Fitness apps are a great resource if you want to make your health and wellbeing a priority – making it easy to show up and give every movement your best effort. Whether your goal is to lose weight, build strength or increase your flexibility, fitness technology works by keeping you accountable.
When you’re planning your workouts there’s a lot to consider, such as frequency, intensity and technique. Fitness apps simplify all of this, so can you stay on track and remain focussed. Plus they can track your progress and connect you with a global community of fitness lovers.
In this guide, we’ll look at the best fitness apps which don’t have the financial strain of hiring a personal trainer. Whether you want to work on your six pack or you’re feeling the spirit of New Year New Yew, let’s explore some good fitness apps that can take your workouts to the next level.
What are fitness apps?
Fitness apps help you work towards your health and fitness goals. They can be downloaded to your smartphone and/or wearable device (an Apple Watch, for instance) to measure your progress and keep you motivated. The great benefit of a fitness app is it travels with you wherever you go, making it possible to factor exercise into your daily routine – whenever an opportunity presents itself.
Not only can fitness apps help you stick to an exercise plan, some can also assist with other factors relating to your health such as your diet, blood pressure and sleep quality.
What features should you look for in a fitness app?
Let’s take a look at some features offered by Australia’s top fitness apps. Please note that app features will vary depending on the brand, your subscription level, and whether you’re using any wearable fitness technology (such as an Apple Watch).
Useful fitness app features include:
- Goal setting: The ability to set specific goals and monitor your progress is key to staying motivated.
- Metrics tracking: You should choose a fitness app that allows you to track the metrics that are most important to your goals. For instance, if you want to train for a half marathon, choose an app that measures step count, speed and distance.
- Dietary planning: This feature is especially useful if weight loss is one of your goals. Most fitness apps also make it possible to record and track your weight.
- Wearable device integration: If you have a wearable fitness device such as an Apple Watch, choose a fitness app that’s compatible with this device so it can capture metrics such as physical movement, heart rate and sleep quality.
- Social media integration: Sometimes a bit of healthy competition among friends helps to provide that extra level of motivation!
- Push notifications: You can set your fitness app to remind you when it’s time to go for a walk, step away from your desk or wind down for a good night’s sleep.
- Rewards and encouragement: Just like unlocking a new level on a computer game, your fitness app can reward you with animations, special icons and words of encouragement when you reach particular milestones.
Are fitness apps worth it?
Yes! Fitness apps offer a wealth of benefits for a fraction of the cost of ongoing sessions with a personal trainer.
Here are some of the top reasons why fitness apps offer excellent value for money:
- Motivation: The game-like rewards that fitness apps provide can be addictive, and the ability to compare your progress with your friends on social media can also help to spur you on.
- Convenience: Because fitness apps travel with you, you can keep fitness a priority no matter where you go. This is an especially great feature for people who travel a lot for work.
- Progress tracking: Being able to see the stats of your progress can be incredibly rewarding, while also helping you stick to your fitness plan.
- Better physical health: When you find an exercise program that works for you, you can reap the innumerable benefits of improved physical fitness and health.
- Better mental health: Regular exercise is great both for your body and your mind. Fitness apps can help you feel calmer, less stressed, and more confident.
5 of the best fitness apps to kickstart your fitness journey
Let’s get to it! Here are 5 of the best workout apps in Australia to help you embrace a healthier lifestyle. Our recommendations includes apps from leading technology brands including Apple, Aaptiv, Auro, Move With Us, and ProForm.
1. Apple Fitness Plus
Strengths
- Integrate your health goals with tailored workouts
- High-quality workouts across a wide range of activities and skill levels
- Effectively track your progress with Apple Tech
- Share your subscription with up to 5 people
What it’s best for
Apple Fitness Plus is a great choice for iPhone and Apple Watch users. If you have both the phone and the watch, you can connect your devices – making it easy to track metrics (such as your heart rate). The interface is easy to use, and the workouts include options for people who are just starting out on their fitness journey.
Zones for Training – available on Apple Watch – allows you to monitor your exercise intensity. The colourful visuals make it easy to understand the intensity levels of your workouts, providing four heart rate zones (warm up, fat burn, cardio and peak) so you can exercise at a level that aligns with your goals.
Overview
Apple Fitness Plus is an immersive workout experience that’s widely regarded as one of the best at home workout apps in Australia. Integrating technology and incredible fitness content, Apple has created an experience that is as motivating as a personal trainer. There are 11 different workout types, including HIIT, pilates, strength, yoga and even walking. So whatever kind of exercise you enjoy, Apple has created workout modules tailored to helping you build your skill level and intensity.
The Apple Watch powers the entire Fitness Plus experience – it’s integrated into each workout, helping you monitor and track your progress down to every heartbeat. You’ll make incremental improvements to how and when you work out, to make sure you’re getting the best results. Stay motivated with its Apple Music integrations which align your favourite music to your workouts to stay in the zone for longer.
Invest in your health and purchase an Apple Watch today. As an added bonus, if you shop with Cashrewards you’ll be rewarded with cashback before you’ve even broken a sweat.
2. Aaptiv
Strengths
- Connect with trainers one-on-one
- Join an online fitness community
- Get a holistic approach to fitness with additional health and nutritional content
What it’s best for
Aaptiv gives its users a large selection of audio-guided fitness programs, covering a wide range of different workouts. Voice recordings from expert fitness trainers guide you through your workouts, making it possible to fully concentrate on your movements. Some video-based content is also available.
