Apple Fitness+ in the test: Everything you need to know about the fitness app!
Forget New Year’s resolutions! The best time to start exercising is today. Apple Fitness+ is here to support you. Especially in combination with an Apple Watch, the Apple Fitness courses unfold their full potential. But what is Apple Fitness+ anyway? And can you take it out without an Apple Watch? These and other answers can be found in this text.
When the smartphone giant from Cupertino launched the Apple Watch on the market in 2015, even Apple didn’t know how to position the smartwatch. As a result, Apple long regarded the Apple Watch as an extended iPhone for the wrist. It was only later that Apple discovered the fitness potential of the smartwatch.
Admittedly, the Activities app, which Apple used to motivate people to exercise more, was already available at the launch. But it wasn’t until shortly before the end of 2020 that Apple gave the app a much-needed update. Not only has the app been renamed Fitness, users can now enjoy fitness classes for a monthly fee. Apple simply calls these courses Apple Fitness+.
What is Apple Fitness+?
Apple Fitness+ is a fitness service with 11 types of training. These workouts are:
Yoga*, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)*, Pilates*, Rowing**, Strength Training**, Core Training*, Meditations, Mindful Cooldown, Cycling** and Dancing*. Each type of training is led by an experienced trainer and is available in different lengths. Core workouts for your stomach are available in 5, 10 and 20 minute sessions, yoga workouts in 10, 20, 30 or 45 minute sessions.
What does Apple Fitness+ cost?
Apple Fitness+ costs CHF 12.90 per month, or CHF 99 for a full year. The service comes with a free trial month, and anyone who buys a new Apple Watch even gets three free months. If you already use other Apple services such as Apple TV+, Apple Arcade or iCloud, you should also take a look at Apple One. For CHF 23.90, you can enjoy Apple Fitness+ as well as exclusive games (Apple Arcade), series and movies (Apple TV+), 2 TB of iCloud storage space and Apple Music.
Who is the fitness service suitable for?
Apple Fitness+ is particularly suitable for those who are active in the Apple cosmos and own an iPhone as well as other Apple devices.
Do I need special sports equipment for Apple Fitness+?
For the types of training mentioned above with one star (*), you only need a mat or yoga mat. Workouts with two stars (**) require special equipment such as treadmills or rowing machines. Ideally, however, you should already own these so you don’t have to buy them new.
On this Apple page you will find recommendations for treadmills, mounts or rowing machines.
What makes Apple Fitness+ different from other fitness apps?
Apple Fitness+ uses the measurement data from your Apple Watch and displays it on the screen during your workout. This means you always have your heart rate, the calories burned and, depending on the workout, a calorie comparison with other people who have completed this workout. At the top right you can see your Apple Watch rings and how far you have already filled them.
Can you do Apple Fitness+ without an Apple Watch?
If you don’t own an Apple Watch, you don’t have to do without Apple Fitness+. You can also use the workout service with an iPhone. Only the measurement data is then not available.
Is Apple Fitness+ also available for Android?
Not at the moment.
What are the strengths of Apple Fitness+?
Whether you’re a couch potato or a busy businessman, the strength of Apple’s fitness service lies in the low barriers to entry. Basically, you don’t even need sportswear. You don’t even need to go to an expensive gym. Many types of training can also be completed in 5 or 10 minutes, so you can easily do them during your break.
The seamless integration of fitness data into the Apple cosmos is also great. All previous workouts are saved on the iPhone, even if they were completed via the Apple TV. You can see where and when you completed the exercises, what the weather was like that day and how your heart rate has developed over the course of your training.
If you have physical limitations, you don’t have to miss out on the exercises. In addition to the trainer, another person takes part in each workout, who modifies the exercises for less fit people. Nevertheless, people with physical complaints should speak to their GP first.
What are the weaknesses of Apple Fitness+?
Apple Fitness+ is aimed at the general public. This means that the training courses are not specifically tailored to you. Although there are collections such as “Workouts for pregnant women” or “Achieve your dream figure in 6 weeks”, there are no personalized workouts that are specifically tailored to you and your fitness level. People who already do a lot of sport can only choose the level of difficulty based on the duration of a workout, for example a 45-minute yoga workout or a 30-minute HIIT. However, the user cannot decide which exercises are performed in these workouts.
Nor will anyone check whether you are doing the exercises correctly. It is easy to unconsciously perform an exercise or movement incorrectly and overestimate yourself and your body. However, the trainers often give tips (“shoulder blades apart”) on how to perform the exercise.
There are also no German trainers, everything is in English. However, you can switch on German subtitles.
Conclusion: Don’t procrastinate, get started!
Apple Fitness+ is not perfect. If you are looking for workouts that are specifically tailored to your fitness level, it is better to go to a conventional gym and get advice from a trainer. Aside from the inner bastard, the biggest enemy of any budding amateur athlete is the shame of looking at other people. Fortunately, this shame does not arise with Apple’s fitness service. The trainers are friendly and motivating, if sometimes rather American in their friendliness. Nevertheless, Apple’s fitness service is characterized by its incredibly low entry barriers. If you buy a new Apple Watch, you get three months of Apple Fitness+ for free, but even without an Apple Watch you get a free month to try it out. So all you have to do is get started 😉
If you don’t like Apple Fitness+, you can find more fitness and sports apps in this article. You can find out how else you can live healthier in our text about New Year’s resolutions, which you can also read outside of the New Year.
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