If there's one big fitness trend this year, it's the growth in home fitness. Peloton is valued at $ 1.8 billion, a 100 percent increase over last year. Lululemon backed the Spiegel, which is expected to raise over $ 100 million this year. and rdicTrack had sales of $ 1 billion for the last 12 months through September. Today Apple is expanding the fitness area for the home with Apple Fitness +. This subscription service combines the Apple Watch's exercise tracking sensors with the screen of your choice to provide real-time assistance with live and on-demand workouts. It offers intelligent workout suggestions based on previous history and fitness metrics.
The attraction of Fitness + lies in the seamless integration into the Apple ecosystem. All you need is an Apple Watch (Series 3 or later) and a subscription (for $ 9.99 / month or $ 79.99 / year). Studio-style workouts are available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.
Why the Apple Watch is so important
For starters, the watch acts as a kind of remote control that you can use to start and stop your workout no matter where you are looking at it. But more importantly, the sensors in the watch support the personalized elements of each workout. As you work up a sweat, real-time metrics (like heart rate and calories burned) are displayed on-screen and in key moments. For example, the trainer can highlight certain metrics to help you optimize your effort or add an interval countdown to help you manage an effort. If you manage to close one of your activity rings during a workout, this will also be celebrated on the screen. (You can hide these metrics on any device if you prefer.)
The type of workouts included in Apple Fitness +
Fitness + offers 10 different training styles to choose from, including high intensity interval training (HIIT), strength, yoga, dance, core, cycling, treadmill (for running and walking), rowing and mindful cool down. Pick one of the categories, then filter by trainer, duration, and music genre to find the perfect routine. (Many only require your body weight, while others use basic equipment like dumbbells. You can even preview each workout with a 30 second clip that includes the instructor, playlist, and workout so you know what you're getting into .)
Apple Fitness + app Courtesy Image
All workouts are available at 10, 20, 30 and 45 minute intervals. New workouts are uploaded every Monday. The shorter classes are particularly suitable for those who cannot commit to longer training units at once. Use the 10-minute classes as practice snacks throughout the day or stack up a few different workouts to create your own longer full-body experience. matter how long you want to train, you can find coaches of all colors, ages, and shapes, from adaptive athlete Amir Ekbatani to Ironman World Champion Josh Crosby. Each workout has multiple trainers who demonstrate the movements and modifications for exercisers of all levels. (In another note of inclusivity, all trainers use American sign language for certain signature phrases.)
What is unique to Apple Fitness +?
The more you use Fitness +, the better it gets to know you. Right from the start, the watch retrieves all previously recorded data as well as training data from third-party apps that are synchronized with Apple Health (e.g. Peloton). Every time you open Fitness + (on any device), the “More of What You Do” section displays customized workout recommendations based on the workouts you've done the most, as well as complementary workouts to suit your needs Fitness program round out the "try something new" section.
While there aren't any live workouts on Fitness +, certain workouts (like HIIT) use a metric called a burn bar to pit you against the Fitness + community. It uses your two minute rolling calorie expenditure (balanced for weight differences) to determine how you should stack yourself up against any other user who did the same workout. It doesn't quite compare to the social elements of Peloton and the Mirror, but it can be motivating when you compete against yourself.
Apple Fitness + app Courtesy Image
Of course, without the integration of Apple Music, this wouldn't be an Apple experience. You don't need an Apple Music subscription to listen to the music in Fitness +, and anyone can check a workout's playlist before committing. However, if you have a subscription, you can easily download favorite songs or entire playlists from a workout to your Apple Music library.
While Fitness + was really designed for the iPhone's accessibility and portability, the Apple TV experience feels most immersive and like a true studio experience - the ultimate destination for any platform in the home these days. However, using it on the iPhone or iPad is just as easy (especially on a cardio machine and a fact that will come in handy when travel is back to normal), although investing in a phone or tablet stand gives you can help you see your screen data better while you are on the move.
Apple is clearly not new to the fitness game (the watch is in its sixth iteration, after all), but Fitness + is finally bringing virtual studio workouts to where you already are: on your iOS devices. For those who already have the watch and an iPhone, this seamless service is a breeze. For those who haven't invested, this next level approach to affordable, accessible workouts at home could be the trigger.
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