Smartphones and fitness have banded together, so much so that a lot of manufacturers are now including health-related apps and functions in their handsets by default. All major players are putting a lot of resources into fitness but there are also a lot of third-party developers that have made some brilliant apps for Android devices. Today we are going to be looking at some of them and their specializations. Obviously, there are a lot of great apps in all of the categories that follow but we cannot talk about all of them in this post so leave your favorite ones in the comments if you are so inclined.
Running – Runtastic Free and Pro
Runtastic is one of the few apps in any category with such a dedicated team. The very popular app is now even moving beyond software and into hardware with the Runtastic Orbit wearable that provides several interactions with the app.
But as for the app itself, there are pretty much no complaints to be had even in the free version. Runtastic uses GPS for all of your activities and it allows you to monitor pretty much anything that includes walking, running, jogging and biking (although it is not dedicated to the last one). Data like distance, time, elevation, speed and calories burned are also calculated throughout the course of your exercises. Did I also mention the fact that you can control popular music apps like Spotify from inside Runtastic?
The free version will net you a lot of cool features like the ability to watch your workout in the 3D Earth View (powered by Google Earth). You will also get live and historic mapping of your training sessions, graphs, auto-pause when you stop running, training goals and plans and a lot more. The $4.99 Pro version will give you even more features like detailed planning, the ability to share your location and get motivation from your friends and other users, a three-day weather forecast, a virtual personal trainer and more. Combine all of the aforementioned features with a great user interface and you can easily see why Runtastic is at the top of running apps.
 Working out – Workout Trainer Free and Pro
Workout Trainer is one of the most complete virtual trainers out there and it has the features to prove it. You get step-by-step multimedia guides for all kinds of workouts, including tutorials about weightlifting, yoga, running and other exercises. Your workouts can be completely personalized and you even get the ability to play music as the vast majority of people want to listen to their favorite tracks when exercising. There is also a home screen widget that will give you a different workout to try out every day.
Within the app you can opt to subscribe to the “Premium Pro+” version that adds a host of new features like high definition videos, additional training programs, improved audio coaching and access to Skimble.com’s workouts. In case you do not know already, the website can track your workout data and allow you to track and share it with others online. There are also no advertisements inside the app, in contrast to the free version.
Hiking and Biking – AllTrails (Free)
For hiking and biking, we will be looking at a different kind of app. There are several great offerings for your workouts in regards to these two categories but AllTrails takes a different approach. Instead of providing workout and exercise features, it instead provides you with “the outdoors at your fingertips”. With over 50,000 trail guides in the US and Canada, you will be able to browse the largest selection of nature paths available right now. Detailed guides, reviews and comments will all be there for you to explore so that you can discover new and exciting places no matter where you are.
