15 apps to get fit using your smartphone


If you are thinking about exercising again, you can of course register at the gym and spend tens of euros a month, but with a few good apps on your smartphone (and optionally some fresh air) you will quickly get back in shape.

More roads to Rome

You can get fitter in many different ways. You can start running to improve your fitness or do muscle exercises at home on a mat. An app can help you find a daily routine and can ‘force’ you to do your sports session at a certain time of the day through notifications. In addition to fitness and muscle building, flexibility and stress reduction are also part of becoming fitter. That is why you will also find a few good yoga apps in the list. For pregnant women we have added a separate app to the list and if you prefer to put all your sports activities into game form, you will also find an app for this. Most all apps are for both iOS available as Android.

01 Strava GPS Running and Cycling

Strava is one of the best apps to use while running. Before you can use the app, log in with your email address or your Facebook account. Once you hit the button Record you can choose whether you want to track a run or bike ride in the top left corner. To motivate you, you can participate in challenges in the app. This is great fun, for example, invite friends to take on the same challenges. The premium version of Strava costs 7.99 euros per month, for which you get training plans and extra analysis options.

Strava GPS Running and Cycling

Operating system

Android / iOS
price

Free (+ in-app purchases)

02 RunKeeper

RunKeeper is together with Runtastic Strava’s main competitor. The app is structured about the same, but the nice thing about RunKeeper is that you can easily set goals for yourself, the app can help you with this. For example, if you want to lose five or ten kilos within a certain time, you indicate this in the app and the app will give you concrete help to achieve this goal. Besides running, other activities can also be tracked, such as cycling, rowing and Nordic walking.

RunKeeper

Operating system

Android / iOS
price

Free (+ in-app purchases)

03 C25K

If you want to get a little more serious about running, the app is C25K a great app. C25K stands for ‘Couch to (2) 5 km’. So the app wants to help you get off the couch and run 5 kilometers. It offers you the perfect preparation for your first 5K endurance run. All you have to do is follow the directions in the app. You are supposed to run three times a week, after eight weeks you are ready to run five kilometers in a row. Each workout takes 30 to 40 minutes.

C25K

Operating system

Android / iOS
price

Free (+ in-app purchases)

04 Fitocracy

Are you not really into running and would you rather work with weights? Fitocracy focuses very much on the social aspect of sports and you get a number of points with every session you complete. In the app you can add yourself to groups and compete with members of this group. The terms that often come up in the app are fortunately explained, very useful if you are a beginner. Fitocracy also looks very good and there is a video for each exercise that you can consult at any time by swiping up.

Fitocracy

Operating system

Android / iOS
price

Free (+ in-app purchases)

05 JEFIT Workout

JEFIT is a comprehensive app with many different workout exercises. Before you start, it is useful to fill in your details so that the app can give you a targeted training schedule. The app is a bit cluttered and not as intuitive as the competition, but it’s great that there are so many free exercises in the app. Each exercise has a description and a number of images, so that you can perform the exercise perfectly. You can also create your own sessions.

JEFIT Workout

Operating system

Android / iOS
price

Free (+ in-app purchases)

06 Google Fit

Google Fit is only available for Android. With this app you can track your movements. First you enter your weight, height and age. As soon as you start moving, Google Fit knows what kind of movement this is and will display how many calories you have burned, for example, using the sensors in the smartphone. You can connect external sensors and apps to Google Fit for detailed measurements and reports. Apple also has a similar service, the Health app is built into iOS by default.

Google Fit

Operating system

Android
price

Free

07 7 Minute Workout “Seven”

Not everyone feels like a long workout, this app can be a godsend. The app 7 Minute Workout (here for Android) assumes that you can set aside up to seven minutes each day for a few exercises. Because the app sends you notifications, you are encouraged to take the time every day to exercise for a few minutes. You can choose whether you want to do a full-body workout or just work out a specific part of your body. The app is a good way to get back into a sports rhythm.

