The 7 Best Health and Fitness Apps for Every Athlete
Step into a gym and look around. Chances are you’ll see just about everyone with a phone out. Sometimes it looks like there’s more texting than there is training going on in there. And while some of these ‘athletes’ are taking up precious space on the leg press machine, scrolling through Instagram, others are using their device to their advantage. There are thousands of apps out there to help you take your fitness to the next level, but sorting the game changers from the screen wasters can be quite tedious. To simplify things, we’re here with the best fitness apps on the market. You’ve probably got your phone with you anyways, so you might as well put it to use.
No matter what you're looking for in a fitness app, we've got you covered.
For The Adventurous Spirit
You’ve probably seen the ads on Instagram for ClassPass. They started out as an innovative subscription service that allows you to attend fitness classes across a number of studios in your city, for a fixed monthly fee. While this is still their organic spelt bread and grass-fed butter, they now offer unlimited streaming of workout classes through ClassPass Go. From yoga to HIIT to weight training, they have over 600 pre-recorded classes on the app, and 200 more are added every month. Simply select your routine, pick a playlist, and off you go.
For Competition Prep
MyFitnessPal is one of the most popular health apps out there, so much so that Under Armor bought the company for $475 million back in 2015. Its primary purpose is to help you track the food you eat. With an extensive database of foods, barcode scanning capabilities, and integration with a number of other apps, it makes it super easy (well, as easy as meticulous nutrition tracking can be) to monitor your daily energy and nutrition intake.
Suppy
Toronto, ON
For The Cardio Bunny
If you like cardio (or at least force yourself to do cardio), but find the planning tedious, then Strava is the app for you. Strava intuitively plans routes for your long-distance workouts. You can also choose from routes that nearby athletes have created, and go head-to-head with them for a bit of friendly competition - because planning your 10 km shouldn’t take longer than running it.
For Those Without a Gym Membership
Freeletics
Android, iOS
Free with paid features
Freeletics is an at-home workout coach and digital personal trainer focused on bodyweight exercises. They believe in short, HIIT routines that you can do anywhere, anytime.
Beyond their pretty interface, Freeletics also employs an AI-powered coach, to make sure the training you receive aligns with your goals and your level of fitness. It also learns from your training feedback and adjusts your future workouts accordingly. The app is free to use but a subscription is required for access to the coach.
For Those in Need of a Rest Day
Headspace is a meditation app. So, while it’s not a fitness app, per se, it is an app designed to improve your overall wellbeing, and we think that’s important. It offers guided meditation sessions, ranging from 3 to 30 minutes, and it’s a great way to try out meditation for the first time or make it a more regular habit. Because mental health is a critical component of physical wellbeing, meditation can be a great tool to help you achieve your fitness goals.
For Those Who are All Over the Place
Aaptiv
Android, iOS
Free with Paid Features
Aaptiv offers audio-based fitness plans – almost like a podcast version of a workout class. It has a bunch of different on-demand workouts (yoga, boxing, etc.) so you can be a jack of all trades in the gym.
Pick the type of workout you want and the type of music you like, and the app will put together a personalized routine for you - straight out of your headphones. It will also consider the equipment and the amount of time you have available, and adjust accordingly.
For the Heavy Lifter
If you’re a weightlifter through and through, Strong is the app for you. It’s an intuitive workout tracker that lets you log and review your exercises, reps, and sets. It comes with a large database of exercises and it set up well for quick data entry. Strong also features a number of charts and graphs for quick progress tracking.
There are a lot of great fitness apps out there and this list contains just a few. If you use something that you’re really happy with, we’d love to hear about it. And hey, after you’ve put your phone down, shake up some Suppy and get that recovery process off to a strong start.
