The exercise apps to try if you hate going to the gym

While Couch to 5K might sound a little daunting if you’re sitting firmly on the couch end of the spectrum, the app’s training plan starts off easy and gradually increases your running time with each session.

It also features audio cues from a personal trainer, instructing you to push a little bit harder and longer than your previous run. If you stick to the program, you’ll be running a five kilometre distance within nine weeks.

Chances are one of the reasons you avoid heading to the gym to workout is because you’re strapped for time. Thankfully, there are a plethora of seven-minute workout apps that have been developed off the back of research that found exercising at a high intensity for a short amount of time could actually reap impressive results.

One of our favourite seven-minute apps comes from Johnson & Johnson. The app features a simple interface with easy-to-follow steps – the only hard part will be completing the high intensity workout. At least it only lasts seven minutes, right?

If you don’t have a gym membership but are a big fan of exercise classes, Qinetic is perfect for you. The free app enables you to choose your exercise preferences from yoga to strength and beginner to high intensity before compiling a custom list of classes for you to try. According to the app there are more than 400 video classes to choose from!

Some days you feel as though you could run 10km without breaking a sweat and others you can barely manage 10 sit-ups. Thankfully, Kineticoach asks you to rate your energy levels before it generates a custom workout for you on any given day. According to the app it has a bank of more than 600 workouts, with more being added daily.

If the sheer number of different workout and food apps you’ve downloaded is overwhelming a whole lot more than just your phone’s storage, then the MyFitnessPal app might be what you’re after.

The app enables you to enter your current weight and height, along with your fitness goals, before generating a daily calorie guide for you. From there you can enter in what foods you eat, how much water your drink and how much you exercise throughout the day to give you an idea of how healthy your daily habits are and where you can improve.

Want more exercise tips and tricks? Then find out how Anna Heinrich stays motivated to exercise, and discover how walking 10,000 steps a day will improve a whole lot more than just your fitness level. 

What’s your favourite exercise app? Share it with us in the comments below.

Image credit: @adrianalima