Category: 10 Best Workout Apps of 2026, According to Experts and Reviews

Each workout you log will add to a heat map, showing muscle groups used more frequently than others. This can be a good indicator of which muscles you should focus on next, and which muscles might be a little tired from previous workouts. Now, Amanda brings her expertise in fitness to the GGR team by testing equipment and writing authentic, honest reviews on everything you might need to stock your home gym.

Best Weightlifting Belts ( : Athlete Choices for Powerlifting, Olympic Lifting, CrossFit and More

Hoola lists a $29.99/mo subscription on iOS, with multi-month options available in-app; a free trial is advertised (length can vary by offer). The current App Store listing shows 4.8/5 from ~96 ratings and notes “Only for iPhone”—so there’s no native Apple TV app yet (you can still mirror from your phone if you want a bigger screen). Finish a session and the interface highlights muscles worked, then suggests a focused stretch or guided meditation for recovery. Depending on which watch you buy, you’ll also be able to use the app to access Garmin’s advanced training metrics. Under the Performance Stats tab of the Garmin Connect app you can see your Training Status, VO2 Max, Race Predictor, and Training Readiness Score, amongst others. Clicking into each tab gives you more data, as well as more information about what each metric means — you can find out more by clicking on the Help section in the top right corner when you’re in a data screen.

Strength Training by Muscle and Motion

This article is about building muscle after 70, but cardio is important, too. The app is completely free to use, forever, with no ads, as are our senior programs. 1–2 minutes between sets is a good interval where most people feel ready to get at it again. That being said, if you want to get strong, too, using heavy weights with a relatively low number of reps is better. Your nervous system will recall how to do the movements and connect with your muscles in no time.

Best workout app for beginners

The app provides a variety of strength training routines catered to different fitness levels. Fitbod and Shred are the two apps on this list with native Apple Watch apps that allow meaningful standalone functionality. Fitbod’s Apple Watch integration lets you log sets, rest timers, and navigate your workout directly from your wrist — the phone stays in your bag. This is the closest current option to a fully phone-free gym session while still using AI-generated programming. You can also change fitness goals on Apple Watch to match your new routine.

• We also considered categories like instruction quality, workout variety, and equipment needed, all of which helped shape our overall score.
• The app includes audio guidance, customized workouts, and instructional videos.
• There is a quick outline and a short video demonstration for each exercise in case the movement is new to you or you wish to have more guidance on your form.
• “The free version only lets you save three routines, so it might be worth the subscription just to help keep track of full powerlifting or bodybuilding programs,” our tester explained.
• If you need a motivational boost or someone to keep you on track, Shred wouldn’t be my top pick.
• In the modern world of fitness, weightlifting apps have taken center stage, revolutionizing how we approach strength training.

Stronger By The Day

There is a robust free-forever version and two paid options that grant you access to either group coaching ($19 per month) or a fully customized one-on-one coaching program (starting at $200 per month). 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.

Workout Variety

We also considered categories like instruction quality, workout variety, and equipment needed, all of which helped shape our overall score. After carefully rating each app we tested, we narrowed down our list to the top 14 options. Nearly 6,000 people found their ideal workout app with our help in 2025, and we’re ready to help you with the how to start losing weight for beginners picks below. With practically too many apps to choose from and nearly one in every five2 smartphone users downloading fitness apps to their device it can be hard to sort the good from the not-so-good.

Building Muscle

BetterMe gets a 4 out of 5 in its initial setup, since you begin with a quiz on your fitness goals, mobility issues, sleep schedule, and more. “I like that the quiz will populate a workout plan based on your answers, but the quiz was a bit too long for my taste,” says GGR editorial member Nicole Davis, CPT, PN1-NC, who tested out the fitness app. Another tester, Amanda Capritto, CPT, CES, CNC, CF-L1, CSNC, used Caliber Premium to work with a coach for a customized strength training routine. She reports working with her coach and using the app is easy, and she appreciates the fact that there are demonstration videos for every exercise assigned to your program.

