you can afford it, you’re getting a lot for your money here.
RELATED ARTICLES:
