No matter if you’re a seasoned fitness vet with over 20 years of experience, or just starting out on your journey, everyone has the plan to go to the gym and work out until ya don’t; life happens and things come up. No matter if you established your own workout space at home or invested in high-quality budget home gym equipment like the best dumbbells deals or treadmills for 2023, working out at home can be your answer. With the ability to be convenient, the no-excuses solution to fitting exercise into your busy schedule, at-home workouts can benefit everyone. However, if you’re a beginner and prefer the direction and structure of workout classes or professionally-designed exercise routines, working out at home can feel directionless and unmotivating. It can be hard to know exactly where to start.
The solution? Workout apps and streaming fitness classes. Ideal for people on the go or just can’t seem to fit a gym membership into the budget or don’t have time for the hassle of gyms (even if you have your own at home), workout apps allow you to access a plethora of exercises using your device anytime, anywhere — from the hotel room to your backyard. One bright side to come from Covid, online workout classes also are the new fitness trend, with well-informed enthusiasts and veterans taking advantage of technology to get fit and healthy. Finding the right workout app that will suit your needs might be too overwhelming, especially if you’re a newbie, so we took the time to test drive over two dozen workout apps. If you’re ready to get fit at home, keep reading for our picks for the best workout apps for men in 2023.
Obé
Obé is a rising online fitness platform and workout app with both livestream and on-demand fitness classes taught by top-notch NYC trainers in signature pastel-colored studios. The impressive library of nearly 7,500 on-demand classes can be filtered by type, fitness level, body focus (e.g., core, total body, or upper body), duration, required exercise equipment, impact level, and instructor so you can find exactly what you’re looking for. On-demand classes range from five to 60 minutes, and subscribers can choose from over 20 different types of classes, ranging from typical categories like HIIT and Yoga, to more innovative options like Dance HIIT, Jump, Bounce (rebounder classes), and Cardio Boxing. Obé also offers specific programs that range in length from seven to 30 days and are geared towards various fitness goals, levels, and activities. Examples include 7-Day Just Getting Started: Beginner, 28-Day Hard AF, and a 15-Day Yoga Deep Dive program. There are also 7-day challenges for an extra boost of motivation and structure.
Obé is also ideal if you love the energy of a live class, but prefer to work out in the comfort and privacy of your own home. A live class is offered nearly every half hour from 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. EST every weekday (22 classes per day) with reduced offerings on weekends.
Cost: After a seven-day free trial, you can choose a monthly ($19), quarterly ($65), or annual plan ($199).
Peleton
You don’t need to own a Peleton to take advantage of the great workouts available on the Peleton app. The app features live and on-demand running, cycling, and strength classes to give you a complete workout. Peleton places an emphasis on whole-body health, which is why its app includes yoga and meditation exercises to strengthen your body and mind.
Community is also important, and if you love the energy of in-person classes, the Peleton app does a pretty good job of replicating that with its leaderboard, tag, and tribe features, which fan the flames of competition while allowing riders to link up with their friends or like-minded riders to workout together. It’s the closest you can get to a sweaty workout class without the hassle of a commute.
Cost: 30-day free trial; $13 per month. Available on iOS and Android
Nike Training Club
The fitness giant has two workout apps, Nike Training Club and Nike Run Club. Nike Run Club is popular among runners, but if you’re looking to introduce strength training into your workouts, the Nike Training Club comes jam-packed with over 185 free on-demand workouts led by Nike’s Master Trainers. It’s completely customizable from beginner to advanced fitness levels, low to high intensity, and durations from 15 to 90 minutes. Choose from a variety of programs, including yoga, mobility, strength training, cardio, and HIT. You also can specify the type of equipment you do (or don’t) have to narrow down your options.
The best part? Both apps are free. You can start the QR code on its official website or download it on the Apps Store or Google Play.
Cost: Free. Available on iOS and Android
Try It
Beachbody by Demand
The name might be cheesy, but the workouts are the real deal. This app offers a ton of popular classes and programs from P90X to INSANITY and 21 Day Fix to PiYo. You can search by workout or by fitness level and style, and they feature workouts from some of the industry’s top trainers to deliver streamlined workout plans that show you exactly what you should be doing and for how long.
