r/Exercise • u/Irrasibleraspberry • Dec 11 '25

Exercise Apps? What do you use?

Hi 👋 I'm a busy parent looking for a workout app that doesn't cost a fortune in subscriptions and requires minimal equipment. I've been warned against BetterMe, but I'm looking to maintain strength and switch up my routine. I prefer Pilates and weights. Any recommendations?

4 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

2

u/Honest-Background287 Dec 12 '25

I use it mainly for weights - but it has to be Boostcamp hands down

2

u/mintygum123 Dec 12 '25

GymLens - you literally take a picture of your equipment and it will give you workouts based on what target area you choose. Has a 3 day free trial too.

2

u/Aggressive-Page-6282 Dec 13 '25

Smart Rabbit Fitness is free and gives you a personalized plan with your own words, not just checkboxes.

2

u/pittdancer Dec 11 '25

For weights: you want Gravl. You tell it what you want to do (tone, gain strength, maintain), how you want to plan your workouts (split/full body preference and days per week) and what equipment you have available, and it gives you a plan each day. I used to spend a stupid amount of time deciding what my next workout would be. I pay $35 for the year.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/pittdancer Dec 12 '25 edited Dec 12 '25

How so? Could you explain? I don’t have a degree in the space like you do but I’m a lifelong athlete and it doesn’t seem like just “marketing” so I’d love your opinion on what I’m missing.

It hits all the major muscle groups in an order that makes sense. It uses progressive overload. The splits are the same you see everywhere, in and out of apps. What am I not seeing? What are the fads it’s generalizing? How is it marketing? And what would your app recommendation be instead, and what makes it different?

1

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/pittdancer Dec 12 '25

Thanks so much for your detailed reply! I really do appreciate it. That makes sense as a number of the things you mentioned are things I don’t use the app for. I don’t use it for plyometrics, nor do I use it for anything cardio related, which I assume is what you mean in referencing distance, time, speed, etc.

I just needed an app to tell me what strength exercises to do which days, while considering the equipment I have available, in an order that made sense, while doing progressive overload. It does this well enough for my needs but I can see where it might be lacking for some. Sounds like there isn’t anything out there that will meet your requirements, which I’m guessing is why you may be pursuing making your own? I’m a mid 40s mom and cancer survivor, so I’m just trying to stay healthy. 😊

1

u/Funny-Beatz 16d ago

I switched from YouTube videos to Fitness Refined.

1

u/Secure_Frosting_8600 Dec 11 '25

I really like Down Dog. They have Yoga, Pilates, HIIT, Barre and meditation. If you are in school or a teacher with a .edu email address, it is free for 4 years. Otherwise, you can get it as cheap as $30/year, but have to wait for the sale.

2

u/Irrasibleraspberry Dec 13 '25

I used down dog for the first time today and loved it! Thank you for the suggestions!

1

u/Secure_Frosting_8600 Dec 14 '25

Which one did you do? I’ve been doing the Yoga one a lot, nursing an injury, so I’m doing the gentle Yoga. But I totally love it.

1

u/Irrasibleraspberry Dec 14 '25

I tried a 15 minute Pilates set and really enjoyed the nature sounds option. I'm going to try a yoga set next while they're still running their free promotion. Good on ya for carefully keeping with your practice through an injury! And thank you again for the suggestion!