Best Fitness Apps for Smartphones
With the right app, the smartphone is the ideal personal trainer. We show you the best fitness apps 2020 for effective and varied workouts.
- What makes a good fitness app
- The best fitness subscription apps
- Activity Tracker
- Activity Tracker Features
- Nike Run Club
- Nike Run Club Features
- Nike Training Club
- Nike Training Club Features
- PumaTrac
- PumaTrac Features
- Runkeeper
- Runkeeper Features
- Athlagon
- Athlagon Features
- Seven Minute Workout
- Seven Minute Workout Features
- Freeletics
- Freeletics Features
- LOOX
- LOOX Features
- Asana Rebel
- Asana Rebel Features
Fitness Apps
When Apple launched its iTunes Store in July 2008, the selection was pretty limited with just 500 apps. Today, over ten years later, around 98,000 different apps are available in the fitness and health category alone. The market continues to grow. It's hard to keep track of things. That's why we've tested the best fitness apps for you - with a view to the area of application, target group, level of difficulty and price.
What makes a good fitness app
Before deciding on an app, you shouldn't just look at whether it is available for free or as a subscription. There are a few important things you should know about a good app:
- a warm-up program before the actual workout
- precise explanations of the individual exercises, ideally with video instructions
- a fitness test or check-up before starting your workout
- the possibility to increase the training or to choose variants for your level
- a voice output so that you don't have to constantly look at the screen
The small print - data protection, terms and conditions, etc. - should always be transparent and understandable for the consumer, confidential data and content are used for advertising purposes.
The best fitness subscription apps
Activity Tracker
Activity Tracker Features
- Scope of application: pedometer, general fitness
- Target group: Everyone who wants to track their daily activity
- Difficulty level: no difficulty level
- Price for pro membership: one-time £5.49
With the activity tracker, daily activity can be measured easily and without additional fitness equipment.
The app shows you the daily, weekly and monthly steps in clear statistics, shows how many calories have been consumed, what distance has been covered in kilometers, in what time the steps have been taken and how many floors have been climbed.
The app is clear and easy to use. A tutorial explains the exact use of the app and if the push notifications are switched on, the app motivates you to reach your daily or weekly goal.
In the PRO version, the app can be linked to the Apple Heath app, among other things. The app is also ideal for all Apple Watch users. With the PRO version you can synchronize the steps on the iPhone, Apple Watch and HealthKit.
Our conclusion: Very good and intuitive app for everyone who wants to track their daily activity without discharging the battery in order to achieve their weekly or monthly goal of exercise.
Nike Run Club
Nike Run Club Features
- Area of application: running, endurance training
- Target group: Everyone who wants to improve their endurance while jogging
- Difficulty level: from beginners to advanced
The Nike Run Club is a free app that helps you gradually improve your endurance while jogging. It is very clear and simple, can be operated intuitively and gives you feedback while running over the kilometers covered and the pace.
You can see your location at any time on the integrated map. The app can also be synchronized with your music apps. Do you want to improve your performance even more? Then take part in one of the community challenges and compete with other runners.
And everyone who wants to do some shopping after the run can really let off steam in the integrated Nike shop.
Our conclusion: For everyone who works on their running skills and wants to improve their endurance while jogging, this free app is a very good choice. However, if you want detailed training plans and strength exercises, you should choose a different app.
Nike Training Club
Nike Training Club Features
- Area of application: endurance, strengthening, muscle building, flexibility, stress reduction, yoga
- Target group: everyone
- Difficulty level: from beginner to professional
The Nike Training Club app offers over 200 workouts and training programs for various goals and preferences between 15 and 60 minutes. You can also filter the workouts according to muscle groups, level, duration, intensity, based on time or repetitions and according to the equipment you have available - regardless of whether you have nothing at all, just a few dumbbells or are training in the gym.
The workouts are really versatile and suitable for different athletes. Even the warm-up and cool-down sequences are varied. You can simply download the workouts to your mobile phone and you will then be guided through the training optimally.
Our conclusion: One of the best free all-round fitness apps at the moment: Here you will find inspiration and you can be motivated by famous athletes like Serena Williams, Cristiano Ronaldo or Mario Götze.
PumaTrac
PumaTrac Features
- Area of application: fitness courses of all kinds (dance workout, boxing workout, etc.), running tracker
- Target group: Everyone who does workouts according to their taste and wants to track their runs
- Difficulty level: from beginners to advanced
Pumatrac is a completely free app that is based entirely on your training preferences. After registration you will be asked which type of training you enjoy most. You will then receive workouts that fit into your prey schedule.
Pumatrac offers many different videos with workouts. International trainers demonstrate the exercises and at the same time a voice prompt explains what to look out for. In a summary, you will also get an overview of the course of the training, which is usually divided into three to four training units.
The app has a running mode that measures time, distance, pace and calories burned. You can motivate and compare each other in the feed and the user leaderboard. A calendar saves all of your completed workouts. You can send them to friends and challenge them.
Our conclusion: We are enthusiastic about the Pumatrac app. The high quality course videos, the running mode, the synchronization with music apps and the ability to connect with friends and other users make the app one of our favorites.
