I Found The Perfect Fitness App For Working Out On Hectic Days

It’s early January, and we’re already in it: overstimulated, chronically stressed, doing too much — and still trying to make a workout happen. In December, Apple invited me into its Santa Monica headquarters as one of the very first to preview what’s coming soon on its subscription service Apple Fitness+.

The content studio isn’t open to the public, and the company only brings in outsiders a few times a year, so I didn’t take this opportunity lightly. I wanted to see what the hype was about — and whether a platform operating at this scale, expanding to 17 new markets this year, is still capable of innovating.

As Apple Fitness+ heads into 2026, the platform’s focus isn’t on doing more, but on moving regularly. “Consistency isn’t necessarily about doing more, it’s about doing what fits,” says Julz Arney, senior director of fitness technologies at Apple. That philosophy shows up in the new multi-week training programs built around short, stackable workouts designed to remove guesswork and make staying active feel realistic.

I’m a certified Pilates instructor who lifts heavy, travels constantly, and is borderline militant about form. Working out isn’t something I dabble in; I schedule my life around it. I train with a coach two to three times a week, and I’m picky about cues, structure, and pacing — which is why most apps lose me pretty quickly.

At the same time, I live what feels like a double life. When I’m home in suburbia, I’m consistent and dialed in. When I’m traveling — which lately means two to four trips a month — all bets are off. I know I need a workout app to keep my goals intact. I just haven’t found one that feels fun and energetic while also going beyond the basics.

Upon arrival, I was greeted by the entire Apple Fitness+ staff standing together, chanting my name — an enthusiastic welcome that completely caught me off guard and felt straight out of White Lotus.

I was brought into a room lined with treadmills, where Apple Fitness+ instructors across disciplines — including strength, HIIT, yoga, Pilates, cycling, and running — sat together reviewing workouts on a large screen. Fitness+ offers 12 different exercise types in total, with sessions ranging from five to 45 minutes, and watching them collaborate makes it clear how intentional that variety is.

The service has 28 Apple Fitness+ trainers in total, but they aren’t siloed specialists; they help shape each other’s classes, appear in each other’s videos, and even collaborate on playlists pulled directly from Apple Music. They shoot content every single day, and new workouts drop weekly.

From there, I toured the main studio space, which looks like a real, usable gym, albeit one with a live plant wall and AI-powered robotic cameras quietly rolling around to capture every angle. Watching an instructor teach a mat Pilates class while production unfolded around her reminded me of my old newsroom days (I used to work at E! News in its heyday): fast-paced, coordinated, and very go, go, go.

There’s also full hair and makeup stations on-site, plus an entire Nike wardrobe space stocked with rotating outfits for instructors who might film multiple workouts in a single day. Upstairs, there’s a control room where sound and mixing happen in real time.

After the tour, it was finally time to actually try the workouts while wearing an Apple Watch — something I admit I’d never used consistently before — to track my heart rate, calories burned, and daily movement. Seeing those metrics in real time made the coaching feel even more immediate and personal.

First, I did a strength-focused session, the first episode of Make Your Fitness Comeback, one of four brand-new workout series launching Jan. 5. Designed for people returning to movement or simply looking for a reset, the four-week program includes three 10-minute workouts each week — rotating between strength, HIIT, and yoga — with each week building progressively on the last to support overall strength, stamina, and consistency.

Apple Fitness+ trainer Sam Sanchez led me through the class, which features light weights (I grabbed 10s and 5s) and classic moves I already know well, like squats, lunges, and pushups.

The workout was structured as two rounds of five exercises, and midway through the second round — when we circled back to the first move — I thought, damn. My heart rate was up, I felt good, and the time had flown by faster than I expected. Sam’s energy made the 10 minutes feel efficient, not abbreviated. As someone who’s been traveling nonstop (the past two months took me to Kyoto, Dallas, Charleston, and Las Vegas), I could immediately picture myself doing this in a hotel gym.

Next, I did a 10-minute yoga class, this time with Apple Fitness+ trainer Jessica Skye. The session was part of Build a Yoga Habit in 4 Weeks, another new program designed to help users practice more consistently. Each week includes two 10-minute flows — one slow and one more energetic — aimed at increasing flexibility, reducing stress, and building muscle and stability.

As a Pilates teacher, yoga has always been harder for me to stay engaged with — I like to constantly move — but this class surprised me. The flow was simple, well-paced, and calming without feeling sleepy. Honestly, I found this one more challenging than the strength workout.

Back to back, it was 20 minutes of exercise. I get bored easily, and stacking workouts like this gave the session a clear beginning, middle, and end, making it feel purposeful rather than random. While the workouts aren’t designed to automatically close your Activity rings, seeing mine inch closer — and eventually close — made the session feel finished rather than cut short. (Rings offer three goals to hit each day — one for movement, one for minutes of exercise, and one for standing. The best part is that you can set each of them to your own preferences.)

Watching them progress during the workout was low-key addictive. Closing them becomes a kind of game, a gentle nudge to keep moving. I don't usually care about metrics, but I found that element of customization and visible progress surprisingly motivating.

The emphasis on personalization came up repeatedly during my visit. “What might be a goal for me may not be the focus for someone else,” Arney says.

Instead of asking users to choose from thousands of workouts, the four new workout programs launching on Jan. 5 tell you what to do and when — a subtle shift that reduces decision fatigue and makes showing up feel easier.

I didn’t personally try the workouts with Apple’s new AirPods Pro 3, but the team explained how they add another layer to Fitness+ that previous AirPods didn’t. When paired with an Apple Watch, the new version allows metrics like heart rate and calories burned to appear onscreen alongside the workout, creating a more integrated, real-time feedback loop.

Combined with seamless playback across iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, the experience is designed to help users feel more connected across devices. For example, you can start a workout on your phone while traveling and pick it back up later on a bigger screen at home, with music, coaching, and metrics staying fully in sync.

I also learned that music plays a bigger role on the platform this year, with Artist Spotlight sessions featuring playlists entirely of/by KAROL G and Bad Bunny. And beyond traditional workouts, Apple is expanding its Time to Walk series — where celebrities share personal stories while taking walks in meaningful places — with new episodes featuring Penn Badgley, Mel B, and Michelle Monaghan.

Apple Fitness+ is available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, and requires relatively recent devices running the latest operating systems — it’s not accessible via laptops or desktop computers. The service costs $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year, and can be shared with up to five family members through Apple One Family or Premier plans. New subscribers receive one month free, with up to three months free available when purchasing eligible Apple devices like a new iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, Apple TV, or AirPods Pro 3.

Fitness+ is also included with certain partner memberships, including Apple One Premier, select Wellhub plans, and Anytime Fitness, making it relatively easy to try without committing upfront.

I still love my workouts with my trainer. Those longer, focused strength sessions aren’t going anywhere. But for my hectic life, Apple Fitness+ is like the perfect complement. It’s digestible, efficient, and realistic for days when I’m rushed, away from home, or just don’t have the mental energy to plan a full workout.

By the time I left Santa Monica, my skepticism had shifted. The new Apple Fitness+ updates aren’t about pushing harder or doing more — they’re about making consistency feel achievable.