If you’re an active athlete, you know that what you eat is just as important, if not more important than your workouts. Beachbody by Demand comes with nutrition plans tailored to your gender, activity level, goals, body weight, and dietary preferences. It’s an all-in-one fitness and diet coach on-call at all hours of the day.
Cost: It costs $99 annually; however, the $160 package contains more benefits such as digital nutrition programs. Available on iOS and Android
Daily Burn
If you’re someone who gets bored with the same workouts, you’re going to love Daily Burn. The app features a new workout every day along with your choice of 1,400-plus fitness classes so you’ll never get bored. The fitness app also packages its workouts into programs, which last anywhere from two to eight weeks to get you the results you’re after within a designated timeframe.
Their beginner’s program is extremely thorough and helps ease people into a consistent workout routine starting with mobility and stability, and then building up to more difficult workouts. You also can chat with other users who are doing the same training as you, which is helpful if you miss the community aspect of in-person classes. You can start a 30-day free trial to see if this app is for you.
Cost: $15 per month; $20 per month for the premium version. Available on iOS and Android
8fit
8fit is designed with results in mind. The app features on-demand workouts and meal planning that are tailored to the goal you set, whether it be to lose weight, get fitter, or gain muscle. The workouts and meal plans 8fit creates are based on your personal habits, like whether you’re a morning exercise person and the kind of meals you like to prepare. Based on your goals and preferences, you’ll be able to see exactly how long it’ll take you to reach that goal, along with the difficulty of achieving it.
If you like clear instructions and need a ton of guidance, 8fit is a great way to get a personalized plan in place to help you achieve your fitness goals. For those on a budget, the app has a free version with some features, but the Pro version unlocks all workouts, gives you custom meal plans, and provides a shopping list.
Cost: Free; Pro plan $80 per year. Available on iOS and Android
Centr
Australian actor Chris Hemsworth, best known for playing Thor in eight Marvel Cinematic Universe films, created his own workout app to help you get in superhero shape. If your crime-fighting costume is a little snug, the app is designed to assist in planning your training, executing effective workouts, and eating healthy. Hemsworth reportedly gained 20 pounds of muscle to play Thor, so the workouts in the “Train” section of the app are nothing to scoff at. You can choose between self-guided or coached workouts.
The fitness brand also recently launched Centr Unlimited, a six-week bodyweight training program designed for people with little to no access to the best home gym equipment. The program has three difficulty settings, so it’s accessible to all fitness levels. There’s also a mindfulness section of the app with guided meditations and information on the benefits of mindfulness. If it’s good enough for Thor, it’s good enough for mere mortals.
Cost: 7-day free trial; $30 per month, $60 for three months, or $120 annually. Available on iOS and Android
Strava
If you love getting outside and running, biking, or hiking your way to a fit and healthy lifestyle, get Strava. Named “the social network for athletes,” this app tracks important stats (like speed, pace, elevation, and more) so you can improve your performance over time. You can join clubs or challenges and follow your friends if you want to engage in a little friendly competition. If you own a GPS fitness watch, you can link your Strava account with the watch so that activities recorded on it will automatically sync and upload to Strava so you never miss logging a workout.
Plus, if you run or bike in the same place every day, you can rack up achievements measured against others who travel that same route. It also has super-accurate satellite global tracking, which is great if your evening run or ride takes you off the beaten path. The app is free, but the paid version will give you access to the company’s advanced route planning tool along with the use of the Beacon feature, which can allow friends and family to track you in real-time. You can also view advanced training metrics and analyze your past workouts in greater detail with a paid subscription.
Cost: Free; Pro plan $5 per month; $60 per year. Available on iOS and Android
Aaptiv
If you’re short on workout buddies and not keen on tracking down the right trainer for you, Aaptiv may be just what you need. The routines on this app are audio-only, with specially curated workout songs and trainers who unobtrusively interject to keep you on track. Sort workouts by specific trainers, difficulty level, duration, or musical genre to find what motivates you most. You can select from routines built around outdoor walking, running, indoor cycling, elliptical, treadmill, stair climber, rowing, strength training, stretching, meditation, or yoga, plus focused training programs for 5K, 10K, and half or full marathons.
The app’s interface is clean, straightforward, and easy to use, and the audio-only format feels much more like working out with a buddy beside you than fighting for equipment in a crowded gym. Plus, with a constantly growing list of available classes, it’s next to impossible to get bored.
