Lifting weights at the gym isn’t the only way to stay fit. Exercising against your own body weight is enough to keep you in shape. Working out by yourself may look like an easy task but in reality, we miss out on important key factors like posture, target muscles, switching between different muscles, etc. There are a lot of apps on the Play Store and the App Store which promise 30-day abs, and 7 minutes workout but I tested them all and only a few apps actually helped me achieve the goal it promised. Let’s check them out.
Read 5 Best Bodybuilding Apps for Android
Workout App Without Equipment
1. 30 Day Fit Challenge
30 Day Fir Challenge is based on Maxwell Maltz’s Psycho-Cybernetics theory, according to which it usually takes a minimum of about 21 days to effect any perceptible change in a mental image.
It’s a home workout app which helps you train without any equipments and almost every workout listed in the app can be done at home. The app has a set of exercises developed specially to help you burn fat, build strong muscles, and stay in shape.
To get started, you first enter your weight/height into the app and choose a workout. It offers full body workout with individual muscle group exercises like abs, butt, arm, and leg. Each exercise has three plans easy, medium and hard. The workout routine can range anywhere from 2 days/week to 6 days/week. After you select a plan and are ready to start the workout process, tap on day one and start the routine.
It shows a GIF of the routine which you’d do to give you a reference and correct body posture which is very important in a workout. After a set it recommends a cooldown time of 30 seconds then you can proceed to the next set. It shows calories burned in one session and prompts you to enter your weight to generate a graph of the progress. You can set reminders for the exercises and the app would notify you of your next routine.
Pros You get detailed instructions on how to maintain proper posture during exercise.
Cons You can’t customize the routines as per your comfort level.
Price: The app is free however you do see some ads in the app which can be removed permanently for $ 2.99
Download 30 Day Fit Challenge for Android and iOS (free)
2. Home workout
Home workout has a few different categories of exercises to choose from, you can focus on developing specific muscle groups or dedicate your time for a full body workout. The routines and exercises are elaborate. The exercises for muscle groups are divided into three levels which makes it easier to choose according to your experience with a workout. If you’ve never exercised before, you can stick to the beginner programs. It shows animated GIF which ensures your posture is correct and if that’s not enough you can watch a YouTube video for more clarity. It also has a 7×4 full body challenge that is claimed to show guaranteed results in 28 days.
The app generates a detailed report of your workout routine and shows calories burned, days skipped, workout time in minutes, and a detailed graph of your weight since you started the routines. It also gives you audio commands to give you an extra push just like a real-life trainer. You can also change the rest and countdown time as per your convenience which allows you to keep in sync with the exercise routines without rushing through a set.
Pros You have the option to focus on a specific group of muscles separately.
Cons you can’t watch the videos for exercise in the app which is kind of a nuisance as it could have been easily implemented within the app.
The app is free and you can remove ads by purchasing the app from the play store.
Download Home Workout for Android (free)
3. Strava
Strava is more of a physical activity app than a dedicated workout app. The reason it’s on our list because not everyone wants a fixed routine of jumping jacks and plank 4 days a week to get fit. There are plenty of physical activities which help you burn calories and get fit and are a lot of fun.
Strava has two modes to monitor your activities, you can connect your GPS watch or use your phone’s GPS to monitor your location. You can choose from a list of activities which you can do, for example, you can go running, bicycle riding, hiking, skiing, surfing, swimming, etc. These are few of the sports that I’ve listed there are many more sports offered by this app.
Not only it tracks you while you go for a jog, but you can also set a pre-planned route and take traffic and dead ends into account. You can take part in challenges which are organized by the locals and go on a marathon with your friends. Connecting your Facebook allows you to see your friends’ activities and invite them for a run together.
Pros You can connect it to Google fit and My Fitness Pal, it keeps a track of your activities and shows your progress in the profile tab.
Cons It doesn’t have an option to manually enter calories burned, it calculates only with GPS which can sometimes be unreliable.
The app is free but if you purchase the premium version for $7.99/ month, you can create your custom fitness goals.
Download Strava for Android and iOS (free)
4. Female Fitness – Women workout
Male and female bodies are quite different and the workout apps designed for men might not show desired results with women. With that in mind, there are dedicated apps designed for women which focus on a group of muscles like thighs, butts, and abs rather than chest biceps and back for men.
Female Fitness prompts you to select a group of muscles and a schedule to workout and generates a relevant exercise schedule tailored to your requirements. Every muscle group has three levels – beginner, intermediate and advanced.
Every routine is accompanied by an audio trainer which notifies you when a set starts and when it’s time to take a rest. Along with your regular routines, you get an additional warmup and sleep time stretching exercises to keep your muscles relaxed. The report is generated as you complete your routines and shows a weighted graph, calories burned and the number of exercises completed.
