The gym is a scary place, at least at first. Everyone there is so focused that it can be awkward to walk through the doors, let alone pick up the weights.
When I started working out in 2012, I did so with a cursory induction session and was left to my own devices. I got more familiar as time went on, but without any real instruction (and no money for a personal trainer), I always felt like I had a ceiling for my progress.
I discovered Fitbod a couple of years ago, and in the time since I’ve racked up over 1000 workouts, meaning it was easy to include in our best fitness app roundup. Here’s why I like it, and why I think you should give it a spin in 2025.
A task-based workout
I’m a very task-oriented person, and if I wasn’t writing about workout apps right now there’s a good chance I’d be extolling the virtues of a task manager instead.
There’s something about ticking items off of a list that fills me with satisfaction, and Fitbod works so well for me because it essentially offers a sort of 'to-do list' when I’m working out.
Once a workout is generated (more on that in a moment), I know that I can get to the gym, open the app, and hit “Start Workout” to get going.
Fitbod is constantly learning and adjusting its algorithms, so I can look at a series of five or six exercises and tackle them as I see fit. Naturally there’s a feeling of dread when I see squats coming up (anyone who says they enjoy them is factually incorrect), but ticking each item off the list almost gamifies working out.
And, just as in a video game, you 'level up' in a way with Fitbod’s workout reports. These get more detailed year after year, and show you a handy line graph over a week, month, six months, or a year to show how you’ve improved.
That’s a fantastic motivator, as are the little “trophies” for hitting new personal bests. There’s even a Spotify Wrapped-style roundup at the end of the year, too.
Less guesswork, more leg work
One of the hardest parts about walking into a gym for the first time is not knowing where to start. Sure, you can narrow it down to cardio or strength training, but which exercises are best? Which equipment should you use?
Fitbod takes a lot of the guesswork out of working out. It has six categories ranging from general fitness to olympic weightlifting, and will recommend workouts based on time intervals of 15 - 90 minutes. It also targets your recovered muscles by default, so you can rest those you’ve most recently used.
Better yet, you can filter by equipment, including a setup with no equipment at all if you have 15 minutes and no weights, and if you do need guidance, it offers GIF walkthroughs on your phone or Apple Watch to show you how to do each exercise safely.
Any workout works
One of my favorite Fitbod features is how it pulls in data from other workout apps (if you let it). While it can track your runs, indoors our outdoors, it doesn’t have the metric tracking of something like Strava.
Thankfully, I have it set up to import Strava workouts into my activity feed, showing when I’ve run and factoring it into my muscle tiredness. It also lets you tie in with Apple’s own Fitness app, meaning my walk to and from the gym can be tracked, too – of the more than 1,000 workouts I’ve done, it’s fair to say a lot of them are long strolls.
You can also ask Fitbod to export data to Strava or Fitbit, as well as Apple Health.
Thanks to Fitbod, I’ve hit heights with strength training I didn’t think were possible even a few years ago – and I’m working out muscles I’d otherwise have neglected (looking at you, legs).
My overall fitness has really leveled up, and that’s why Fitbod’s iOS widget has a permanent spot on one of my home screens at all times.
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