The Best Exercise Apps of 2023

Exercising at home is likely a considerable life change if you’re used to working out with a group or going to the gym every morning before work. With the advancement of technology and fitness app developers’ dedication, exercise app users experience the next-best-thing from home. There is truly something for everyone out there, so it comes down to researching and understanding your personal fitness needs and goals.

Health and fitness have always been consumer-driven industries. Still, technology changed the game forever, and mobile exercise apps have undoubtedly revolutionized the way people workout. And what does the fitness industry have to thank the most? Wearables. Wearable technology—like smartwatches and smart jewelry—became the link between real-life human beings and fitness tracking. If you wear a Fitbit, the Fitbit app acts as a personal assistant to your goal toward a healthier lifestyle. It keeps track of your daily goals and activity, counting your steps, active minutes, and calories burned. Even more, it collects data from your daily activities, so you can get a report on your progress at any time. It’ll even record your sleep patterns if desired.

The role of mobile apps in our lives is unprecedented. We use apps to wake up in the morning, make lists, get things done (from said lists), and fall back asleep at night. Businesses across all industries use apps to reach customers and improve operational processes. It’s no surprise that the fitness industry jumped on board to access users through mobile apps.

A May 2020 study reported that the global fitness app market is forecasted to reach $14.64 billion in 2027, a 23.5 percent increase from 2020. Another study found that fitness apps grew by nearly 50 percent during the first half of 2020, which is undoubtedly a response to stay-at-home orders due to COVID-19. And it’s not just smartphones and wearables. If you’ll remember, the Peloton app took the fitness industry by storm, and people became desperate to get one of their stationary bikes so they could spin at home.

Pros

• Wearables can track your progress and fitness level
• Track your heart rate
• Customize your fitness tracker
• Determine your fitness level
• On-demand personal trainers
• Customize your workout routine
• Exercise according to your schedule
• Choose a workout app that suits your lifestyle and personality
• Diet-tracking tools
• Keeping you accountable
• Get reminders about your physical activity
• Gyms can use push notifications for an in-app experience and increase
• Gyms provide information online: class schedules, sign-ups, gym hours mobile-check-in, booking capabilities
• Gives access to people with limitations (can’t get to a gym, can’t use gym equipment, gym anxiety)
• Offers access to people in remote locations or busy schedules (can do an exercise on lunch break at work, or do yoga that’s not available in your town)
• Gives options to people bound to their home (moms, people with disabilities, minors who can’t drive to the gym)

Cons

• It’s easier to skip if you don’t have a gym appointment with a real person
• You have to be diligent to track your progress
• You get what you put into it
• You’ll only get what you put into it
• You may not have the right equipment or space
• You may need to work with your doctor if you have serious weight loss needs

Activity tracker

One of the most essential features of health and fitness apps is the ability to track your steps. This is an incredibly motivating tool. Getting to see the steps you took at the end of each day encourages you to take even more the next day. A pedometer is also the connection between your physical activity and knowing how many calories you burned within a day. This is done through a calculation based on your weight and level of physical activity.

Food tracker

A food tracker is a missing piece in many health and wellness regimens. It doesn’t matter how hard you grind in the gym if, at the end of the day, you’re not paying attention to what you’re eating. While a fitness tracker helps keep track of your physical activity, a food journal tracks how you’re fueling your body. This feature is beneficial for anyone who needs to gain or lose weight. Studies show that people who keep a food diary are more likely to lose weight than those who maintain no record. Not only does it keep you accountable, but it sheds light on habits that you may not realize you have. Losing that extra five pounds could be as easy as cutting soda out of your diet or adding one green meal per day.

Water intake tracker

Hydration is a basic necessity of life. Harvard Health professionals say drinking an adequate amount of water each day:

• Regulates body temperature,
• Keeps joints lubricated,
• Prevents infections,
• Delivers nutrients to cells,
• Keeps organs functioning correctly, and
• Improves sleep quality, cognition, and mood.

This is why many health apps have added a water intake tracker. The recommended water intake for women and men is respectively 11 and 16 cups per day. That’s a lot of water! Especially in winter months, it can get easy to forget to keep up with that amount. Having a water intake tracker is a great way to monitor your water intake and connect symptoms and mood swings when you were dehydrated.

Sleep tracker

Like hydration, sleep is another function that is vital to our health. Getting adequate sleep, both in quality and quantity, recharges the mind and heals the body. When we sleep, our body literally fights off disease and consolidates our memory. Sleep deprivation is extremely dangerous and can cause delayed reactions, reduced cognition, and attention lapses.

With the stress of daily life, it can be challenging to maintain healthy sleeping habits. Having a sleep tracker is a great way to track sleep and get reminders when getting ready for bed. New technologies allow wearables to track whether we are getting enough time within each sleep cycle. Having this data synced to a fitness mobile app can help you determine whether certain activities or foods impact your sleep.

Compatibility with iOS and Google

Your exercise app must be downloadable on your iOS or Google device, as these are the most popular platforms. It’s also essential that the app be compatible with whatever wearable device you’re using. Apps that offer to track steps or calories burned will need to sync with a wearable device that supports this function. Ensure that your device is compatible with your wearable and will be able to track your health and fitness data as desired. If you use Apple Health, it would be wise to choose an exercise app that automatically integrates with your Apple Health profile.

Heart rate monitor

Having the ability to measure your heart rate from your phone is a massive stride toward the personal management of health and wellness. For years, heart monitors have been available on stationary bikes and treadmills. You can now measure your heart rate during any exercise if you have a smartwatch or some other wearable that records vital data.

