Do you remember those motivational gym posters? The ones with words like “SUCCESS” and “ACCOMPLISHMENT” splashed across a cheesy photo of some dude sprinting along a beach at sunset? You don’t need that kind of old-school motivation these days with all of the incredible fitness apps available.

Apps make it easier than ever to reach, track and monitor your fitness goals. In fact, data shows that more than 71,000 health and fitness apps were released globally in 2020. 

Given the seemingly endless options for fitness apps, how do you know which one to choose? We thought we’d save you some time by hand-picking our top 5 favourite workout apps for beginners:

1. FitOn App

Best exercise app - fiton

Free Download for Google Play and iOS

FitOn is a free app with lots of options. It has a huge community of over 15 million members. There are a number of different workouts to choose from, with lengths running from 5 minutes to over an hour. 

It’s easy to search for the type of video you want, including by duration, ability level, celebrity trainer, or intensity. You can even choose exercises that can be done with kids, and that will work in small spaces.

Pros

  • Lots of free content
  • Workout reminders make it easy to add to your daily routine
  • Stream from a laptop, tablet, phone or TV
  • Can see your heartrate on-screen if a watch with one
  • World-class trainers and celebrities

Cons

  • Ads interrupt your workouts in the free version

2. Nike Training Club

Best exercise app - nike training club

Free Download for Google Play and iOS

With more than 200 workouts crafted by professional Nike trainers, this app is a powerhouse of useful videos to help get you motivated to work out. Beginners can set specific fitness goals, like strength, toning or weight loss, and use the tutorial library to get each exercise right and avoid injuries. Are you feeling competitive? Link your profile with your buddies for extra accountability.

Pros

  • 200+ free workouts
  • Classes last from 5 to 60 minutes
  • Track your progress
  • Good for all levels of fitness

Cons

  • Unable to preview workout before starting
  • Can’t skip exercises you don’t want to do
  • Need to download workouts to your phone

3. Centr

Best exercise app - centr

Free Trial for Google Play and iOS

The Centr app is from Chris Hemsworth, the actor who is known for playing Thor in the Avengers movies. The app is like having a mindfulness coach, personal trainer, and meal planner at your fingertips. You won’t get bored with over 4,000 workouts, 1000+ recipes and a variety of mindfulness exercises—with more always being added.

This app is great if you want some help with daily planning. It provides you with a planner where you’ll find each day’s workout, meals, mindset challenges, and blog articles. However, if you’re only looking for an exercise app, the extras might seem overwhelming.

Pros

  • 7-day free trial 
  • Wide range of programs
  • Includes meal plans and mental health coaching
  • Geared towards men

Cons

  • So many features can feel overwhelming
  • Expensive

4. Johnson & Johnson Official 7-minute Workout

Best exercise app - johnson & johnson

Free Download for Google Play

This simple app provides easy-to-follow workouts that can be done at home (think push-ups, burpees and jumping jacks). A voice guides you through each exercise with a video of a person showing you how to do each exercise. 

The workouts vary in duration (7 to 32 minutes) and intensity (easy to hard), with a countdown clock to show you how long to do each exercise for. 

Pros

  • Free
  • The 7-minute workouts are perfect for beginners
  • Create custom workouts
  • Syncs with Apple Watch

Cons

  • Only 6 pre-set beginner workouts are available
  • Will likely get boring after a while
  • For Android users only
  • It’s an older app, so quite basic compared to other apps

5. Zombies Run Game

Zombierun app

Free Download for Google Play and iOS

This game might give you the motivation you need to start running: zombies chasing you! This fun and interactive game gets you outside to run (or walk) away from zombies while collecting supplies and saving the world. There are over 20 missions to choose from. If you pay for the app, you get no ads and 400+ missions.

Pros

  • Option to play for free (with ads)
  • Makes running fun
  • Great for gamers

Cons

  • For running only 
  • Limited missions for free users
  • Will likely get boring pretty quickly

Is there a fitness app that’s worked for you? Tell us your favourite fitness app in the comments below!

In 10 minutes, learn your risk level for the 8 most common health conditions affecting Canadian men. Men’s Health Check is free, anonymous and backed by medical experts.

Cta mhc photo v3