The best fitness subscriptions for an at-home workout

App-based fitness subscriptions are the new gym membership, and their cult following is proving big business. The digital workout industry is estimated to reach nearly £24 million by 2022 and is growing 10 times faster than traditional exercise offerings like the gym, according to Dan Shellard, CEO of home workout app Fiit. The Stratford-born workout-streaming startup, which counts Fearne Cotton among its ambassadors, has just been crowned the number one fitness app on the Apple Store and raised £6.5 million to fuel growth, and competitors are hot on its heels.

Berlin-based pocket-PT 8fit is launching a series of classes for Pro subscribers next month and David Beckham-backed yoga subscription Asana Rebel has a new collection to help jetsetting professionals keep up their fitness routine from their hotel room. From nutritionists in your pocket to live leaderboards in your living room, these are the hottest subscriptions on the market.

USP: Live leaderboard classes from your living room

Users: 200,000

Insta-following: 72,000

Cost: Free to download and use, Premium from £20 a month. Fiit wants to become the “Netflix of fitness”: the at-home workout streaming app, based at the Olympic Park, was launched last April by ex-Google employees and Qubit founders and recently became the highest ranked fitness app in the App Store, rated 4.9 out of 5. A total of £8.9 million has been raised to date and the app’s 200,000 users take part in an average of three classes a week, half of which are cardio-based. Another Space trainer Jamie-Ray, Adidas ambassador Adrienne Herbert (Fiit’s most popular instructor) and Sweat by BXR’s Courtney Fearon are among the master trainers. It’s free to join, while Premium users buy access to Fiit Club, the world’s first live leaderboard classes. Add a workout, meet other members in the virtual lobby then join the competition: members are sent a Fiit device in the post that tracks heart rate, reps and calories burned — a good motivator when no one else can see how much you’re sweating. Just make sure your housemates are out before you start.

fiit.tv

USP: Yoga-inspired workouts to start the day

Users: 15 million

Insta-following: 717,000

Cost: Free to download, then £31 for three months. “Asana Rebel is my new favourite app,” rapper Eve revealed, saying it’s her go-to before a show. “They have four minutes, 10 minutes, 25 minutes [workouts]… whatever you want to do, if it’s power yoga, zen yoga.” David Beckham and LeBron James also swear by the Berlin-based “mindful fitness” app. It recently received more than £20 million in funding to grow its offering around the world. London is among the app’s top four cities and the most popular workout time is Tuesday between 6am and 8am.

asanarebel.com

USP: A pocket (or wrist) PT, nutritionist and sleep coach in one

Users: 30 million

Insta-following: 668,000

Cost: Free to download and for 14 days, then from £24 for three months. 8FIT is the all-rounder: a health coach that sends you tailored videos of 15 to 20 minutes and weekly training plans, plus all the nutrition advice you need to fuel you through. Seven million classes have been sweated through in living rooms in the last year and the next two months see the launch of a high-level HIIT Extreme programme to an equipment-free at-home boxing session. Workouts sync with your Apple Watch and the app also partnered with Buddhify to give Pro users access to guided sleep, meditation and relaxation exercises.

8fit.com