For most of my life, I have hated exercise. Every time I embarked on a fitness regimen, I would fall victim to boredom or laziness. Gym memberships went dormant; home exercise equipment sat unused. The only times I have ever exercised with any kind of consistency was when I had a personal trainer. But they also cost hundreds of dollars an hour where I live – not an option I could afford long term.
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For the last three years, I’ve been using the next best thing: Future Fitness. It’s an app and membership that connects you to a real-life physical trainer who customizes your workout schedule for you and holds you accountable, just like an in-person trainer. At $199 a month, it’s still not cheap, but as the only exercise app that has ever worked for me, I find it well worth the money. Here’s why.
Getting into gear
Future Fitness first popped up on my Instagram feed during the early days of the pandemic, advertising a free trial. After gaining some weight from months of inactivity, I figured there was no harm trying it out. The app asked a few questions about my goals and habits, then asked me to pick a coach from an array of options.
Photograph: Courtesy of Future Fitness
On a preliminary FaceTime call with my selected coach, we discussed my overall fitness objectives, desired workout schedules, any existing injuries and the exercise equipment I have at home. I tallied my gear from prior fitness endeavors: a yoga mat, a few resistance bands, two sets of dumbbells, two kettlebells, a suspension trainer and a Peloton bike. Future’s coaches will work with whatever you have – even if you have no gear at all.
There is one exception: you’ll probably want a smartwatch. It’s technically not required, but you’ll get far more out of the app if you have one. The smartwatch syncs with the Future app to let you and your coach log key information, like your heart rate during workouts and your daily activity levels. The watch can count reps on certain movement workouts like bicep curls and deadlifts, but also log spontaneous exercise, like if you happen to go for a two-hour hike. I already own an Apple Watch, so I used that, but Future works with select Google Wear OS watches as well.
Hitting the weights
Photograph: Courtesy of Future Fitness
After that initial discussion, my coach started sending me workout routines through the app, which are accompanied by video instructions as well as pre-recorded messages about achieving proper form. In addition to these strength-training workouts, Future’s coaches can add additional exercises into your week if you’re open to it. Mine, for example, instructed me to hop on my Peloton bike on the days that I’m not strength training.
Future workout routines mostly consist of a quick warmup session, followed by a series of different exercises and a cool-down session at the end. Each video demonstrates how you should do the exercise, along with various camera angles and detailed steps. It might sound weird, but I far prefer this clinical approach to the overly enthusiastic personas of YouTube or the music and shouting of Peloton.
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It isn’t all smooth sailing, though. When I first started, some of the workouts were too tough. While an in-person trainer could modify my workouts on the fly, I had to figure out immediate modifications on my own, or not do them at all. But after communicating with my coach, she offered alternatives (like doing knee pushups instead of regular pushups), encouraging me to do what feels right for my body.
Photograph: Courtesy of Future Fitness
My coach is also great at keeping me accountable. Every morning, she sends a message reminding me of the day’s workout. Since the Apple Watch sends her my workout data, there’s no way to “cheat” my way out of one. If I miss a day, she sends a note nudging me to get back on track. After receiving my workout data, she sends messages praising me for working out that day and asking for feedback on how it went. This constant communication with my coach is a huge reason why I’m able to stick with my routine.
While I have taken breaks from Future Fitness for financial reasons, I’m currently several months into reupping my membership this year and I have to say, I feel great. My joints don’t hurt as much as they used to, I have more energy throughout the day and my overall mental health is better too. Nowadays, I work out five days a week instead of my initial three. I guess I don’t hate exercise that much after all.
$199 a month at Future Fitness
Nicole Lee is a tech journalist with over 20 years of experience covering consumer electronics, social media, kitchen tech and more. She has also made media appearances on broadcast television and public radio. Outside of work, her passions include baseball, improv comedy and tabletop role-playing games