Cost: 7-day free trial; $15 per month or $100 per year. Available for iOS and Android
Jefit
For a more hands-on, customizable workout experience and the ability to track and analyze your progress, Jefit is a solid home-gym companion. The app features a library of over 1,000 exercise types, which can be viewed individually in pre-built routines or by combining whatever strikes your fancy into your own personal exercise regimen. Enter your starting stats, ability level, and where you’ll be working out (gym, home, outdoors, or anywhere) and the app will suggest programs to start with. Instructional videos show you how to properly perform moves, and the Jefit community lets users share their own routines and participate in monthly contests.
There’s plenty to be had in Jefit’s free subscription, but if you upgrade to Elite status ($40 per year) you get access to even more exercises and routines, plus a whole lineup of workout tracking tools that will sync with your Android Wear or Apple Watch, time your workouts, notify you when you’ve set a new personal record, run progress analysis reports, and more.
Cost: Free; upgrade to Elite Monthly for $7 and Elite Yearly for $40 per year. Available for iOS and Android
Yoga Studio
Whether you’re familiar with every pose or you’ve never even tried Downward Dog, this app can help you achieve full yogi status from your own living room. Everything about the Yoga Studio app is saturated in pure, chi-centering bliss, from its satisfyingly clean interface to the soothing soundtracks behind every routine.
Classes include beginner essentials, prenatal yoga, hip-hop yoga, a series of sessions with world-renowned yogi Rodney Yee, and more. Select a pre-designed guided class or scroll through the app’s massive library of over 280 poses to build your own routine. A built-in calendar feature lets you keep track of every session, every single class features full HD video to guide you through the poses, and you can even download classes to view offline.
The app lets you filter available classes by difficulty level (beginner, intermediate, or advanced), duration (15, 30, or 60 minutes), and focus (strength, flexibility, relaxation, balance, or a combination) so you can stay completely centered on your goals.
Just make sure you have a decent yoga mat and a yoga towel to make it easier.
Cost: Free trial; $20 per year. Available for iOS and Android
C25K
If you’re the kind of person who only runs if you’re being chased, the idea of beginning a running regime can be daunting. The Couch to 5K (C25K) app is the answer. It’s an eight-week program of three runs per week of varying lengths. A female voice pipes up during the music or podcast of your choice to tell you when to walk and when to run. The first week you’re warming up with a brisk walk for five minutes, then you alternate 60 seconds of jogging with 90 seconds of walking for 30 minutes. Each week increases the amount of running time and by week eight, you’re running 3 miles in 30 minutes.
It’s impressive because it actually works. You can go straight through or repeat weeks, trying to increase your speed. C25K is a great place to start an exercise program because it gets you in the groove. Then you can move on to trail running for fun.
Cost: Free. Available for iOS and Android
Carrot Fit
Carrot Fit is an irreverent app with absolutely no manners. In its own words: “The hilarious talking A.I. construct, Carrot, has a new goal; to transform your flabby carcass into a Grade A specimen of the human race. And she’s going to do whatever it takes — including threatening, inspiring, ridiculing, and bribing you — to make this happen.”
It’s almost guaranteed there’s no other app like this one. One exercise tones your arms while you “fantasize about punching Justin Bieber.” Another has you outrunning a rabid pack of ostriches. The weight tracker allows you to watch the pounds fall off, largely due to the judgmental A.I. threatening you.
The programs require no special equipment or big spaces, just a stiff upper lip for when you’re repeatedly called “meat bag.”
Cost: $5 one-time payment; Available for iOS
Keelo
This awesome app provides you with High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workouts that are at or under 20 minutes long. You can easily do the exercises in the gym, but it’s designed to be usable at home with any equipment you have (or don’t). You can also tailor it to your location (studio apartment, hotel room, gym) and the current weather. Text and video will ensure you’re performing each move properly.
Expert coaches design workouts for any fitness level, which you can increase in intensity as you get ripped. You even have the option to get help with coaches via chat or email. It’s a whole-body approach and tracks your reps and progress. It also takes the guesswork out of what to do next, suggesting ever-changing and expanding workouts so you don’t get bored or stagnate.
Cost: Free trial; $13 per month, $31 per quarter, $94 annually. Available for iOS and Android
Coming in Clutch
Regardless of what life throws at you, these top fitness apps for men will make sure that no matter what happens, you’ll always have a workout on demand and ready to go.
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