With the fitness app market becoming increasingly crowded, Absolutely has come up with a list of the latest essential downloads for all types of exercising needs.

Words James Pidduck

Nowadays, we can’t live without our smartphones. Often chastised as promoting a sluggish lifestyle and a distraction from reaching our goals, downloading the right app can actually ensure productivity, keep us in check and stimulate our motivation – especially when it comes to keeping fit and healthy. Here are the ones you should be downloading now.

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ClassPass

Fitness classes are a dynamic and effective way to work out, but can become a little boring doing the same classes again and again. Cue ClassPass, a service that allows access to multiple gyms across London. Offering a huge catalogue of classes, experiment with exercise and keep your enthusiasm eager without being restricted by a single membership. Despite a select number of permitted visits to each venue per month, this needn’t be a worry as an astounding number of studios across the capital can be booked into. The service is also available in cities around the world, an essential for any jet-setters.

Starting from £55/month; classpass.com

RockMyRun

There’s nothing worse than needing a motivational track on a gruelling jog and being met with a slow ballad, ruining your focus and having you clamber for the skip button. Shuffle may not always be your friend but a new fitness companion is RockMyRun, a music app that matches your playlist to your pace. Exclusive to its paid members, the myBeat syncing service assesses your steps or heart rate through your smartphone or wearable device and perfectly pairs this with the number of beats per minute it streams.

Free, with Premium features from £1.49/month; rockmyrun.com

SimpleSteps

With the clue in its title, SimpleSteps encourages you to take on small, achievable goals one-by-one and see them integrate into your daily routine. Its ethos is all about developing healthy lifestyle habits and avoiding typical techniques such as calorie counting and drastic diets, which can often be unrealistic and leave us feeling deflated. SimpleSteps builds challenges tailored to fit your life (like drinking water or eating fruit) and is inspired by research into nutrition and habit formation, proving there’s wise thought behind the simple idea. Got a competitive side too? Succeed in your targets to unlock new ones, and play with friends to gain that extra bit of motivation.

Free; simplestepsapp.com

Sworkit

Whether a busy mum or city worker, Sworkit is perfect for those needing an exercise-on-demand approach: pick your workout, when you want it, and for the duration that you’re free. With focuses across cardio, strength, stretching and yoga, all-rounders will be more than satisfied as well as users low on memory space with this overflowing collection. Providing video demonstrations and audio instructions for each exercise, workouts are easy to follow and require no equipment, with a premium version for more personalised features.

Free, or Premium from £2.29/month; sworkit.com

WeTrain

The “Uber” of the workout world, WeTrain allows users to order a personal trainer and split the cost. The app enables you to chat with your trainer beforehand to organise a meeting place, equipment and the desired difficulty, and even invite and group message your friends directly. With an array of exercise classes to choose from, ranging between £12 and £20 per session, WeTrain is for anyone craving a hassle-free workout or those who want to socialise as they sweat.

Free; wetrain.com