Best Workout Apps

Whether you want to tone and sculpt, build muscle or improve cardio endurance, the right app can help meet your fitness goals. The best workout apps help you stay motivated and accountable by tracking your progress.

Our experts tested a variety of workout apps to find the best ones for you. They consider things like the number and type of classes offered, class length, instructors’ experience and skills and cost.

1. Nike Training Club

If you’re looking for an app that offers a wide variety of workouts that will get you fit at home or in the gym, Nike Training Club is one to consider. The app features nearly 500 on-demand workouts with programmes for a range of fitness goals. The workouts are sorted by muscle group, focus, equipment or trainer-led courses and users can even get digital badges and trophies when they reach certain milestones.

The app can be linked to Apple Health, which makes it easy to keep track of progress over time and the app is compatible with Spotify for music streaming. The app could do with a little more functionality in the form of workout trackers and customisation options but it is still a good choice for fitness enthusiasts.

2. Glo

Glo is a fantastic yoga app that makes it easy to build an at-home practice. The personal recommendations, library tools, and filter settings help you find what you’re looking for. Plus, you can create programs and classes to help set long-term goals.

The app also includes on-demand and live classes that will get your heart pumping. Classes include vinyasa flows, barre and HIIT workouts, and prenatal classes for all trimesters. If you’re a yoga fanatic who doesn’t want to explore other workout styles, you may be better off with another app like Gaia or Find What Feels Good – Yoga With Adriene. For more yoga options, Yoga International also offers one-on-one coaching sessions. However, it’s one of the more expensive apps on our list.

3. Calm

Calm is a meditation app that’s also constantly updating with new content. Its soothing aesthetic and interface, with images of forests, mountains, and oceans, truly embody the practice of meditation. The app asks you for your mood and what type of meditation you’re looking for, which allows it to customize the content for you.

The app has a wide variety of content beyond just meditation, including yoga videos in the “Movement” section, celebrity audio sessions on mental health, and a large music section. It has a kid’s area that features sleep stories narrated by celebrities, as well as mindfulness exercises for children.

Georgetown employees receive full access to the app through our partnership with Kaiser Permanente. Employees can sign-up through the app by entering their Georgetown NetID email address and creating an account.

4. Sworkit

Sworkit is a popular workout app that features workouts in categories like strength, cardio, yoga, or stretching. The app offers a variety of workouts to fit any schedule or fitness level, and it even has a daily Workout of the Day that can be displayed at the top of the screen.

A 2015 review by PC Magazine found that the variation of exercises was one of the app’s strengths. This is important because research shows that people are more likely to stay motivated and avoid plateauing if they exercise with variety.

Sworkit also offers workout plans that are categorized by goal and ability, though they only come in 6 week lengths. The app also allows users to customize their workouts by selecting specific exercises and deciding how long they want to work out for.

6. Gymaholic

If you want a simple, easy to use app with the ability to log your weightlifting routines without your phone, check out Gymaholic. It integrates with Apple’s Health app for a streamlined workout log and features an iPhone and Apple Watch version.

The iPhone app comes with an avatar and trainer that make use of AR to appear in front of you as you train, helping to keep you motivated while you’re in the gym. It also lets you set a goal for the number of reps or sets completed and includes a feature that automatically raises the weight each time.

If you’re looking for more advanced weightlifting apps that also help with tracking and finding new exercises, then consider Fitness Point or Strong. Both have a library of workouts and exercise videos, as well as customizable rest timers for keeping you on track.

7. Fitbit

Fitbit is the best choice if you want an easy-to-use device with lots of features. The app shows you a general overview of your fitness metrics, but tapping into the stats gives you much more information, including a map of your route on a run, detailed heart zone data and calories burned. It also provides a Daily Readiness Score that analyses your sleep, stress and activity to help you decide if it’s a good day to push yourself or if you should prioritise recovery instead.

Premium users can participate in a variety of challenges and programs. They get personalised insights into their workouts and sleep, plus access to hundreds of video and audio workouts and mindfulness sessions (e.g. Beginner Bodyweight, Core Crush, Intro to HIIT). The platform is also compatible with several other popular fitness apps.