Apple Fitness+ review: Move over Peloton, Apple could become a fitness powerhouse

Apple (AAPL) has officially launched its anticipated answer to Peloton (PTON) app, Apple Fitness+. Available now on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, Apple Fitness+ is meant to be a kind of one-stop-shop for your fitness needs whether you’re just starting out or are an experienced fitness fanatic.

For $7.99 per month or $79.99 a year, Fitness+ gives you access to a host of on-demand, recorded workouts for 10 different types of exercises including everything from strength training, to yoga and core, to treadmill routines.

And while you don’t need specific equipment for each workout, you do need an Apple Watch, which range in price from $199 to $499, to launch and register your subscription.

Still, in my experience, Apple Fitness+ is a legitimate at-home workout option for Apple Watch owners who are either looking to get into shape or want a challenge beyond their usual exercise regimen. And with coronavirus vaccines only now being shipped, it’s a great alternative if you’re not quite ready to go to a crowded gym.

An array of workouts without special equipment

Despite what my scale, and doctor, would have you believe, I enjoy working out. Still, I’ve never been a fan of guided workouts. I’ve always felt like they weren’t going to focus on the kinds of exercises I want to do, or that they’d be too easy.

I have a weight bench set and treadmill in my apartment that I use 4 to 5 days a week, following my own routine and logging it all in my Apple Watch. So I was curious to try out the exercises that most fit the workouts I enjoy.

Apple Fitness+ offers a wide range of exercises for every experience level, making it a great alternative to visiting the gym. (Image: Apple)
Apple Fitness+ offers a wide range of exercises for every experience level, making it a great alternative to visiting the gym. (Image: Apple)

Weightlifting for me involves the standard array of presses, lifts, and squats, and I’m not too keen on changing that up anytime soon, so I decided to opt for the treadmill workouts.

When you open the Fitness+ app, accessible through the standard Apple Fitness app, you’re greeted with 10 workouts at the top of the screen. Below that, you’ve got a list of new workouts for the week, beginner workouts, popular workouts, available trainers, and simple and quick workouts.

When you select a workout, in my case I chose Treadmill, you’re given a list of available routines from trainers. You can sort those based on length of time, music you, and trainer.

I chose the “30-minute treadmill with Sam” routine since it included pop-punk from the 2000s, like Blink 182’s “All the Small Things,” and that’s basically all I listen to anymore.

What’s impressive is that the setup doesn’t require you to have a specific treadmill, or bike or rowing machine for that matter. Instead, you get cues in the workout telling you to change your machine to a certain setting.

The Fitness+ app lets you access any number of workouts and serves as your viewing area for your routines. (Image: Apple)
The Fitness+ app lets you access any number of workouts and serves as your viewing area for your routines. (Image: Apple)

In the workout with Sam, she tells you to adjust the incline to a specific setting, but when it comes to speed, she tells you to adjust it to either an “easy” or “moderate” pace, or “all out.” That way you don’t have to worry about keeping up with somebody much faster than you.

If you’re looking for a challenge, some routines can absolutely crush you. I generally run 3 miles every other day on the treadmill, but when I tried Sam’s 45-minute workout with varying speeds and inclines, I needed to stop at about 35 minutes because I was too out of breath.

How the Apple Watch fits in

While you watch the Apple Fitness workout videos on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV, the Apple Watch is the centerpiece of the setup. When you start up a video, it syncs with your watch, so your time remaining, calories burned, and heart rate show up on both your watch and the screen you’re watching. That way, you don’t have to glance down at your watch to see how close you are to closing your rings.

Apple Fitness+ is a $7.99 home workout offering that will make you feel the burn. (Image: Howley)
Apple Fitness+ is a $7.99 home workout offering that will make you feel the burn. (Image: Howley)

When you do close your rings, you’ll see a slick on-screen animation celebrating your victory. There’s also an on-screen Burn Bar that tells you how you’re performing in relation to everyone else who has done the same workout. It’s an effective motivator that had me pushing myself a lot harder than I thought I would. It’s also important to point out that the Burn Bar only works with the Cycling, HIIT (high intensity interval training), Rowing, and Treadmill workouts.

If you need a break, you can pause your workout on your device or your watch, and both will stop at the same time. It’s a nice feature that ensures you’re never out of sync.

Trying something new and getting new tunes

One of the better aspects of Fitness+ is that it encourages you to try new exercises rather than getting stuck in a rut until you quit working out entirely.

Trainers in Apple Fitness+ are motivational and coach users how to pace themselves properly. (Image: Apple)
Trainers in Apple Fitness+ are motivational and coach users how to pace themselves properly. (Image: Apple)

The More of What You Do section will provide you with new workouts that track with what you’ve been doing recently based on the trainers you exercise with and the kinds of workouts you do. The Try Something New section offers new trainers pushing you through workouts that align with what you’ve been doing, but have slight variations to keep you interested.

All of the trainers also have different playlists for each workout. If you end up really digging a particular playlist, you can access it through Apple Music and download it for listening later.

Should you get it?

At $7.99 a month or $79.99 per year, Apple Fitness+ is less expensive than the $12.99 per month for the Peloton app or gyms like Planet Fitness that cost $10 per month. While you’ll need some equipment to perform certain routines, such as a treadmill, rowing machine, or stationary bike, it still provides users with plenty of additional exercises that require little more than a yoga mat.

If you’re trying to get into shape and need the motivation to get started, or just that extra boost of confidence while working out, Apple’s lineup of trainers does that job extremely well.

The only downside is that classes are added weekly, and you’re not going to get the kind of live classes Peloton offers. But outside of that, Fitness+ is a fantastic workout app that will help you get the blood pumping, and actually enjoy exercising.

Got a tip? Email Daniel Howley at dhowley@yahoofinance.com over via encrypted mail at danielphowley@protonmail.com, and follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.

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