As we move into March, it’s really becoming crunch time (pardon the pun) for getting that summer body sorted. Fortunately, in spite of the absurdly expensive gym memberships on offer, there are now a range of free health & fitness apps available that mean getting in shape for summer on a budget has never been easier. Here are some of the best health & fitness apps for working through the gears and getting that beach-ready look.
A perfect app if you’re just getting started, Couch to 5k (C2K) is a running app from the NHS designed for beginners with the goal of getting you running either 30 minutes or 5 kilometres, depending on what comes first. Getting into running is a great source of cardio that will be vital as you push forward into more expansive workouts and so C2K is a great place to start. Using a well-regimented programme that slowly builds up your fitness and tolerance for running, C2K uses a moderate HIIT model that means you quickly improve both technique and lung capacity. Obviously if you’ve already built a good basis in cardio then there’s no need to use one of the health & fitness apps that focus on running but, if you’re new to the game, this is a good place to start.
My personal favourite of all home health & fitness apps, Lose Belly Fat uses a small amount of cardio and hardcore abdominal workouts that rapidly burn fat and tone up your core. By working through the beginner, intermediate and advanced levels (30 days each) Lose Belly Fat gives a belly-busting workout that shreds fat, builds muscles and increases endurance. In fact, if you downloaded today and skipped some of the rest days, you could complete the whole set of workouts by June.
Whilst this app does require you to own a set of weights, Arm Workout is the best of the health & fitness apps for building arm and muscle and toning up, thanks to a well-selected variety of workouts. Taking you through different difficulty levels, Arm Workout will punish those arm muscles with some really busting workouts, so much so that typing on a keyboard the day after will be a challenge. The payoff is more than worth it, though; results are rapid and you’ll see the benefits of doing extra arm work in your other workouts.
A big downside of health & fitness apps is the need for equipment. However, thanks to an appropriately named app, this particular set of workouts doesn’t require any equipment at all, other than (ideally) a mat to work on and a room to work in. Realistically, this is a very similar app to Lose Belly Fat, although Home Workout offers a good range of exercises that focus on arms and legs as well as core, which Lose Belly Fat does not. Again working up though difficulty levels, this is a great app for that final push towards toning up on all fronts, burning that last bit of fat you want to lose and actually ensuring you remain strong.
The key to getting successful workouts, even when using health & fitness apps, is to be sure you’re enjoying it; they’re called ‘work’ outs for a reason but, if it does feel more like a chore than a rewarding set of exercises, pick something different and move on. Whichever health and fitness apps you end up going for, put your maximum effort in and you’ll find the best results.
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