So many workout apps, and they're all a bit confusing

December 1, 2023 10:55 AM

I'm looking for a workout app, ideally free, that will give me personalized daily workout routines. Looking for reviews from other people who've used workout apps.

I tried BetterMe for a month, and generally liked the 28 day wall pilate program that just gave me a 15-30 min workout to do everyday. It did feel a bit too easy though, and at almost $40/month is way too expensive for what it is.

I then tried the Nike NTC free app, which I've liked, but feel a bit confused about the programs. They each state how long the program is, but then just presents a few videos in a few stages, and don't explain how the schedule is supposed to work. And after I do the stages, it says program is complete. Is this just more self-regulated? Like I'm supposed to repeat all the stages three times a week for two weeks?

I just downloaded FitOn, and it seems similar to the Nike one, but the programs are not in the free version. Everything online says this app provides personalized workouts for free, but I can't seem to find the "personalized" aspect on it. Do I just need to pay for the programs?

I basically just want to follow a program for a few weeks and not have to decide every day which video to follow. Looking for no equipment, short, medium level at home training.

Thank you!

posted by monologish to Health & Fitness (9 answers total)

I've used the Nike app and I liked it but I feel like it's built to be more self-directed rather than laying out a workout program. It might suggest a bunch of things to do if you tell it what you're interested in but I didn't see a place where you could get it to build you a multi-day routine.

I liked using it for their pre- and post-run workouts that were 7ish minutes each and actually meant that I stretched before and after running rather than just pretending. :)
posted by machine at 11:04 AM on December 1, 2023

I always recommend Fitness Blender. There is a minimal yearly cost around $70 and you get access to a variety of workouts and different programs that combine their workouts into 2-, 4-, or 8- week programs. Many workouts require no equipment and many in the 30 minute range.
posted by brookeb at 11:08 AM on December 1, 2023 [1 favorite]

Depending on the style of workout you're looking for, when I've been in that situation—wanting to make zero decisions and workout without equipment at home—I've really enjoyed Chloe Ting's exercise plans. All of her videos are a la carte on YouTube but her website lets you make a free account and choose a workout plan, which will tell you which videos in which order to do each day, track progress, etc.
posted by telegraph at 11:53 AM on December 1, 2023

There’s an app called 7 — one of several called 7? — that gives you variety but not a lot of control in the free tier. I like it enough to have paid some years, or paid for points I didn’t want as a sort of shareware.
posted by clew at 1:15 PM on December 1, 2023

Note that although it looks like you have to join the Fitness Blender paid program to get what you're looking for, they have a lot of great free resources that you can check out before joining (and others can use if they do not need the personalized programming).
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 1:38 PM on December 1, 2023 [1 favorite]

(This 7 app.)
posted by clew at 3:41 PM on December 1, 2023

I use an app called Down Dog, but it's actually a series of apps. Paying for one ($30 a year I think?) gets you access to all of them. I mostly use the yoga one but sometimes I use the HIIT one. They let you configure the features you want in an exercise then it randomizes a session for you. There's a lot of flexibility, and while it doesn't provide personalized incrementation for me, I can slowly increment things as I get better by raising the difficulty level. Examples of settings you can choose are muscle groups you want to strengthen, muscle groups you want to stretch, music, time to transition between moves, etc. You can also choose to ignore all those options and just go with the defaults so that you don't need to make decisions.

The yoga one has an option that includes a HIIT segment in the middle of the routine, but also includes gentle and meditation options, so there is a lot of variety, which is why I use that one.
posted by tofu_crouton at 4:09 PM on December 1, 2023 [1 favorite]

Not free, but far from $40 a month: Freeletics is pretty much exactly what you're looking for. If you sign up for the free trial and then cancel, they'll probably send you a discount code. They did for me and I believe it was around $70 a year.

Head to Youtube and search for Freeletics Transformation. Many won't be in English as it's a Euro-based company, but you can get the drift.

Oh, and don't pay for the Nutrition part. It's never updated.
posted by dobbs at 7:00 PM on December 1, 2023 [1 favorite]

I basically just want to follow a program for a few weeks and not have to decide every day which video to follow. Looking for no equipment, short, medium level at home training.

This describes Mark Lauren's bodyweight app pretty well. The screenshots on the site look different so I may be using an older version, but iirc it was cheap or free. It's not personalized per se, but you choose one of four 10-week programs based on skill level, and you can edit the workouts if you want to. The companion book You Are Your Own Gym goes into more detail about the exercises and the program structure, which I found useful.
posted by doift at 9:25 PM on December 1, 2023