Buying Guides
All of the finest working out aids your smartphone can muster
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Fitness Technology
Unless you really know what you’re doing, it can be easy to waste time when working out, aimlessly drifting from machine to mat without actually doing much working.
You can solve this problem with a personal trainer, or extensive planning, or you can just download one of the many excellent workout apps that exist for your smartphone.
These will do all the planning for you, and chuck in some motivation too. Here are the 10 best workout apps.
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Sworkit
This excellent app splits its bodyweight workouts into four categories – strength, cardio, yoga and stretching. Once you’ve selected from that quartet, you pick the part of the body you want to focus on or opt for a full-body workout, and set how long you want to exercise for, and Sworkit will guide you through a variety of exercises in a circuit. Free, pro £2.29 monthly, App Store and Google Play, sworkit.com
Runtastic Six Pack Abs
Whole-body fitness is overrated, it’s all about six-pack abs, and this app will help get you there. Or just strengthen your core a bit, which is also good. Free, pro £3.99, App Store, Google Play and Windows Phone Store, runtastic.com/sixpack
StrongLifts 5x5
Take all the thought out of your weights routine. This app tells you what exercises to do, with what weight, the sets and reps, and how long to rest between sets. Free, £7.99 for Power Pack, App Store and Google Play, stronglifts.com
Seven
No-one can get fit in six minutes, seven is the bare minimum required. That’s still not a long time though and you don’t even have to plan out the seven minutes, as this app will do it all for you. Free, £1.49 for extra workouts, App Store, Google Play and Windows Phone Store, perigee.se
Intervals
If you’re clued up enough to know what exercises you want to do in your HIIT sessions, but want a purpose-built timer to keep you on track, you can’t do better than this clear and simple app. Free, pro £2.99, available on the App Store
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FitStar
It’s pricy, but still a lot cheaper than hiring a real-life personal trainer, and the bespoke exercise plans in the FitStar app are almost as good as the real thing. £5.99 monthly, £29.99 annually, App Store and Google Play, fitstar.com
MINDBODY
Your ticket to a million boutique gyms and studios, and all the classes they contain. MINDBODY lets you search for classes by type and location, so you can always find a workout suited to you at a moment’s notice. Free, App Store and Google Play, mindbodyonline.com
Gymaholic
With a huge library of exercises and routines this is another great option for weights enthusiasts, but what really makes this app stand out is the 3D augmented-reality animated exercises. Basically, a little green virtual person pops up and shows you how to do exercises. You have to see it to believe it. Free, pro £2.99, App Store, gymaholic.me
Pocket Yoga
If weights and HIIT classes leave you cold then this simple yoga app, which guides you through over 200 poses and 27 different sessions, might be more up your street. £2.29-£2.51, App Store (£2.29) and Google Play (£2.51), pocketyoga.com
Fitocracy
Laden with social features and a gamification system that allows you to “level up” as you get fitter, Fitocracy is a whole lot of fun, and also an excellent workout tracker. Free, pro £3.99 monthly, App Store and Google Play, fitocracy.com
Nick Harris-Fry
Fitness
Exercises
Exercise plans
9 Jan 2017