10 Best Step Challenge Apps in 2026

We’re fans of their group features, which let you share your personal records with friends. Their Strength Score is a neat feature, too, which tracks your strength progress compared to your potential. You can even view your friends’ training and compete alongside the entire Flex community while maintaining your workout streaks and charts to monitor your progress and personal records. Discover the best free workout for beginners we’ve reviewed and tested to help you easily get started on your fitness journey and accomplish your goals. To use Apple Fitness+, Apple’s workout app, you must have an iPhone, but you’ll get even more out of it with a paired Apple Watch Series 3 or newer. Depending how deep into the Apple universe you are, that’s either good or bad news. Best Fitness App for Running Testers rate apps higher when workouts are “easy to find, see, hear, follow along, and track” [2]. Consider how the app handles offline access and whether it provides audio cues during workouts to guide transitions between exercises. The Alive app is SID class of 2024 trainer Gabrielle Savary’s “go-to” for strength training workouts. Health & Leisure – Product Reviews Most exercise apps also offer video demonstrations of different movements, as well as progress tracking and plans to follow to increase compliance and accountability. Many workout apps now offer programs with bodyweight-only exercises that require no equipment. Other apps may cater more to weights, such as dumbbells, kettlebells or machines at the gym. Some offer cardio sessions that you can do on any equipment or connect with the brand’s equipment (such as Peloton) for more in-depth metrics and workout insights. Without the video component, you can focus on your form instead of watching someone else, which eliminates distractions, according to the brand. You can choose workouts based on factors like type of exercise, how long you want to exercise for and your favorite trainers or music. Aaptiv exclusively offered audio-only for years, but it now also has video content as well, similar to the other apps on this list. Best Variety Top10.com is designed to help users make confident decisions online, this website contains information about a wide range of products and services. Certain details, including but not limited to prices and special offers, are provided to us directly from our partners and are dynamic and subject to change at any time without prior notice. Though based on meticulous research, the information we share does not constitute legal or professional advice or forecast, and should not be treated as such. Strava excels at tracking outdoor activities like running, cycling, and swimming with unparalleled GPS accuracy and data analytics. Maximizing Value: Free and Budget‑Friendly Options You get six months free with a Pixel Watch 4, after which the subscription costs £7.99 a month, or £79.99 a year. Celebrity personal trainer Jillian Michaels heads this comprehensive wellness app which offers video workouts that can be mixed and matched. Upgrading to the Premium plan provides more than 800 workout exercises, the ability to stream titles from Jillian’s DVD workout library, a customized meal planner, and more. This goes way beyond basic preferences—the best apps enable you to create custom workout plans tailored to specific muscle groups based on your body type needs [1]. For ectomorphs struggling to gain muscle, effective apps recommend compound movements with heavier weights and those crucial 2-3 minute rest periods between sets [19]. Mesomorph-focused programming brilliantly balances strength training with moderate cardio, typically recommending 8-12 reps at moderate-to-heavy weights [20]. Best Workout Apps to Transform Your Fitness Routine If you’re interested in signing up for a fitness app, I spoke to experts about what to think about while comparing different options. The NBC Select staff and I also tested over a dozen fitness apps (including some that are free) to share our top picks. When paired with commitment and is madmuscles a scam proper form, workout apps serve as powerful virtual trainers, enabling measurable improvements in your fitness journey. Best for accessible workouts: Big Fit Girl The app boasts plenty of progressive programs and challenges, unique features like health talks, metric and data tracking beyond what’s on the scale, and even cycle-syncing workouts and perimenopause support. I’m a reporter at NBC Select who has covered fitness for five years at NBC Select, including topics like women’s running shoes, women’s walking shoes, sports bras and at-home dumbbell workouts. To write this article, I interviewed two experts about fitness apps, and tested over a dozen options along with the NBC Select staff. To help increase motivation, some fitness apps offer programs that pair you with a virtual accountability buddy either through the app itself or via an exclusive group on social media, says Davis. As accountability buddies, you encourage each other to workout, cheer each other on and have frequent check-ins to ensure you’re both on track. That said, it touches on women’s health topics in many of its curated programs, like syncing workouts to your menstrual cycle and aging. Find the top-rated apps to enhance your fitness routine, whether you’re a gym enthusiast or prefer working out at home. If you put in the time and effort, working out from home will definitely yield results. You can even execute home workouts without equipment, by way of bodyweight exercises and yoga routines. The brand’s bikes and treadmills are already the stuff of legend and its incredible fitness app follows suit. Best App For Women’s Health Diehards: All/Out Studio It’s ideal for lapsed runners and newcomers, too, with an audio prompter for helping you pick up the pace, but experienced runners will love the more detailed running metrics offered here, too. Every week you also get a message from your coach, where they give you tips on factors such as technique and mobility. However, you really need a Fitbit or a Google Pixel Watch to get a lot out of the metrics, and although FItbit is system-agnostic, its purchase by Google means it’s slightly easier to invest in