7 Minute Workout

Operating system

Android / iOS
price

Free (+ in-app purchases)

08 Runtastic Six Pack

Runtastic has a good running app, similar to RunKeeper and Strava. However, the makers have even more apps: for example Sixpack, purely based on training your abs. The app consists of three programs, you must first complete the first ten-day program. Every day you have to do exercises for about ten to twenty minutes, these are all very clearly described in the app. An upgrade to the full version offers more workout options and training programs. You can view all exercises in the app before and after your workout.

Runtastic Six Pack

Operating system

Android / iOS
price

Free (+ in-app purchases)

09 Sworkit

Sworkit is a full workout app with an incredible amount of features. Not only can you do strength training with the app, Sworkit also provides a ton of stretching tips and has a lot of yoga programs on board. Videos show you how to perform the exercise perfectly and a friendly voice guides you to the next exercise. Sworkit has a reward system in the form of medals that you can share on your social media accounts. After a session, the app also indicates how many calories you have burned.

Sworkit

Operating system

Android / iOS
price

Free (+ in-app purchases)

10 StrongLifts 5×5

Stronglifts 5×5 is an app specially designed for people who want to focus on strength training. First enter your age, weight and height and tell how much weight you can now lift per fitness component. The app then indicates which weight you should start with per part. Stronglifts 5×5 is a kind of note-taking app where you fill in whether you have actually achieved the set goals. It is best to use the app as a supplement to your gym subscription, you are always challenged to train with more weight.

StrongLifts 5×5

Operating system

Android / iOS
price

Free (+ in-app purchases)

11 Pocket Yoga

Being fit is not only about lifting weights or running, flexibility is also important. And how do you train this better than with some daily yoga exercises? Pocket Yoga is a handy app that offers five different programs with dozens of poses each. You can adjust the time of each program and indicate whether you are a beginner or advanced. If you want to know more about the poses, you can view all poses plus a description before or after your workout. Unfortunately, you cannot compile your own programs.

Pocket Yoga

Operating system

Android / iOS
price

€ 3.49

12 Daily Yoga

To the app Daily Yoga To use, you must sign up via email or Facebook. It is handy that you can see an informative video of each pose, this is often much clearer than a text instruction. The app has a few free programs, but if you want to get the most out of the app, you have access to all programs for 10.49 euros per month. This is a considerable investment, but it gives you access to clear instructions and excellent yoga exercises. The free version occasionally has annoying advertisements.

Daily Yoga

Operating system

Android / iOS
price

Free (+ in-app purchases)

13 FitStar Yoga

FitStar Yoga is a very slick app with beautiful videos and spoken instructions. During poses you will be motivated to perform the pose correctly and afterwards you can indicate how difficult the pose was for you. The only disadvantage is that the app takes up quite a lot of space on your smartphone, a session can be a few hundred megabytes in size. Unfortunately, the yoga app is only available for iOS. FitStar also has a workout app, which is similar in style and also available for Android.

FitStar Yoga

Operating system

iOS
price

Free (+ in-app purchases)

14 Pregnancy Workout Free

When you are pregnant, you cannot do all normal exercises. Fortunately there is one good app (also available for Android) available for pregnant women. Choose which phase of your pregnancy you are in. You have one free session per phase. If you want access to the other four, you will need to upgrade to the full version. You can see for each exercise how to perform it, but due to the simple design, this is sometimes difficult to see. The free version has advertising at the bottom of the screen.

Pregnancy Workout Free

Operating system

Android / iOS
price

Free (+ in-app purchases)

15 Zombies, Run!

Just a different approach to getting fitter. Zombies, Run! is a game you play by running or walking in the real world. You listen to the story on your headphones and hear when to run from zombies or when other monsters are coming your way. Because of the game element you occasionally forget that you are exercising and you become fitter in a playful way. The app has even more sessions such as interval training on board.

Zombies, Run!

Operating system

Android / iOS
price

Free (+ in-app purchases).

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