Location tracker

Knowing your location is essential information, especially when you need directions. We now have GPS trackers everywhere we go on our phones. Having this data for a workout routine is invaluable. A running app with a location feature can track your distance and send you real-time notifications as you progress. Some fitness apps allow you to personalize the settings to mark each mile or half-mile during your walk, jog, run, or bike ride. You can use this data to measure your progress and keep track of routes for future workouts.

Customization

One of the most fundamental features of a fitness mobile app is having the ability to customize it according to your personal preferences. Fitness app development has come a long way and can use AI to make recommendations based on your unique features. When you first sign up, you’ll typically add your height, weight, age, gender, and fitness level. Once you add your health and fitness goal (e.g., gain muscle mass), the app will provide a recommended workout regimen. Some fitness apps go a step further and ask about your personal workout preferences, lifestyle, physical restrictions, and much more before making recommendations for a workout routine.

Push notification

Push notifications are used across many industries to stay in touch with customers or offer discounts and specials. In the context of a fitness app, push notifications are a great reminder to stick with your workout routine, eat a healthy meal, or drink enough water. This is exceptionally beneficial for exercise app users who live a busy lifestyle and may skip meals or forget they had planned to work out.

Community and chat

Fitness apps often have a social feature that provides users with a community of like-minded individuals that can post and share stories about their fitness journey. Studies show that having social and emotional support is critical to a successful weight loss journey. Hence, workout app features like these are a leap in the right direction.

Coaching and personal training

A fitness app might also provide the opportunity to speak with a trained professional, whether it’s for health consultation or regular visits with a personal trainer. Many people who download and use exercise apps are doing it for the first time, so extra support is crucial.

Still, many people find ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle among stay-at-home orders. This could include going on a daily jog or starting their day, sweating it out at a nearby park. But what if running isn’t your thing or you don’t live near a safe trail? What if you can’t leave the house because you have a baby at home? Even more, what if you loathe the idea of exercising outdoors and breaking out in a deep sweat in front of other people? The truth is, there is no single fitness plan that is a one-size-fits-all solution. We all have different needs, preferences, and limitations.

Luckily, the advancement of technology has brought on the ability to engage in most fitness activities and routines from the comfort of your own home via smartphone or tablet. Many known athletic companies (like Nike Master Trainer) or fitness experts (like Jillian Michaels, best known for her appearances on NBC’s The Biggest Loser) have jumped on board with these trends. As a result, they’ve created some of the best exercise apps specifically tailored to meet the unique needs of individuals who want to live a healthy lifestyle. Even during a global pandemic.

When you first get started planning out your fitness routine, it might help to ask yourself these questions:

• What are your fitness goals?
• What is your current fitness level?
• What is your fitness budget?
• Do you have any physical restrictions?
• Which workout will help you meet your fitness goals?
• What do you enjoy doing?
• What motivates you while you’re working out?
• Which physical activity do you enjoy most?
• How do you fit exercise into your schedule?
• Does fitness follow your lifestyle?
• What is a sustainable exercise regiment for you?
• How will you balance your fitness routine with your other life activities?
• What will help you focus on your goals?
• What is the best way for you to track results and progress?

• Does this app automatically integrate with the iOS health app?
• Will this be a good pair with my meditation app or other wellness apps?
• Will it offer personalized workout/training plans?
• Are the training/workout plans created by licensed personal trainers?
• Does this app offer the option of a guided workout?
• Can I connect with a personal trainer as part of my membership?
• Does the app offer nutrition plans?
• Does this app have a calorie counter?
• How many different workouts are provided in this app?
• Is there a variety of exercises that will meet my personal needs and restrictions?
• Is the app free for me to use?
• Is there a Premium Membership Fee?
• Does the app offer a trial version of their premium membership?
• What is the Premium Membership Fee, and how does it compare to other similar apps?
• How frequently will I be billed (daily, weekly, monthly, annually)?

When you are evaluating exercise apps make sure to read the about pages and product descriptions so you can better understand who the app is best designed for. With thousands of exercise apps in the app stores, there is usually at least one exercise app for nearly every desired experience or interest!

Examples of exercise apps we’ve come across since January 2023.

• Exercise apps with the top ratings
• Free workout apps
• Exercise apps designed specifically for women
• Exercise apps designed specifically for men
• Exercise apps for people with Android, iPhone, Apple Watch
• People who are only looking for at-home workout apps
• People who just want a fitness app to stay active
• People interested in a weight losss workout app
• People looking for high intensity interval training apps
• People who want to gain strength/muscle with an app
• [Exercise apps for kids or young adults - up to 15 years old](/best-exercise-apps-for-kids/
• Exercise apps for fitness beginners who want to generally be more active (who’d be looking for instruction and demonstration)
• Exercise apps for strength athletes (who’d be looking for weight training, functional training, strength training, HIIT, or interval training)
• Exercise apps for endurance athletes (who are most likely runners, cyclists, etc.)
• People who want to improve their flexibility, stretching, or mobility (who’d be looking for yoga, pilates, or stretching)
• Apps for people who need to rehab an injury with physical hterapy
• Exercice apps for pregnancy or new moms
• Exercise apps designed specifically for seniors
• Workout apps for travelers
• People who are looking for an app with custom fitness plans
• People who want feedback from a personal trainer in the app
• People who are looking for an app with live coaching sessions
• People who want to regularly track their workout progress
• People who use connected devices and fitness wearables
• People who wish to do quick workouts for less than 15 minutes per day
• People who want to participate in workout challenges or competitions
• People who want to have scheduled workouts
• People who only want an exercise app with bodyweight exercises
• People who want to follow a fitness class in a workout video format
• People who want incentives to get paid for exercising

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