I Tried Apple's New Fitness+ Streaming Workout Service—Here's What You Need to Know About It

I'm almost embarrassed to admit it, considering I'm an editor for a health magazine, but maybe you can relate: It's been a fairly stagnant year for me, in terms of maintaining my level of fitness. To put it bluntly, I stopped working out almost completely for a big chunk of 2020.

At the beginning of March, I was able to get my hands on a yoga mat, kettlebell, and set of resistance bands and had every intention of coming out of quarantine in the best shape of my life (since I had the time, was working from home, and was newly single). The reality was that I used these tools a handful of times and then allowed for them to collect dust in my bedroom for months. This was partly because I was focused on my mental health and doing everything to survive the day-to-day, and partly because I just wasn't motivated to exercise at home.

I was tired, uninspired, missed my kickboxing gym, and nothing was holding me accountable (yes, I know, not even myself). My friends recommended different streaming apps that were magically pushing them to sweat it out in their living rooms and backyards, but nothing stuck for me. As the year progressed and I adopted a puppy, my step count increased since I was walking to the park every day, and I started hiking more in the fall, but I was still lacking consistency and intensity with my workout routine—and I missed it.

So when Apple offered to let me test its fitness streaming service, Fitness+, I jumped at the opportunity to get back on track with my health.

Everything You Need to Know About Fitness+

The Fitness+ service from Apple brings studio-style workouts to iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, integrating workout metrics from the Apple Watch—including your heart rate, time, calories burned, and activity ring status—directly in the top left corner of the screen of whatever device you're streaming on. Why is this so cool? Well, when a trainer says to be aware of your heart rate during an exercise, that number is immediately highlighted on the screen so you don't have to glance down at your wrist; if you're fighting your way through a tough interval (like 15 seconds of mountain climbers or a 30-second climb on a stationary bike), a countdown timer pops up on the screen to help you get through to the last second; and when you close your Activity rings, it's animated on the workout screen (woohoo!).

You can control—play or pause—your workout on your device or directly on the watch, making it easy if you're dancing it out and the doorbell rings or if you're on a treadmill and want to pause your session to hydrate quickly. Also nice? You can download workouts onto your iPad or iPhone and access them on the go or when you don't have WiFi, meaning you can use Fitness+ for outdoor yoga flows, for instance. And don't let your travel plans make you sleep on your fitness routine. If your hotel or friend's house has an Apple TV, you can open the Fitness+ app and your watch will automatically connect and show your personalized settings (even if they don't have an Apple watch or have never used the service).

When it comes to choosing a workout, if you're an indecisive person like me, don't fret—Apple has seriously thought of everything. It uses an engine that takes into consideration workouts previously completed in Fitness+, the Apple Watch Workout app, and your favorite third-party fitness apps that integrate with the Health app. Then, Fitness+ recommends workouts that match what you already enjoy doing, suggests to try something new, or proposes a workout to complement your current routine. Pressed for time or craving a specific type of sweat sesh? Choosing a workout is as simple as filtering by or picking a trainer, time, workout, and music.

Fitness+ is conveniently housed in the Fitness app. Once you're in, you'll have 3,000+ workouts at your fingertips (!!)—with more being added each week—all for the price $10 monthly or $80 a year, which is a heck of a lot cheaper than a gym membership and even more affordable than other streaming fitness apps out there. (The good news? Right now, Apple is offering three free months of Fitness+ when you buy an Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV. The bad news: If you don't have an iPhone at least, you'll have to fork over some dough on an an Apple device—like an iPad or Apple TV—to stream the services.)

What My Experience with Fitness+ Was Actually Like

I had the opportunity to review Fitness+ for three-ish days before it launched, meaning I had one long weekend to pack in as many different workouts as possible. Fitness+ offers 12 workout types—including HIIT, yoga, core, strength, treadmill, cycling, rowing, dance, and mindful cooldown, and also includes meditations—so there was a variety to choose from, with options ranging from quick 5-minute sessions to 45-minute classes.

Day One

Having taken dance classes for eight years of my life, I obviously toggled over to the dance modality as soon as I got my hands on Fitness+. Let me say that my background in dance is rooted in ballet, so my form is pretty stiff and regimented—meaning, while I love hip hop and salsa, I'm by no means Shakira. I'd actually go as far to say that I don't have rhythm at all, and am awkward AF. So, if you can't dance, you're in good company.

On the Apple TV, I selected a 20-minute Latin Grooves class with Jhon Gonzalez, a storyteller and dancer hailing from Colombia, and pressed play on my Apple Watch. I waited as the television counted down... 3, 2, 1. Gonzalez came onto my screen with a huge smile on his face, and after giving a brief intro on what to expect from the class, he reminded viewers that there are no mistakes in dance. Gonzalez's words relaxed me and I no longer felt self-conscious about not hitting every step, even though I was just dancing alone in my living room.

Gonzalez began with a brief warm-up and then switched to teaching choreography that was quick but easy enough to follow, and, more importantly, fun. Even though it was just a bite-size, snack of a class, I was sweating by the end of the 20-minute period. I watched my heart rate climb to about 150 bpm (which means I was ~werking~ pretty hard), and I was thrilled to see one of my exercise rings simultaneously close on my watch and the television screen.

While I messed up plenty of times, I didn't care—I was living my best life. If you're worried you won't be able to keep up, you don't need to have any dance skills to participate. Gonzalez broke down each step and repeated the sequence before moving onto the next.

Another thing I discovered during the class was that I wanted to steal every song on Gonzalez's playlist! In boutique fitness classes, I've always had to pause mid-workout to discreetly Shazam a song—however, at the start of every track, Fitness+ flashes the song card at the top right corner of your device's screen. And if you didn't catch it, you can find the song listed in the class playlist once you're finished, so you never miss a beat.

After grooving, I decided to do a 10-minute mindful cooldown with DJ, surfer, and yogi Jessica Skye, which was the perfect combination of stretching and "Chill Vibes" to wind down after a heart-pumping dance cardio session. The cooldown took place in the Fitness+ studio in Los Angeles (where all of the workouts are filmed), a minimal, clean space mixing wood, exposed brick, and large windows filled with lush plants. The ambiance was serene and enchanting, and Skye's soothing playlist and cool, calm, and collected approach helped to melt away any stress I was feeling at the start of my day.