Experience With the Nike Training Club

Why you can trust Tom’s GuideOur writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what’s best for you. Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. Brett Williams, NASM-CPT, PES, a senior editor at Men’s Health, is a certified trainer and former pro football player and tech reporter. You can find his work elsewhere at Mashable, Thrillist, and other outlets. Will Porter is an LA-based freelance writer covering golf, tech, and travel.

Do Cluster Sets Build More Strength and Muscle?

The app provides structured workouts designed by professional strength and conditioning coaches to help improve your game. It focuses on building tennis-specific muscles to increase power, strength, and accuracy in serves, forehands, backhands, and volleys. It also enhances speed and acceleration, improves muscular endurance, and reduces the risk of injuries. The app includes audio guidance, customized workouts, and instructional videos. Upgrading to Premium gives you access to Fitivity’s entire collection of over 500+ apps.

Q: What should I look for in a gym app?

You can measure your progress and workout history, as well as sync with numerous other apps and services and receive detailed reports of your tracked activity. That said, if you’re not a competitive runner, don’t let this put you off. Strava has all the running tracking features you’d expect – from running speed and distance travelled, to more in-depth performance analytics and weekly miles. If you need people around you to keep you motivated, Strava is the app to download right now.

Offering far more functionality than a typical cable machine (or functional trainer), this premium-priced Major Fitness product earned an impressive overall score of 4.2 out of 5. With a price comparable to your average cable machine, this trainer shines with its compactness and lightweight design. This attachment brings cable functionality to your home rack setup without eating up valuable floor space. It’s only compatible with the 84.5” Light Commercial and Residential power racks from Bells of Steel, but if you already own one of those racks, this attachment can unlock even more exercises. Since most home gym owners have limited space, we need to carefully rate the footprint and portability of each cable machine.

All that to say, be aware that female-specific workout apps might not deliver the results you want. You can download any app you please—just know that it doesn’t have to be geared toward women for you to like it and use it. It’s also a bonus that Peloton’s live workouts have high-quality audio and video. It’s worth noting that if you stream the app on your phone, you won’t have access to the leaderboard during workouts. That feature is reserved for all-access members who are using the Peloton app on a Peloton cardio machine.

Helps Maintain a Healthy Weight

Other than this, you can enable notification for workout reminders from the settings menu. Hevy is extremely affordable compared to the average app, as the annual subscription cost is less than the average monthly subscription. Although he rated Fitbod a 4 out of 5 for ease of use, Caine raised some minor concerns about the accuracy of the workouts generated by the platform. If you need better instruction and accountability but don’t want to spend $200 a month on something like Caliber or Future, consider the budget-friendly Shred App, which only costs $10 per month. Muscle Booster nabbed a range of perfect scores from our tester but fell flat in a few key areas, such as interactive features and value.

MapMyFitness is unlike other workout apps featured in this roundup. Our expert product testers and reviewers have vetted more than 20 workout apps to make your decision that much easier. And you can trust us—we’re a group of industry experts, including certified personal trainers, Olympic-level athletes, and nutrition coaches. Way back in lockdown days, I used the Fiit app almost every day and five years later, it’s still one of my go-to workout apps for a quick sweat session. While there’s strength training, yoga, Pilates, and cardio activities to choose from, I found the HIIT workouts to be the best part of the app.

What are four things you should do before you buy exercise equipment?

Shred frequently tops “best workout app” lists because of how deeply it personalizes strength programs. It isn’t bad that push-ups challenge your abs or that Romanian deadlifts challenge your spinal erectors. We want to bulk up your postural muscles, building postural strength.

Hevy Coach

The app can feel a little overwhelming at a first glance, but classes can be filtered by trainer, time, 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. Whether you enjoy weightlifting, yoga or cardio, the Fiit app has you covered. We’ve tested Fiit with and without equipment or chest strap monitors, and every class we’ve sweated through gets a huge tick from us. However, with so many options out there, including both free and paid apps, it can be hard to know which will suit your training needs.