The reminder feature lets you set separate alarms for your general routine, morning warmup, and sleep time stretch. You can also sync your Google fit to share the data with the health app.
Pros The app keeps track of your activities and exercises and gives daily tips
Cons The exercises are limited to a few groups of muscles they could have added more exercise routines
The main app is free but if you don’t like the ads you can buy the premium version to remove ads.
Download Female Workout for Android and iOS (free)
5. Freelectics
Freeletics is a personalized training app which adapts to your fitness level and offers custom routines according to your body type.
Before you start your routine, you can watch videos of the exercises in the routine to learn the correct posture and once you’re done, press the start button to start the sets. Training tab offers personalized training with a virtual coach which is set up the first time you use the app. It asks for your gender, fitness level, and your goal (lose weight, get, fit, and gain muscle). It then generates the routine and you can workout without any pieces of equipment.
The feed tab shows different types of single set routines with its title, time, and focus muscles. These exercises like Krios, Charon and Burpees are strategically designed to build up your strength from the core.
The coach is a subscription-based service and offers custom routines and nutrition suggestions for $2/week billed for 6 months. It also comes with a 14-day money back guarantee which is nice.
Pros The audio enabled coach offers customized exercise programs tailored for you and adapts to your strength as you progress.
Cons You don’t get the option to choose exercise routines for specific groups of muscles, it comes clubbed in the coaching program.
Download Freeletics for Android and iOS (free)
6. Nike Training Club
Nike Training Club is a fitness app that offers exercise and routines which athletes perform. Considering Nike’s interest in sports it’s acceptable to say they have a strong understanding of exercises for all body types.
Although it offers workout routines for gym-goer as well, Nike Training club has around 96 workouts which don’t require any equipment.  The exercises are categorized by strength, endurance, and mobility allowing you to choose according to your desire. If you’re not sure what exercises to follow, there are complete plans available. It offers different routines to get a lean fit, bodyweight, and a startup plan for beginners.
Pros Extensive workout routines for every muscle in your body, clean UI
Cons No option to sync progress with other health apps like Google Fit.
Download Nike Training Club for Android and iOS (free)
7. 7-Minute workout
7-minute workout app takes the idea evolved that a set of exercises which are non-resource intensive can be done under seven minutes and produce significant results. This is a technique developed in recent years which takes our exhausting lifestyle into account. The seven-minute workout involves exercises like jumping jacks, wall sits, planks, push-ups, etc.
This app has a simple layout you can choose from smart, 7 minute or a custom workout library. A 7-minute workout routine starts off with warm-up exercises like shoulder rolls, cross arms, and knee hooks. However, you can proceed without the warm-up exercises as well. All the exercises are accompanied by a moving picture which shows the correct posture and audio commands. Which encourage and direct you to keep breathing and posture correct. This ensures your workout routine is perfect and gives you definite results.
You can evaluate your performance and update your fitness level and motivation. And It allows the app to improve the exercise suggestions in the smart workout app.
Pros You get interactive UI to sync your routines and perform better
Cons There is no option to track your progress. The option which tracks the progress is very generic doesn’t offer much insight.
Download 7 Minute Workout for Android and iOSÂ (free)
8. 8 fit
8fit is an all-around fitness app which offers workout routines, with meal suggestions, and activity tracking.
The workout part of the app is well built and the exercises offered can be performed in your house. The routine consists of exercises like leg circles, shoulder pulses, planks, squats, and fast feet. It also has the ability to log into your outdoor physical activities like cycling, running, swimming, etc. If the program is too difficult for you, it can be changed from the settings page to suit your comfort level. Working out is all about pushing yourself so don’t select too easy programs.
The profile keeps track of your activities and shows a graph of the steps you took in a week and plots it on a calendar. It also gives you meal suggestions which is another crucial part of a good workout. Although it’s a paid feature if you wish to just stick with the workouts you can do that for free.
Pros Offer Nutrition suggestions and keep track of steps and calories burned.
Cons You don’t have the option of shorter exercise routines and it can be tiring if you’re new to exercising.
Although the app is free you can’t plan meals in the free version but you can purchase the $5/ month subscription.
Download 8fit for Android and iOS (free)
Which is the best Workout App for you?
Well, Every Workout app doesn’t work for everyone, 8fit is good if you want nutrition recommendation and wish to cook the food yourself. 7 Minute Workout is best for people with a busy schedule. Female Fitness as the name suggests is specially developed for women. I personally like Strava as I don’t work out but do outdoor activities instead. Tell us which app do you like the most in the comments below.
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