ZWIFT The Home Fitness App

Ditch expensive gym memberships with this app and save yourself some money

Home Fitness App – With the entire country coming out of self-isolation and social distancing becoming the new norm. The threat of coronavirus led to the closure of gyms around the country. Is getting fit by using a home fitness app in your living room a fact or fiction? Over the last few years, the idea that you could be fit without going to the gym would have been scoffed out. Now Smart fitness in your living room is becoming more and more a reality. The boutique fitness trend is being usurped by another powerful force: tech-friendly home workouts.  All in the form of a home fitness app.

Committing to a gym membership and finding the time to make it to classes can be challenging in a busy world. Meanwhile, finding the motivation or the direction to workout at home can mean it’s more likely you’ll end up on your couch than your treadmill. Finding the right home fitness app can be challenging.  This is where home workout technologies come in, like live-streamed classes and smart workout equipment.

For runners and cyclists, one of the emerging leaders of home fitness is the Zwift App, which saves you the cost of a gym membership and the time it takes to get to and from the gym.

What is ZWIFT

Following workout videos is becoming outdated, with a growing number of live-streamed classes becoming available to use with or without equipment. This gives you the opportunity to work out with others in a virtual environment with skilled instructors pushing you harder.

All from the comfort of your own home, with a compatible bike, treadmill, or specialist training aid that can track your movements as you train. Not only that, but you can add in your favourite wearables to map your performance throughout the workout, helping you understand where you did well and where you could improve. T

These classes usually operate on a subscription basis, and you have to purchase the equipment up-front.

Of course, if you want to take it a step further, there is the Zwift app. It is emerging as the best workout app for runners and cyclists, combining training and gaming into a tidy and sociable package.

Essentially, the training you do on a stationary bike or treadmill powers your progress in the game, so you can compete with others in the Zwift world to give you the extra motivation you need to push your hardest. Similar to live-stream workouts, you need to purchase equipment up-front and pay a subscription, but the costs are less and the experience is more immersive. No wonder it’s the home workout app that is gaining the most traction in this tech-hungry world.

EXPLORE ZWIFT

Smart workout equipment

Spin classes climbed to the top of the ladder in terms of popular fitness classes, and they are doing the same for home training. Innovation to offer spin workouts at home has come on in leaps and bounds recently, with state-of-the-art at-home spin bikes that track performance in a variety of ways opening the door for live streaming options and Zwift-style gaming experiences.

If you prefer to be put in the middle of professional cycling or running class, then live streaming might be the best use of your smart bike/treadmill. It offers the competitive aspect of a studio-style class where you train alongside others with a coach to motivate you.

The hardware you use may have a built-in monitor or connectivity via BlueTooth to your smart TV, computer, tablet, or phone. The intensity you work out what can be tracked, and you’ll get onscreen metrics of your performance. This can be further enhanced with wearable fitness technology to give you a comprehensive overview of your performance at every stage of the workout.

Essential Reading: Understanding Your Heart Rate

WHO IS ZWIFT FOR?

Zwift originally started out for Cyclists.  But the Home Fitness App Zwift for running has gained strong traction with the running community.  For the purpose of this article, we will cover running.  And here’s why.

As a standalone home fitness App, the Zwift isn’t pricey.  All you need is a Zwift account.  And Access to Bluetooth.  You can connect up to a treadmill in the gym. Or for those with deep pockets at home.

Our preference is to invest in Runpod.  This is an app that connects to your shoelaces.  It tracks speed, running cadence, and workout targets. The pod costs £29.99.  But this is nothing compared to buying a £500+ Bicycle Turbo Trainer.  So you do the maths.  I’ll take running every time.

What’s the Set-Up?

Okay, once you bought the gear.  The next step is to calibrate.  This involves running at a comfortable pace for 60 seconds.  This provides the app with all the metrics going forwards.

Then that’s it you are all set up.  You have a choice of a single loop route.  As well as some really cool routes to choose from.  Routes such as London or a scenic beachside drive.  Cornwall anyone??

Zwift’s idea is to make this home fitness app as accessible to everyone by almost creating a gaming like atmosphere.  This means there’s no need to step out of your house or enlist a personal trainer.  You can even get that gym vibe as it allows you to train with friends or other Zwift users globally.

Game On!

It’s the gamification that really sets Zwift apart as a home fitness app. There’s an ever-shifting leader board featuring human runners across the world.  Let’s face it you are competitive.  And you want to beat those suckers.  It’s a great motivational tool.  And you get virtual rewards too.  Think nectar points!  The more run you do. Or runs you log.  The more virtual swag you will get for your Avatar.

Zwift claims to make anyone run a half marathon within eight weeks.  To achieve this. And here’s the catch.  You’ll need to run three times a week.  And also stick religiously to the 3Run 13-1 in-app training programme.  The intensity increases the more you run.  This is in order to condition your body for the race. I for one was a little skeptical.  That would require real willpower of gargantuan proportions.  This writer’s advice is to get to your desired fitness level.   And then take it from there.

Last year, it introduced 5 new run-only routes.  Including a futuristic version of New York set a 100 years later.  The roads featured suspended glass roads above Manhatten.  Cool Huh.

The app is so immersive it reminds me of playing something like Skyrim on VR.  You can almost smell and touch and see.  But before non gamers go urgh!.  You can easily select the app’s various running programmes.

What we personally like is the capture of data. And there’s loads of it.  It uses rafts of information, breaking goals into manageable chunks.  With every interval, there’s an achievement.  You can also keep an eye on calories burned and average pace.

Stay Fit, Physically and Mentally – Personal trainers in your pocket

We are obsessed with mobile technology, and the app stores are packed with the best fitness at home apps that compete with one another. Your goals for training are important in deciding which app is best for you, as well as your personal preferences for the environment in which you train.

Livestreamed classes are not for everyone, and the Zwift app is catering for runners and cyclists who like a more game-oriented, immersive experience to keep them engaged.

You can run or cycle in virtual environments, train with carefully-structured workouts and be part of a bustling community of like-minded individuals, all of whom want to help one another get the very best results from their training.

Essential Reading: Top Ten Fitness Apps

Join Zwift | £12.99 a month

Home WorkOut App – No Equipment No Problem

If Zwift isn’t for you here are some Home Fitness App Alternatives.

Kaizen

Get your Blue Steel on and perfect the perfect body.  This App curates videos from the most popular influencers.  Such as Fitness Guru, Lee Constantinou. It’s packed with one-day workouts. Or a 12-week programme from bodybuilding.  And HIIT or calisthenics.

Download Today

Centr

If it works for Thor, it will work for you.  The actor Chris Hemsworth provides a repository of online training videos.  All from his stunt double, personal trainer and Yoga Trainer.

Download Today

Freeletics

It’s a running app Jim, but not as we know it. This running app targets core areas of improvement.  And uses AI to adjust plans to results.  Its training and nutrition bundle includes custom training journeys.  Digital AI coaching and Nutrition guide. Prices start at £2.16 a week.

Download Today

Our Verdict

However you choose to do it, it’s clear that the technology to assist with at-home workouts is helping the sector grow to rival gyms and fitness classes. Technology is helping us find ways to fit the things we want to do into your busy schedules, and fitness is an area where the inconvenience has been among the biggest obstacles for many people to get involved.

If that rings a bell for you, then perhaps these revolutionary home workout apps and technologies are the solution you’ve been waiting for. They can save time and money, and offer a superb experience that will push you to achieve your fitness goals in a way that no previous generation has been able to experience.

Further Reading: Top Ten Ways to get more from workout technology