- Apple Fitness Plus kicks off 2025 with a ton of new classes.
- Apple is also working with Strava to allow your workouts to be easily synced.
- More ‘Time to Walk’ and ‘Artist Spotlight Series’ are coming.
In what has become an annual drop, Apple Fitness Plus is starting 2025 strong with new features, workout types and programming, plus a new integration that should make people very happy. It also comes after a pretty major redesign that launched in 2024, making classes easier to find.
So let’s start there: after completing your workout in Fitness+, you’ll be able to export all the data directly to Strava, one of our best fitness apps. This way, you can view, record and review all training metrics along with your other statistics. You will also be able to see the exact title and episode number of the workout, the genre, and even the Fitness+ Trainer.
Beyond that integration, however, you’ll start to see some members of the Strava community in the Fitness+ studio during workouts. Apple says that “celebrity athletes from the Strava community will join the Fitness+ team of trainers as special guests at workouts throughout the year.”
Who those athletes are is being kept under wraps, but given Strava’s omnipresence throughout the fitness community, it’s likely we’ll see sessions similar to ultrarunner Scott Jurek’s “Yoga for Runners” collaboration with Fitness+ trainer Jessica Skye. Who knows, you might see Bradley Wiggins take a cycling class with trainer Emily Fayette.
Plus, if you’re a Strava subscriber (new or existing), you get three months of Apple Fitness Plus for free, meaning you can start using this integration, stream a class in 4K UHD, or dive into a new program. .
If you’re looking to dive into a program, something a little more regimented that sets a schedule, ‘3 Perfect Weeks of Strength’ might be right up your alley. It’s the newest Fitness Plus program and is all about building and maintaining strength with twelve 30-minute workouts spread over three weeks in these categories: progressive overload, time under tension, and dynamic power.
Similarly, Apple is jumping on the pickleball bandwagon with a dedicated program led by Catherine Parenteau, a champion of the sport. She will lead the class alongside Fitness+ trainers focusing on strength, endurance and agility to do your best in the sport.
There’s also an ‘Introduction to Breathing Meditation’ program coming, which looks like a great way to reduce stress as the new year comes into effect. It’s also a good reminder that meditation and yoga classes are good to combine with core, strength, and other types of exercises. These are also a little smaller in ten minute long classes.
If you’re also interested in starting your yoga journey, there are classes that focus on individual poses. This might be one I try: Maximum yoga poses are considered an ‘intimate workout’ experience focused on poses like ballerina, crooked hand to the big toe, and crow.
While my favorite Artist Spotlight series in the Fitness Plus library would have to be the ones focused on Bruce Springsteen, several new ones have also been announced. A quick point is that while much of this content, including new programs and Strava integration, will go into effect on January 6, 2025, your music classes will be scheduled.
Artist Spotlight Series dedicates the entire playlist used during training to an artist or band and aims to tell a story with the chosen tracks. On January 13, 2025, Janet Jackson falls as the first of the year. Coldplay quickly follows on January 20 and Kendrick Lamar on February 3, coinciding with Apple Music’s Super Bowl LIX halftime show, as they top the list.
If dancing is more your speed, So you think you can dance Star Alex Wong leads a special 20-minute dance workout that will be released on January 6, 2025.
Time to Walk, Fitness+’s audio-only guided walking series, is back with new episodes from Adam Scott, Maddie Ziegler, Tiffany Haddish, Steve Aioki, Lana Condor, Rita Ora and Daddy Yankee, all set to arrive this year. With these, you will be asked to cycle through stories and even favorite tracks while the host cycles through stories. It’s a great experience that works great on the Apple Watch.
Overall, Fitness Plus offers new programs that I think current users will find rewarding, and continues to expand its offerings for people who might try Apple’s streaming workout service for the first time. As a reminder, it’s deeply integrated with the Apple Watch, but you can stream and take classes on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV 4K streaming box. I’m still waiting for a Mac app.
Fitness Plus starts at $9.99 a month or $79.99 for an annual subscription, but in addition to the Strava promotion, you can also get free trials by purchasing an Apple device like an Apple Watch, iPhone, or iPad. Plus, if you’re already an Apple One Premier subscriber, you get access to Fitness Plus for you and your family. In fact, any subscription is for up to six members total.