The Aaptiv app can be downloaded to iPhones (including Apple Watches) and Android devices. This fitness app suits auditory learners who don’t necessarily need visual cues. For this reason, it’s best suited to people who have some familiarity with various styles of fitness training.
Overview
Aaptiv gives you unlimited access to thousands of workouts and programs created by world-class certified trainers. Each workout is a guided session filled with audio-based instructions and musical inspiration that lets you move freely, focus on your form, and stay motivated. Aaptiv is one of the best fitness studio apps for those who respond well to audio cues, because it’s like having a personal trainer in your ear.
When you join Aaptiv, you’re joining a community of people committed to fitness. Team Challenges are a great way to connect with others, earn points and succeed as a team. You’ll achieve your fitness goals in no time, plus you’ll make some friends along the way.
Browse Aaptiv offers via Cashrewards to earn cashback on your fitness purchases.
3. Auro Audio Fitness
Strengths
- Cheapest fitness app (out of the options mentioned in this article)
- Access to over 600 on-demand audio classes
- Connect your favourite music from Spotify or Amazon Music
What it’s best for
Suitable for beginners and those with fitness training experience, Auro Audio Fitness provides hundreds of workouts for an affordable price. Expert trainers guide you through a range of diverse workout types, helping you to work towards your specific goals. Video guides are also available to help you improve your technique.
This fitness app is a good choice for beginners, or anyone who needs a little help with sticking to their home workout schedule.
Overview
Auro Audio Fitness is one of the top fitness apps in Australia for working out on a budget. If you’re already paying for a gym membership, but don’t want to pay for a PT, a yearly subscription to Auro Fitness is a great alternative to a session with most personal trainers (and made even more affordable if you’re a Cashrewards Member).
Pair your smartwatch or Fitbit to get detailed workout stats in real-time. You’ll be able to track your running stats with Auro’s in-app intelligence tracking, which measures distance, elevation, speed, and route. There are also a few handy features like downloadable classes that work without Wi-Fi or data. While you won’t get the community benefits of Aaptive or the state-of-the-art experience of Apple Fitness Plus, this cheaper, entry-level fitness app certainly punches above its weight and is enough to get you refining and incrementally improving your fitness regimes.
4. Move With Us
Strengths
- A unique female fitness app designed specifically for women
- Access to an extensive workout library offering cardio, sculpting and strength training
- The nutrition component allows you to coordinate your fitness and diet goals
What it’s best for
Move With Us is a fitness app that’s made to cater to the needs to women, providing a range of science-based workouts together with customised nutrition advice.
This app is suited to women want to improve their overall health and fitness, without the expense of hiring a personal trainer and dietician.
Overview
Move With Us is one of the best fitness apps for women, because it combines effective workouts with customisable meal guides. Designed to help women of all fitness levels reach their potential, Move With Us makes it easy to train anywhere. Whether you want to lose body fat, build muscle, take your pilates to the next level, sculpt and shape, or maintain your current physique – this app makes it easy to achieve your goals.
The Move With Us workout library contains a range of great options including warm ups, sculpting circuits, HIIT sessions, burnout challenges and more – plus you can customise your training plan to suit your goals and schedule. Video demonstrations and exercise descriptions help you perfect your technique, plus there’s the option to track performance metrics such as reps and sets.
Eat With Us – the nutritional side of the app – provides meal guide options that are tailored to your preferences and goals. The recipe library offers 1200+ recipes catering to diverse dietary needs including dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan and more. The app aims to educate women on fitness and nutrition for optimal strength, health and confidence.
5. iFIT (for ProForm AU equipment)
Strengths
- Access to a library of over 16,000 live and on-demand classes
- Designed to be used in conjunction with ProForm AU fitness equipment
- Great for high-performance workouts
What it’s best for
If you already own ProForm AU exercise equipment (such as a treadmill or exercise bike) the iFIT app will take your workout to the next level.
In addition to a vast library of physical workouts to choose from, iFIT also offers meditation programs and TED Talks to look after your mind as well.
Overview
Compatible with ProForm fitness equipment, iFIT is among the best fitness apps for people seeking a wide variety of engaging training programs. iFIT is an interactive app that provides access to at-home workouts, guided by expert trainers. The video component allows you to watch your trainer – plus there are ‘outdoor’ options to choose from, featuring the sights and sounds of scenic locations around the world.
iFIT offers high-intensity training options such as cardio, HIIT and cycling, plus workouts that focus on strength, yoga and abs. An activity trackers provides real-time states, and you can also view your workout history to measure your progress over time. Additionally, the iFIT app can be used with or without equipment – so you can still focus on your fitness goals even when you’re away from home.
The iFIT app also provides programs to look after your mind and overall wellbeing, including TED Talks from health experts, and guided meditation. You can also get information on cooking, to make sure you’re getting the best nourishment as you move towards your fitness goals.
Get fit without breaking the bank (but maybe a little sweat)
Cashrewards is your one-stop-shop for all things fitness. Whether you’re building a home gym, improving your diet or simply trying to build a healthier lifestyle, we’re here to help. Become a member today!