Is Appleâs new exercise app enough to fend off the quarantine-induced fitness slump?
With the pandemic raging on for almost a year now, the excitement of working out from home has likely worn off for a lot of people. But gyms are still unsafe, leaving most people no choice but to continue exercising under their own roofs.
So in comes Fitness+, Apple s $9.99 per month (or $79.99 per year) subscription service that offers a variety of different workouts (including Dance, Cycling, Core, Strength, HIIT, and more) that can be taken right from your living room. Each class, led by Apple s curated team of instructors, ranges anywhere from five to 45 minutes, and offers the ability to track your metrics in real time.
Apple s best-selling smartwatch can keep watch over your heart rate, take an instant ECG from your wrist and, most recently with Apple Watch 6, show how much oxygen is in your blood. As well as monitoring those vital statistics, you can also track your daily exercise routines such as runs, walks and swims along with making sure you stand up enough each day.
It s all clever stuff, but if you ve recently joined the wearable revolution you might not be aware of a few extra health features hidden inside the Apple Watch that can really help you achieve your goals.
Here are three of our favourites.
(Pocket-lint) - Apple Fitness+ joined the plethora of at-home fitness apps in December 2020, competing with the likes of Fiit, Peloton and even individual trainers like Joe Wicks and Bradley Simmonds.
The subscription service offers a number of studio-style workouts, across several activity types, though unlike others, it has been designed around the Apple Watch.
While it offers good foundations though, it is lacking features compared to its competition. Here s what we think is missing and keeping it from greatness.
Ability to filter workouts by target area
Apple Fitness+ allows you to select a type of workout: HIIT, Yoga, Core, Strength, Treadmill, Cycling, Rowing, Dance or Mindful Cooldown. It then allows you to filter the trainer, time and music. You can do all, some or none of these.
Telly manufactures that have already included support for Apple’s AirPlay 2 technology could soon enable iPhone and iPad owners to beam their Fitness+ workout instructions onto the big screen. Unfortunately, your experience when using AirPlay 2 isn’t quite as good as when using an Apple TV. First up, you won’t be able to see live statistics from your Apple Watch, including heart-rate and calories burnt, on-screen beside the instructor as you can when using an Apple TV.
So, Fitness+ won’t be able to see their Activity rings filling up throughout the class, or the so-called Burn Bar, which shows how you compare with others who have taken the class without taking your eyes off the instructor and glancing down at your Apple Watch.
(Pocket-lint) - Apple Fitness+ is a paid-for service from Apple that lives within the Fitness app. Like Fiit and Peloton, it focuses on home workouts, with studio-style on-demand workouts available anytime and anywhere.
If you re trying to decide between Apple Fitness+ and Fiit, we ve got you covered. Here s how the two services differ, how much they both cost and what they offer to help you work out which might be the right one for you.
Fitness+ vs Fiit price
Fiit: $25.99/£19.99 a month
Apple Fitness+ is available as a standalone subscription, or as part of the Apple One Premier subscription. As a standalone, Fitness+ costs $9.99 or £9.99 per month, or $79.99 or £79.99 per year.