When Fitness + gave up a few weeks ago, I was quite impressed by launch, but the service is not perfect. One of our problems was that you could only filter workouts by music, length, and trainer – those of us who were hoping to navigate the lens (e.g., run 5K, head for a pull-up, etc.) or intensity to be out of luck. Which is why, when I opened the Fitness + application today to examine the new workouts that fall every month, I was pleasantly surprised.
A HIIT coach Kim Ngo’s video message greeted me at the top of the app with a description which read: “Goal setting training and the new limited edition award”. My eyebrows flew into the stratosphere. Obviously, Fitness + is still under construction, but this had to be record speed for a fitness app that implements early user feedback. In the video, Kim – who, despite her hot personality, is a cardio killer – highlighted two weeks of training that are part of a “set of goals.” Oh, there’s a new limited edition challenge for Apple Watch owners in the New Year (close all three rings for seven consecutive days at some point in January.)
I was comforted. I did the two highlighted workouts – a 20-minute strength workout and a 10-minute HIIT workout. I became sweaty enough. What I didn’t realize was what Apple meant by “goal setting” it wasn’t a type of fitness program … so much so that the instructors encouraged me to start running my New Year’s goals. fitness. Because, did you hear? ILooks like it’s a new year.
During strength training, coach Gregg talked especially about how it should be notice what were my weaknesses and strengths and that I should focus on what areas I wanted to become stronger in the next year. Well yes. But getting pretty obvious advice and long-term discussions wasn’t exactly what I meant when I said that Fitness + should include goal-oriented programs.
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Other fitness apps often include a few programs that allow you to work on something. In running applications, there are often structured classes such as a couch at 5K or improving the pace for a specific distance over 8-32 weeks. In Aaptiv, there are thematic programs “Receiving stronger,“ which is a collection of classes ranging from goals such as “muscle gain,“ learning how to use kettlebells or improving flotation. While Fitness + has an Absolute Beginner program to facilitate beginners completely in different types of workouts, that’s about it.
This does not mean that Fitness + is bad – it just points out that this platform is built around the idea of continuing to connect to the Apple ecosystem. A dumb part of my lizard brain said for sure, “Ooh! Limited edition badge that means nothing in the end? Sign me up! What a cool integration! “I feel more stimulated to do Fitness + workouts with every notification I receive on my wrist, saying that a friend has just finished a Fitness + workout? Unfortunately yes. I’m a fitness lemming. Singing in Apple Music, sometime since its release, there is now an Apple Fitness + Studio Series – a group of playlists that are organized by instructors for different genres and types of training. If you browse the accessories in the Apple online store, you’ll find it now links to products instructors use in videos – including a $ 120 Manduka yoga mat.
What Apple does with Fitness + is basically taking a page from the Marvel manual and building an interconnect universe products, services and personalities. It is no different from what Peloton has ready, but it has a lower entry cost because, even if you bought an Apple Watch, iPad and Apple TV, it is still possible to get everything for less than the price of a Peloton bike. (But unlike Peloton, Fitness + requires at least a part hardware – you can subscribe to the Peloton app without reducing money for a bike.)
From a cynical point of view, you could argue that Fitness + is first and foremost an Apple advertisement and a fitness app. It’s kind of tough, considering there are things that Fitness + does very well. The service is truly thoughtful and inclusive. But much of that attention is about how it relates to Apple hardware and services. Just ask the dozens of people who complain on the forums that it’s Fitness + is not compatible with AirPlay 2 for transmitting workouts on a larger screen. It is not something that was ever built to stand alone or at play nice with other ecosystems. If it were, I don’t think I’d be sitting here wanting some missing features, such as more goal-oriented programs, options for various equipment, focusing on intensity and difficulty, and the ability to stream a workout from my phone to my apple.– Free TV.