What Are the Best Exercise and Fitness Apps - and Are They Right for You?

Fitness and exercise are cornerstones in any health and wellness plan. Finding the right workout regime, exercise plan, or general fitness strategy can be a huge challenge. If you get it wrong, you won’t see good results or worse - you could be injured.

One of the easiest ways to navigate an exercise plan is with a personal trainer. However, this isn’t always possible. Personal trainers can be expensive, and finding the right one for you can be like finding a needle in a haystack. It is for this reason that fitness apps have become a growing trend in the health and wellness market.

Can an app really replace a personal trainer? Well, the answer is complicated. There are some downsides to using an app in place of a personal trainer, like truly personalized feedback and motivation. But apps have upsides as well - immediacy, ease, and price being some of the main benefits. So what are some of the apps out there that are worth your time? Let’s go through the best of the best, and who is behind them.

Playbook by Don Saladino

If you have watched a movie recently, chances are you have seen the work of Don Saladino. He has worked as a personal trainer for Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Emily Blunt, Hugh Jackman, and a bunch of other Hollywood celebrities. He is one of the most in-demand trainers in the world, but luckily (for those of us who aren’t in front of the camera) he has another way.

Playbook is a fantastic app. It has a bunch of different programs from Saladino himself, alongside other workouts by equally great creators. One of the things I love about his workouts is how creative they are, with programs including the “Winter Soldier” program and 6-week “SuitUp” challenge. You can gain access to Playbook for $99.99 for the whole year - the equivalent of just $0.27 per day.

Fitbod

The name really says it all - this is a great way to get your body fit. This app has an average rating of 4.8 on the Apple App Store, and people swear by it. One of the great things about this app, in particular, is that the tracking. With the premium plan (which unlocks the full app) you can store unlimited workouts.

There is a huge amount of personalization with this app. You can build your workout to fit what you want, and the app has the ability to study past workouts and adapt your exercise plan to the equipment that is available to you. At $59.99 for the year, it is a little cheaper than Playbook. Sure, you don’t get the star quality workout regimes by Don Saladino, but Fitbod is a great alternative that allows a touch more personalization.

Shred App

The Shred app is a clear, simple app that offers a decent amount of personalization. One of the real killer features of this app is that it offers two different styles - gym and bodyweight. While other apps offer a bodyweight option, this app really goes all out.

For what it offers in comparison to other apps (at $99.99 for the year), this is priced fairly. Other apps may have a little more flair in the design and star-power area, but you can’t argue with how great the bodyweight options are for this app.

Are fitness apps right for you?

Everyone is different. It’s hard to recommend one app, personal trainer, or even specific exercise that everyone should do. We are all different and have different fitness goals. An app can be a great way to get a fitness regime started without committing to a personal trainer, and allows you to plug into an amazing amount of resources, with shared workouts, experts, and tracking.

(And For those of you in NYC)

I know that a lot of my readers are based in New York, so I just wanted to plug two amazing personal trainers/gyms that are a fantastic alternative to the app. The first is Don Saladino, the guy I mentioned above in the Playbook App summary. His gym is in NYC, and he works with a host of personal trainers who help him train hundreds of people a week. The second is The Dogpound, which is run by the phenomenal Kirk Myers. Kirk is a true success story, losing 130 pounds and becoming a superstar personal trainer after being diagnosed with heart failure. He is the proof that his methods work, so if you can get into The Dogpound and work with him, then jump at the opportunity.