I’m not the most competitive person, but I have run the occasional low-stakes 5K, and I do run regularly. Having tried all the go-to running apps before, I was really excited to test Runna because it’s a relatively new addition to the running app scene. If you’re an avid Apple customer, Apple Fitness might be the first fitness tracker you try. My husband, who’s an avid cyclist, mentioned that Strava also connects directly with bike computers and indoor road bike trainers like Zwift. Because I don’t bike enough to have that fancy schmancy equipment, I didn’t test either of these features—though I can see why they would be a huge plus for cyclists.

Strava (iOS, Android)

If you already work with a trainer, it is worth asking whether they use an app to program and track your workouts, allowing you to combine professional expertise with the convenience of digital tools. While the platform is ideal for advanced athletes, beginners also benefit by learning foundational movements and mastering strength basics. “You pick a coach based on your goals and preferences, and each day’s workout—including rest—is programmed for you. My sessions are about 45 minutes, and at 45, I feel and look stronger than ever.“ Health behaviors including physical activity, diet, smoking and alcohol consumption during the pandemic were self-reported.

• You can also save your favorite trails to an easy-to-access list, as well as create your own routes and trails.
• It’s definitely worth investigating before your next running event – after all, it’s cheaper than a real running coach.
• For example, while Strava can track your gym workouts through Apple’s Fitness app, it’ll struggle to give you useful information, as it won’t record any data points beyond heart rate and calories burned.
• We chose these apps for their quality, user reviews, and overall reliability.
• If you’re looking for a simple workout tracker with an expansive community feed, look no further than Hevy, our pick for the best free app for community support.
• They can „talk“ to your smartphone or smart gym machines and connect you to workout videos, recipes, or guided meditation.

Supporting information

Whatever gets your heart rate up and gets your body moving – while having fun and staying motivated – is the exercise that will help you shed pounds. While there are endless forms of exercise, experts categorize physical activity into four broad types based on what each calls upon your body to do and how the movement benefits you. Whether you were once much more physically active or have never been one to exercise regularly, now is a great time to start an exercise and fitness regimen.

Health

You can connect your Zwift account and indoor bike to Strava as well, so indoor rides populate the app as well. You filter out the workouts by the equipment you have as well as skills. The app is very easy to use, and Amanda rates it a 5 out of 5 in its ease of use.

How we test the best workout apps

WH executive editor Abby Cuffey and executive health and fitness director Jacqueline Andriakos have been using Ladder for years for the kettlebell workouts in the Body and Bell program (created by Kanski) in the app. WH lifestyle director Lindsay Geller has also been using it more than ever, thanks to their recently launched prenatal track. 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.

If you have a major health condition like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart or lung disease, osteoprosis, or a neurological disease, definitely talk to your doctor first. People with mobility issues such as poor balance or arthritis should also get advice from their doctor. In addition to mapping your routes, the app tracks your progress, offers challenges, and even shares your location with friends for safety. While some workouts require dumbbells or resistance bands, there are plenty of bodyweight options to choose from as well.

About Apple Fitness+

Teachers worldwide create programs for beginner, intermediate, and advanced practices. The My Plan dashboard provides custom training plans based on a person’s answers to a series of questions, or a person can select from the ready-made schedules. Of course, if you really want to make noticeable changes to your body, you’ll need to focus on your nutrition. The app has hundreds of recipes to choose from, and I was able to tailor my meal plan to my dietary requirements. The recipes are delicious, and easy to follow, and I appreciated having everything in one place.

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Noom is a must-have app for seniors to track their fitness and health routines. A study by the Journal of Medicine Internet Research Diabetes followed 14,767 older adults who used Noom and were able to safely and effectively lose weight helping them lower the risk of diabetes and other health issues. Whether you like to go to the gym or work out from home, you have access to classes and videos for all types of activities. Yoga Down Dog is one the best yoga apps for seniors with over 60,000 different configurations to get you a new yoga practice every time you come to your yoga mat. The apps have easy-to-use interfaces and do not require any type of madmuscles user ratings exercise equipment, making them ideal for seniors.

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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. While many of their workout plans are locked behind the subscription plan, the app still provides some free gym workouts, like the 3-Day Core Superset Routine, which Kate did and enjoyed. Navigating through workout plans is pretty easy as well, leading Kate to rate the ease of use a 4 out of 5.

Best for Gym Workouts: JEFIT

That’s a huge bonus when you consider that many fitness apps have classes and videos to exercise along with, many of which even offer a level of personalization to tailor exercises to your fitness levels. Some apps even connect you with other users and lend a sense of community to your workouts. BetterMe is our pick for the best workout app overall because it has a great variety of workout modalities, including plenty of strength training. We also love that the app offers an onboarding quiz, guided plans, and daily checklists remove decision fatigue, making it easier for beginners and busy users to stay consistent with their strength programs. The app covers a wide spectrum of needs—low-impact and wall Pilates, strength, walking, chair and mobility sessions, plus mindset and nutrition tools—so users can progress or scale back without leaving the platform. Budget is a big factor, even though most workout apps cost far less than regular sessions with a personal trainer.

That’s a lot of information for each exercise, leading us to rate the instruction a 5 out of 5. Many of the apps on this list play nicely together, too, with the likes of Fitbod and Fitbit Premium able to pull data from Google and Apple. With that in mind, we’d recommend testing out one that seems to cater to your chosen discipline, even if just for the length of the free trial, in their free iterations to check you’ve got the right app for your device. As the name implies, Fitbit Premium is definitely better with one of the company’s trackers, opening up a whole bunch of additions to the base experience.

Best for Garmin Users

In 2025, there are so many fitness apps out there that knowing where to start can be really daunting. That’s why we test fitness apps and collate our picks to help you make the right decision. With the right tools and consistency, achieving a healthier lifestyle is within reach. Whether you are looking to lose weight, build muscle, or simply develop better eating habits, these apps can be an invaluable resource in helping you stay on track and maintain long-term success. When you keep tabs on your food intake and exercise, you’re more likely to stay on track, make healthier choices, and achieve long-term success.

However, the results must be interpreted considering some limitations. We assessed the impact of technologies on only aerobic physical activity and the intake of fruits and vegetables. We were not able to examine the link between technologies usage and alcohol intake and smoking because only a small percentage of our sample used technologies for these purposes. While our sampling was worldwide, the majority of participants resided in Australia. As a large proportion of participants were women, and had high level of education, this might bias our findings and affect the generalizability to other population groups.