Runkeeper
Runkeeper Features
- Scope of application: GPS running tracker
- Target group: Everyone who wants to know their routes and values while running, hiking, cycling, skiing and much more. want to track
- Difficulty level: from beginners to advanced
- Pro membership price: from £39.99 / year or £9.99 / month
All endurance fans get their money's worth with the Runkeeper app. Here you track a running route and can prepare for various marathons. Choose between running, cycling, hiking, skiing, skating and much more. and take part in different challenges.
The app can also be synchronized with your music apps, so you can listen to your motivational playlist on the go. There is also the option of choosing between different voices that should drive you during your run (we particularly like the drill instructor). Small negative point: The app and the language instructions are only available in English. But if you don't have any problems with that, you will find the perfect running buddy in the Runkeeper app.
Our conclusion: whether running, hiking or cycling - with the Runkeeper app you can track your stamina and gradually improve it. However, it is only limited to endurance training and does not offer any fitness exercises to strengthen the muscles.
Athlagon
Athlagon Features
- Area of application: fitness test in the area of speed strength, maximum strength, endurance, strength endurance, coordination and flexibility
- Target group: Anyone who values monitored, health-promoting training and who would like detailed analyzes of their performance progress
- Difficulty level: from beginners to advanced
The analysis app developed by sports scientists and physiotherapists offers over 180 tests including video instructions for all areas of sport (e.g. endurance, maximum strength, flexibility). The videos explain the exercises in great detail and thus ensure that you do not incur any incorrect loads or injuries while performing them.
If you have successfully passed all tests in a level, you can go one level higher. There are also weekly challenges. The basic version only includes strength endurance. If you also want to train endurance, speed, maximum strength, coordination and flexibility, you have to take out a subscription.
Our conclusion: This app is a very good choice for everyone who wants to know exactly how their fitness is going and who want to develop further. The exercises are explained in great detail. Even beginners are guaranteed not to go wrong.
Seven Minute Workout
Seven Minute Workout Features
- Area of application: full body training, general body fitness
- Target group: Everyone who doesn't have a lot of time in everyday life and wants to get the most out of their training
- Difficulty level: from beginners to advanced
Only seven minutes, that's all it takes to complete a sweaty workout. At least that's the motto of App Seven. It offers many workouts that consist of different exercises and last only seven minutes in total. The exercises are shown to you through an animation and you can see how long they will take by means of a scrolling wheel.
The app is relatively simple, maybe a bit monotonous, but still effective. If you don't feel like doing time-consuming workouts and want to make your training as effective as possible, you will definitely find the right training partner in Seven.
Our conclusion: Seven is clearly and simply structured. The exercises are easy to perform and you have the opportunity to integrate sport into your overcrowded everyday life. However, if you expect detailed training analyzes and extensive training plans, you will not get your money's worth here.
Freeletics
Freeletics Features
- Area of application: HIIT, bodyweight, gym, running, mindset coach
- Target group: Everyone who wants to make their training flexible and versatile
- Difficulty level: from beginners to advanced
Most of you have probably heard of the Freeletics apps. It is one of the most popular apps and convinces with its versatility, because it is a fitness coach, nutrition coach and mindset coach in one.
Freeletics shows you individual exercises in high-quality videos and tells you the number of repetitions. When you are finished with the exercise, you click on a button and get to the next one. Unfortunately, there are no language instructions that explain the exercises in detail. If you want to know more about the exercise, there is an information button that will guide you to details. The app also tracks your running training, showing the speed, distance and time.
With the Pro membership, the app offers personalized training plans or journeys that can be completed over several weeks. Also included: Audio coaching to help you develop more mindfulness and new mental training skills.
Our conclusion: The Freeletics app is perfect for those who want to optimize their fitness and health comprehensively and permanently and only want one app that bundles training, nutrition and mindset tips. Here you can find our detailed review of the Freeletics app.
LOOX
LOOX Features
- Area of application: endurance and strengthening in the gym
- Target group: Everyone who wants to structure their training in the gym better
- Difficulty level: from beginners to advanced
LOOX is the fitness app for everyone who likes to train in the gym and wants to structure their training according to their goal. The app contains many different training plans, created by different experts, that you can complete over several weeks.
The individual plans integrate the fitness equipment that can be found in the gym and show you the individual exercises and repetitions. The app also contains a training analysis that documents the training status.
With the Plus membership, you can, among other things, delete individual exercises from the plan, move them or add new exercises and thus make the training plan more individual.
Our conclusion: For everyone who really wants to let off steam in the gym, the LOOX app is the perfect replacement for a personal trainer. It helps you to get closer to your training goal and explains the exercises clearly and understandably.
Asana Rebel
Asana Rebel Features
- Area of application: Yoga, strengthening, flexibility and agility
- Target group: male and female yoga fans
- Difficulty level: from beginners to advanced
Asana Rebel is the perfect app for all yoga fans. Here you will find appealing videos with asanas for all levels of difficulty and demands - about 5-minute workouts, yoga for men or fit for the summer. In addition, the app gives you individual workout recommendations, offers a calendar overview in which all workouts performed are recorded and is very appealingly designed.
In the videos, the individual yoga flows are shown precisely and explained with voice output. So you don't have to constantly look at your display while doing the workout. A digital clock also shows how long the workout will last.
