The 5 Best Fitness Apps to Shape Up at Home

I love a good gym session but the coronavirus pandemic has forced fitness fanatics everywhere to turn to home workouts. Sure, YouTube is full of useful videos but if you’re serious about shaping up and want to see real results, you’re going to need a workout program. With gyms and personal trainers in limited supply right now, the following home fitness apps might just be the answer to your prayers. Plus, regular exercise is essential for taking care of your mental health during the pandemic. 

Some of the following apps offer programs which require basic equipment, like dumbbells and resistance bands, but they all offer plenty of zero equipment options too. Your bodyweight is all you really need to smash your workout!

Rather than bombarding you with a million and one home fitness apps, I wanted to focus on my personal favorite tried-and-tested options. These apps deliver amazing results and are guaranteed to get your heart pumping and those all-important endorphins flowing.

Sweat 

True to its name, the Sweat app didn’t come to play. This women’s fitness app will have you working muscles you didn’t even know you had. You’re really spoilt for choice with Sweat: there are five trainers, who each bring their own unique style and multiple fitness programs to the app.

• Kayla Itsines: BBG, BBG Stronger, BBG Post-Pregnancy and BBG Zero Equipment. Kayla offers 28-minute high intensity workouts that involve lots of cardio and jumping around.

• Kelsey Wells: PWR, PWR at Home, PWR Post-Pregnancy and PWR Zero Equipment. PWR also involves some pretty intense cardio exercises (hello, burpees) but there’s more of a focus on lifting weights.

• Chontel Duncan: Fierce, Fierce at Home and Fierce Zero Equipment. Fierce workouts will kick your butt – they’re seriously intense martial arts-inspired HIIT workouts with strength training thrown in, too.

• Stephanie Sanzo: BUILD and Lifting at Home. If you want to build muscle, these are the programs for you.

• Sjana Elise: Body and Mind. A yoga program designed to increase strength and flexibility.

There’s so much variety within the Sweat app and I love that they’ve added so many zero equipment programs since the pandemic started. It’s a well-designed app that doesn’t glitch and there are written and visual guides on how to perform each exercise correctly. There’s also a very supportive community on Instagram, which is perfect if you’re in need of a virtual accountability partner. 

 Price: $20 per month or $120 per year

Couch to 5K

Ok, so technically this isn’t a home fitness app because you’ll have to leave your house but running is free and requires absolutely zero equipment – other than a good pair of shoes. 

The Couch to 5k app is free and it’s perfect for anyone looking to start their fitness journey. When you haven’t run for a while – or ever – the prospect of completing a 5k can feel super intimidating but this app offers a week-by-week program to help you build confidence and fitness. Besides, the mental health benefits of running are amazing. You’ll feel like a whole new person

Price: free 

Nike Training Club

The Nike Training Club gives you zero excuses to skip your workout. You can select your workout according to your time availability so if you’ve only got five minutes, guess what? Nike has a workout for you. You can also filter workouts by the level equipment you have available (from bodyweight only to a well-stocked gym) and you can decide which muscle group you’d like to focus on. The 6-8 week programs are a premium feature and they’re customized around your lifestyle and goals.

Price: free, $14.99 per month or $119.99 per year for premium features 

FitOn

FitOn is one of those free apps that’s just so good you keep on thinking “but wait, where’s the catch?” 

There is no catch! FitOn does have a couple of premium features you can pay extra for, like personalised meal plans and offline workouts, but the free version is pretty darn fantastic. The workouts are instructor-led videos so it’s basically a virtual exercise class – and some are even led by celebrities like Gabrielle Union and Jonathan Van Ness.

You start by making a profile and setting goals so that the app can provide you with the best workouts for your lifestyle. You can use this feature to create a program or you’ve got the option to simply do on-demand workouts – whatever works best for you. 

The best thing about FitOn is that it really is for everyone. There are so many categories available, including low impact and beginner. In fact, there are even workouts you can do with your kids, which is perfect for parents suffering from constant workout interruptions. If you’re looking for free home fitness apps, it really doesn’t get any better than FitOn.

Price: free or $19.99 to access premium features

Daily Yoga

Of course, I couldn’t leave yoga off of the list. Many of the other apps mentioned do have yoga programs available, but Daily Yoga is a must for dedicated yogis. This app caters to all levels and features meditations and many different types of practice. There are six programs available for free or you can go pro for $20.99 per month, or $69.99 per year. 

Now that you’re ready to smash your at-home workouts, why not check out the best home beauty treatments for when salons are closed, or how about this guide to setting up the perfect home office?