Anyone use Apple Fitness+

[Katsmeow]

Does anyone use Apple Fitness+. I finally started using my free trial. I have gotten really out of shape with Covid and like the idea of doing the videos. I did one short (10 minute) starter video yesterday and liked it. I really liked how you could see your heart rate on the screen of the TV. (I sent it to my Apple TV).

For those who have used it a few questions:

1. What kind of variety is there for someone who can't do super high impact exercises. I have bad knees and have to be careful. Even in the easy starter video I did they wanted me to do light lunges but that is something I absolutely can't do at all. I love exercise videos (have done free ones on YouTube) but I have to be careful that they don't have me standing there half the time because they want me to do exercises that I can't do.

2. I don't want to buy weights to use at home. I used to own weights but sold them when I joined the gym. I will eventually go back to the Gym for strength training. I am just using this more for other stuff and made some bodyweight stuff.

3. I own a treadmill and an exercise bike (also an elliptical but I'm too out of shape for that right now). I've read that there are videos for those? How does that work?

4. I know that there are some weekly new videos. Do they get rid of the old ones? I would hate to find videos that work for me and then just have them replaced the next week with something that doesn't? Or are the replacements similar?

5. Is it worth the cost per month after the free trial? Obviously, this is subjective but wonder how people have come down on that issue. I am also a WW member and we get free videos from FitOn. We can airplay those to a TV also. I don't know yet if it will integrate the heart rate from the Apple Watch on the screen. The regular FitOn apparently will but I don't know about the WW version of it. I haven't tried these workouts yet but there seems to be a reasonably good variety. And, of course, free.

 

[audreyh1]

Yes I use it a lot - daily. Both DH and I found it inspiring and get more varied exercise because of it. We both love it. We were already in decent shape from a variety of exercises.

Download the fitness app to your Apple TV and use it there directly. The Apple TV will talk directly to your watch.

I do yoga, rowing, strength, cool down, sometimes core.

I have a rower, and you just follow along on your equipment. They go at different speeds. Often doing intervals which we found handy. I think you can just go at your own pace if needed. Even the very short 10 min workouts are very effective. I imagine cycle and treadmill would be just the same way, go at your own pace even if they are going faster.

I was already experienced with yoga. I found their yoga somewhat challenging at first, so it’s not beginners yoga. I really like it now but I wonder how a newbie would do. They have someone doing much easier modifications but they still often do a pretty fast flow - changing poses. If you are not familiar with the poses it can be tricky.

Strength - you pick your own weights. They call for like heavy or medium dumbbells. You pick what that means for you. You can do them with none IMO and would benefit a beginner. At most you could use one very light pair of dumbbells like 3lbs. You are going to get benefit. They have someone doing much easier modifications. Yes, they are often doing lunges. The modification is very shallow lunges. I have terrible knees and am careful. I manage but I don’t go nearly as deep. I am used to this.

Cool down is very nice - some light easy stretching moves followed by meditative breathing. You could start there.

I have to say overall they don’t mess around. It’s not super beginner oriented, though strength and yoga and HIIT have someone showing easier modifications.

They keep adding workouts, the old ones don’t go away. But it might not be easy to find even though they mark the ones you have done before. There are so many of them! I generally pick a workout, time duration and trainer and am usually trying something new. They are generally similar but enough variety to keep it interesting.

My 3 month free trial would have ended later this month. The one price covers both of us. We use several other Apple subscriptions, so I recently switched to the Apple One Premier bundle.

We mostly use the Apple TV box and it does integrate on screen display of the watch beautifully. I love that part. It asks which watch to use when we launch the fitness app so works nicely for multi user. I occasionally use an iPad which is single user. DH used his phone until we got the TV. We ended up adding a wall mounted TV screen plus Apple TV box to the room where we have our workout stuff. Was a great upgrade.

I doubt any non Apple app can integrate Apple Watch display on a TV screen, but maybe I’m wrong.

I think you just have to try it - that’s what the free trial is for. If you use your treadmill and cycle - start with those at 10 mins and definitely try the cool down. Try the short strength with no weights and the easier mods.

I don’t do the HIIT - other workouts have plenty of intervals and I’d rather have the high intensity stuff on the rower. They have mods for low impact, but it’s pretty much aerobics and I like the other workouts better. I only started doing core occasionally when they added the 5 min option. I get plenty of core work in the strength and yoga workouts anyway. But if someone wasn’t doing those they might find HIIT or Dance plus Core and Cooldown quite effective and no weights required. Dance is hard to follow, lol, but a very good workout - a lower impact type of aerobics.

 

[Katsmeow]

Thanks for the detailed information. I've done a few workouts on it now. Overall, I liked them and loved seeing my HR on the screen.

There is one main question. I have this on my Apple TV. I would like to just be able to play some of the workouts and look at them before doing them. On other sites I have done that at times to see if a workout looks appropriate for me and whether it looks like I would like it and to get an idea of how to do some movements.

But -- with this I can't seem to find a way to play a video without recording it as a workout on my watch. I guess I could just watch it while it records as a workout. But, then that messes up my watch stats! Is there something I'm missing? Is there a way to just a workout without doing it. I do find it somewhat challenging at times to find the workouts on the Apple TV.

I still have a bunch more time to try this. I do like the workouts but I do worry about their being enough variety among the workouts I am able and interested to do. I'm considering also doing a trial of Beachbody on Demand. Apparently their app will integrate with the Apple Watch also.

 

[audreyh1]

It may be possible if you take off your watch and leave it far away. Otherwise it seems you have to run a workout on your watch. I know, the previews are very short.

 

[Katsmeow]

It may be possible if you take off your watch and leave it far away. Otherwise it seems you have to run a workout on your watch. I know, the previews are very short.

Yes. The previews help...but not as much as I want. I do like the videos but I am concerned that there are not a lot of them. I'm going to trial Beachbody. I may end up joining both....

 

[audreyh1]

Not a lot of workouts? There is a huge numbers of them!

I’ve been using it for over 3 months and I’m using new ones often. I certainly haven’t run out of anything.

I also look at the description. For example on Strength I notice whether it’s an upper or lower or full body workout. On Yoga I’ll note whether it’s a fast or slow flow.

 

[harry09]

I have used Apple fitness +. it Is the best and great for my body. I'm feeling much better after using it.