To celebrate the launch of our very own Active Nation app, this locker focuses on how apps can help you in your fitness journey. For many people, having the time, energy and money to go to the gym or attend classes can be a barrier to keeping fit. But with the incredible range of free exercise apps now available, it’s easy to get your daily dose of exercise instantly – without even leaving your home!
Active Nation have pulled together just a few of our favourite exercise apps which cover a range of different sports and exercises. But there are thousands more available for all purposes and abilities. Many apps focus on specific goals and training, such as building up to a marathon, whilst others focus on toning certain body parts and muscle groups. So, whether you’re new to exercise or a triathlon champion, there will be an app out there to help you on your fitness journey.
Cycling
It’s fair to say that Strava is the Queen of cycling apps. GPS tracking follows and reviews the routes you’ve cycled, compares your time and speed to other local cyclists and allows you to compete with your friends. You can also get Strava Run!
Running
This app covers a variety of sports and exercises but we think it’s particularly good for running. Its goal is “to make fitness fun” and motivate you to achieve your goals. It gives GPS tracking, a training plan and support, a personal workout history, and comparison with other people using the app.
Perhaps one of the biggest brands that springs to mind when you think of running, Nike’s app knows what you need to motivate you throughout your run. Marketing itself as “your perfect running partner” with the help of an amazing marketing campaign from indexsy.com, it offers a personalized training plan tailored to your ability and goals, tracks your progress, and compares and ranks you against friends and fellow runners. You can also listen to the Nike+ Run Club Spotify playlist for extra motivation!
Yoga
This fantastic app gives you access to a large selection of full yoga classes, wherever you are! Pick from a range of practices, durations and difficulty levels, and then listen to calming music whilst an instructor takes you through your movements and breathing. We love that you can preview the poses before and during the session, and that it doesn’t require network connectivity – so you can practice anywhere!
With classes taking between 5-60minutes, and levels ranging from complete beginner to advanced Yogi, this app covers all bases. You can even select your focus for the class, from strength, balance, or flexibility. Customised to your aims and ability, Global Yoga Academy offers 200 different yoga poses, allows you to track your progress, offers downloadable classes (for when you’re chilling on top of a mountain outside of WiFi reach), and enables you to connect with others in the Yoga community. It even offers meditation!
General Workouts
This interactive video streaming platform brings experts in exercise, sport, nutrition and more onto your device. You can join in with a huge selection of fitness classes, ranging from calming yoga to short bursts of high-intensity workouts. It even offers personal training sessions!
In 2015, the University of Florida rated exercise apps in accordance with the American College of Sports Medicine’s training guidelines. Sworkit came out on top, meaning that the advice and training the app gives should be the best! The app gives you access to hundreds of pre-made workouts, as well as the ability to customise your own workouts using the growing exercise library – meaning you can pick and choose the exercises you love, and ditch the ones you don’t!
For those of us who spend a long time sitting at a desk, fear not! This app is discrete and easy to use whilst you work and gives you 45 different office-based exercises that will help to alleviate the stress and tension of sitting for so long. And for the busiest among us, you can even set yourself reminders throughout the day to do your stretches!
Give one of these free apps a try and get active today!