• Cycling is an excellent aerobic exercise that can increase your heart rate, improve blood circulation, and strengthen your heart.
• “Treadmills that provide interval training sessions can be really beneficial for providing structure to workouts,” Alex says.
• From 10-minute somatic Pilates sessions to a 30-minute lower body class that’s fully dedicated to building your glutes.
• Users can experiment with new workout styles, practice proper form through video repetition, and progress without external judgment.
• The exercise library includes hundreds of dumbbell movements with video demonstrations, and the workout editor supports supersets, circuits, and drop sets.
• She is also currently undertaking her Yoga For Athletes training course.

Best Free Weightlifting App: Hevy

However, advanced bodybuilders, with the training experience to recover from a high number of sets, can do it twice per week to ensure they’re getting more than enough training for optimal results. While not all apps are the same, one benefit to a high-quality workout app is some level of accountability. This may come in the form of push notifications or scheduling reminders for your workouts.

Best Dumbbell Apps for At-Home Training

The app can be used as a stand-alone way to workout or in conjunction with a cardio machine for studio-style cycle classes or treadmill bootcamps. If you participate in Down Dog’s prenatal yoga sessions, you’ll select what trimester you’re in so that app will deliver sessions appropriately per trimester. The prenatal yoga focuses on de-stressing the low back and side body. There are even specific yoga workouts specific to pelvic floor and labor prep. Zwift feels as if you’re playing Mario Kart, except all the drivers are on bikes and the characters are avatars designed by you and other users.

Matching app programs to specific fitness goals

An on-screen personal trainer will guide you through https://www.reddit.com/r/beginnerfitness/comments/1rcj9h6/seeking_daily_fitness_app/ each workout and show you how moves are supposed to be performed. The 160-pound weight capacity may not be enough for strength athletes like myself, but it should handle most workouts for your average home gym owner. While it’s a well-engineered piece of gym equipment, building out the Ares around your rack can be pricey. The cable attachment starts at around $3,000, and can increase due to the size and build of your power rack.

Titan Fitness Adjustable Kettlebell (40 lbs)

Yes, a full library of workout splits based on experience, goals, available equipment, and preferred training frequency. Whether you want a gym logger, a cardio app, or something geared more toward general fitness, we’ve got you covered. Yes, you can do a variety of home gym workouts to gain muscle and build strength. The most effective piece of home gym equipment for your home will depend on your goals, the space you have available, and the type of exercise you like. A home gym offers convenience since you may be more likely to do a quick workout when you’re short on time. However, your setup may be limited and you may have more distractions.

Gaiam Premium Extra-Thick Yoga Mat

If you’re a runner, and keen to up your strength and avoid injury, then this Pilates-style workout will strengthen your glutes, hamstrings and hip flexors. Move with Nicole, also known as Nicole McPherson, is an Australian fitness instructor who is known (and loved) for her never-ending list of Pilates workouts. Able to be performed at home, over in minutes and costing you nada — the best YouTube workouts are worth their weight in gold.

Evidence Based

Start with free trials to test compatibility, then gradually build your personalized stack of tools that will support your fitness journey throughout 2025 and beyond. Building muscle used to require access to a gym, a personal trainer, and detailed workout plans. Today, muscle-building apps have become one of the most effective tools for structured strength training, helping users follow progressive programs, track performance, and stay consistent with their workouts. After having a baby last year, I finally embraced the convenience of workout apps myself. So whether you’re total beginner, wanting to gain muscle, or simply looking to incorporate some low-key exercises into your day, here are the best workout apps worth a download.

But you can view all the exercises that you can do with dumbbells according to muscle group. In 2025, we helped nearly 6,000 people find their ideal workout app. Now, we’re stepping in as your spotter to help you choose the perfect weightlifting app for maximum gains.

I’m personally not a fan of instructor-led sessions and like to rest between sets more than on-screen instructors allow. I also like watching a video tutorial a few times (if needed) before I select a weight and begin the exercise. Although I’ve been lifting weights for over 10 years, moving through a workout app at my own pace is super important to me. If you’re looking for a strength training workout app, I urge you to pick one with progression in mind.