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The best Apple Watch fitness apps to help with your 2021 resolutions

If you’re looking to start 2021 with a renewed focus on fitness, the Apple Watch is a great tool to help in your journey. In addition to the native features, such as your move ring and workout tracking, a variety of third-party apps also exist to enhance the Appel Watch fitness experience. Here are some of our favorite Apple Watch fitness apps.

SmartGym

Smart Gym is an app that offers a variety of pre-built workouts and exercises that you can start directly from your Apple Watch. The app also taps into the latest watchOS 7 features, such as support for multiple complications on the same watch face.

Regular users can create their own routines, access more than 100 pre-made workouts, carefully created by professionals, or use Artificial Intelligence + Machine Learning to create custom tailored workouts for them. They can then start a workout session and log every exercise, annotate any changes and easily track their progress.

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SmartGym is available on the App Store as a free download with in-app purchases. The app is a great way to supplement the Apple Watch workout experience with additional tools, programming, routines, and more.

Liftr – Workout Tracker

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Liftr is a powerful indie app for the iPhone and Apple Watch focused on tracking strength training. The app is designed to help you track your lifting progress across different exercises. Features include:

  • Quickly switch between your workouts, seeing gorgeous charts, and tracking important goals
  • Add from a database of 240+ exercises & 150+ beautiful animations, or add your own custom exercises
  • Create re-useable templates with your routines
  • A refined journal and editing for workout sets, reps, and supersets. Now with the ability to specify between Warmups, Normal Sets, and more advanced types like Myo-Reps and more! 
  • View progress for exercises and strength over time with graphs, charts, and personal records built-in
  • Apple Watch app to track full strength training workouts, iCloud backup support, Custom App Icons, rest timer, and more!

Liftr is available on the App Store for $1.99.

Nike Run Club

If you’re looking to pick up running as a habit in 2021, Nike Run Club is a great way to start. The app offers a variety of useful tools for those who are experienced runners or brand new to the sport. There are guided runs, challenges, social features, and much more.

Nike Run Club has the tools you need to run better, including GPS run tracking; audio guided runs; weekly, monthly and custom distance challenges; customized coaching plans for your goals; and nonstop motivation from your friends. Reach your goals and have fun along the way with Nike Run Club.

Nike Run Club is a free app on the App Store. It’s been a staple of the Apple Watch fitness apps category for years.

Streaks Workout

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Streaks is one of my favorite apps for iPhone and Apple Watch, making it easy to manage any kind of habit or routine. Streaks Workout takes a similar approach, but with the focus entirely on fitness and exercising. Streaks Workout offers a collection of exercises that can be performed anywhere and everywhere, regardless of equipment.

You can start workouts using the Streaks Workout app from Apple Watch and track data such as your heart rate and more.

  • 30 equipment-free exercises to choose from
  • Create custom exercises
  • 4 different workout lengths (approx. 6, 12, 18, or 30 minutes)
  • Create custom workouts
  • Plays workout music (requires Apple Music subscription)
  • Saves workouts to the Health app
  • View your workout history

Streaks Workout is available on the App Store for $3.99 with no in-app purchases.

7 Minute Workout

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For those looking for a quick workout, 7 Minute Workout is a fun app that provides a daily high intensity interval training workout that requires no equipment. The app groups together 12 high intensity bodyweight exercises at 30 seconds per exercise, with 10 seconds of rest between exercises.

You can start the workouts directly from Apple Watch and everything is tied into HealthKit. 7 Minute Workout is a free download with in-app purchases on the App Store.

Strava

Strava has been a staple of the fitness community for years, and it fully embraces the Apple Watch. From the Strava app for Apple Watch, you can track your running, swimming, and cycling progress and workouts.

  • Track and analyze: Get key stats like distance, pace, speed, elevation gained and calories burned
  • New routes and maps: Mix up your training with the world’s largest trail network
  • Challenge and compete: Push yourself with monthly Challenges and compete with others

Download Strava on the App Store for free with in-app purchases.

Pedometer++

If you’re looking for a fun way to track your steps with Apple Watch, Pedometer++ is a great option. The app offers a variety of ways to keep you motivated, including challenges, goals, and much more. It also aggregates data such as walking distance, active calories, and heart rate information.

You can download Pedometer++ on the App Store for free with an in app purchase to remove ads.

Pocket Yoga

Pocket Yoga brings a variety of yoga workouts directly to your wrist. The app offers 27 different Yoga sessions with options for all fitness levels, including detailed images and guidance for new users.

With Pocket Yoga you can keep up with your practice at your own pace in the comforts of your own home. Simply roll out your mat, place your device in front, and Pocket Yoga will guide you through your entire session. Choose between 27 different sessions of varying duration and difficulty. Learn the poses with the pose dictionary containing detailed explanations of the correct posture, alignment, and benefits.

Pocket Yoga is available on the App Store as a one-time purchase of $2.99.

Zones for Training

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Zones is a powerful Apple Watch application that monitors the intensity of your exercise and helps you visualize it. The app shows you your exercise intensity using real-time heart rate, with four different heart rate zones to understand your exercise intensity:

  • Peak – for improving performance and speed.
  • Cardio – for improving cardio endurance.
  • Fat burn – For longer exercise. Predominantly uses fat for energy.
  • Warm up – For preparation and recovery.

Zones for Training is available on the App Store as a free download with in-app purchases.

More recommendations

Those are just some of our favorite recommendations for fitness apps on the Apple Watch. As the Apple Watch platform has matured over the last several years, more and more fitness applications have hit the scene.

  • WorkOutDoors – Advanced workout app that displays a detailed vector map while you exercise
  • HealthView – Access Health app data on Apple Watch and with complications
  • CARROT Fit – 7 minute workouts with classic CARROT snark
  • Tempo for Runners – Running and walking log to track trends and performance
  • Runkeeper – Run tracking and mapping with GPS features and more
  • Gymaholic Workout Tracker – Track workouts across various categories including weightlifting and bodyweight movements.

What are your favorite fitness apps on the Apple Watch? Let us know if you have any recommendations down in the comments!

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Avatar for Chance Miller Chance Miller

Chance is the editor-in-chief of 9to5Mac, overseeing the entire site’s operations. He also hosts the 9to5Mac Daily and 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcasts.

You can send tips, questions, and typos to chance@9to5mac.com.

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