The Breakthrough of Digital Fitness Apps

The year of 2022 may have been the breakout year for fitness apps. According to a National Health Statistics Report, Floridians reported significantly below average rates of exercise along with the rest of Southeast America. Overall, as well, women clocked in as less active than men. However, these statistics don’t reflect variations in physical activity dependent on other factors, such as income, age, and mobility.

For some, this information might garner a head nod. For others, it might incite a more surprised reaction. Overall, these numbers don’t reflect the effort many put it to making time to go to the gym. In fact, many people don’t have the time or the finances to pay for a gym membership, pay for gas to get there, or account for all that time.

This has led to fitness apps popping up, from the Wii Fit to P90X to FIIT. Between 2014 and 2017 alone, the usage of fitness and health apps increased by 330%. Most surprising is how loyal these users are, with 75% of users checking in and opening their app once a day.

Wii Fit and RingFit Adventure may be associated with keeping kids active, but P90X and FIIT are both high-octane, and geared toward adults who want to spearhead their own fitness. Other apps, like Fitplan, are designed specifically for men and include personal trainers who have worked with major league sports teams, creating a connect for sports fans.

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High-intensity digital workout classes, like those created by the application FIIT, allow people to work out at home by joining a virtual workout session with other live users. Begun in 2018, FIIT already has 150,000 users. However, what many sports fans would love to see is a combination of digital fitness like FIIT and major league sports. For example, the NBA has a program called NBA FIT, which consists of a weeklong workout session between youth and NBA stars.

Unfortunately, the programs don’t travel nationwide and don’t engage with adults, leaving Miami Heat fans to design their own workouts. Local Floridians are already familiar with the other kind of online activities, such as analyzing their favorite teams stats while watching them on the go or trying some free bets from sportsbooks, but still a virtual fitness app that shows how Bam Adebayo or Tyler Herro keep the team in top shape would give the NBA’s 38 million Facebook fans a workout to remember.

The Best in the Biz

By 2026, the global fitness app market is expected to reach nearly $15 billion in market value. However, research into app usage for both health and fitness apps shows that 96% of users are loyal to a single app.

Given the popularity and exponential growth of the industry, the market has been inundated with apps from all over the world designed to deliver specific results. Some are geared toward health and diet, others toward building muscle, and others toward losing weight.

Under Armour created an app called Map My Fitness, which allows users share and search for running routes. The app includes data on pace, distance ran, and the number of calories burned during a workout, as well as interactive features that allow users to compare results with friends and design challenges. Note that this app is free, as are a slew of other apps (unlike FIIT and Beachbody on Demand, listed below).

The above-mentioned FIIT app is designed for a variety of health goals, though it is largely marketed as a tool to help users lose weight and sculpt their bodies. As one of Forbes top-listed fitness apps, it’s worth mentioning the superior design of the app. FIIT also sends you a heart rate monitor so that you can tune-in live with other users and opt to share your heart rate to compete or keep results honest.

Other apps, like Beachbody on Demand, aggregate high-quality videos and workout programs like Core de force, P90X, Insanity, and 21 Day Fix. The app works across nearly every platform, though it comes with a pretty price tag for all of the premium content that users have access to. It even offers customized meal plans and creates its own cooking show, Fixate.

No matter what a user’s fitness goal is, digital apps are keeping the workout at home. While the Miami Heat fitness program may not be ready for beta-testing, there are countless free apps available for IOS and Android devices that will work in the meantime.

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