Apple Fitness Plus just announced new workout programs AND a major partnership with another service, and I couldn’t be more excited
- Apple Fitness Plus kicks off 2025 with some new classes.
- Apple also partners with Strava to make it easy to sync your workouts.
- More “Time to Walk” and “Artist Spotlight Series” to come.
In what has become an annual decline, Apple Fitness Plus 2025 is starting off strong with new features, workout types and programming, plus a new integration that people should be pretty happy with. It also comes after a pretty major redesign that launched in 2024, making classes easier to find.
So let’s start there: After you complete your workout in Fitness+, you can export all the data directly to Strava, one of our best fitness apps. This way you can view, record and review all training statistics alongside your other statistics. You can also view the exact title and episode number of the workout, the genre, and even the Fitness+ Trainer.
But beyond that integration, you’ll see some members of the Strava community in the Fitness+ studio during workouts. Apple says that “celebrated athletes from the Strava community will join the Fitness+ trainer team as special guests during training sessions throughout the year.”
Who those athletes are is still being kept under wraps, but considering Stravas are so ubiquitous in the fitness community, we’ll likely see sessions similar to ultrarunner Scott Jurek’s “Yoga for Runners” collaboration with Fitness+ trainer Jessica Skye. Who knows, you might even see Bradley Wiggins taking a cycling class with trainer Emily Fayette.
Plus, if you’re a Strava subscriber (new or already), you get three months of Apple Fitness Plus for free – meaning you can start using this integration right away, stream a class in 4K UHD, or delve into a new program.
If you want to delve into a program, a little more organized with a schedule, then ‘3 Perfect Weeks of Strength’ might be for you. It’s the latest Fitness Plus program and is all about building and maintaining strength with twelve 30-minute workouts spread over three weeks in the following categories: Progressive Overload, Time Under Tension and Dynamic Power.
Similarly, Apple is jumping on the pickleball bandwagon with a special program led by Catherine Parenteau, a champion of the sport. She will lead the class alongside Fitness+ trainers with an emphasis on strength, endurance and agility to be your best in the sport.
There’s also an ‘Introduction to Breathing Meditation’ program coming up, which looks like a great way to reduce stress as the new year kicks in. It’s also a good reminder that meditation and yoga classes are good to combine with core, strength and other types of training. These are also a bit more bite-sized in ten-minute lessons.
If you would also like to start your yoga journey, there are classes that focus on individual postures. This might be one I might try – Yoga Peak Poses is billed as an “intimate workout” experience focusing on poses like Dancer, Twisted Hand to Big Toe, and Crow.
While my favorite Artist Spotlight series in the Fitness Plus library would have to be the Bruce Springsteen-centric series, several new ones have been announced as well. A quick point is that while much of this content, including the new programs and Strava integration, will go into effect on January 6, 2025, their music lessons will remain on schedule.
Artist Spotlight Series dedicates the entire playlist used during training to one artist or band, and aims to tell a story through the songs chosen. On January 13, 2025, Janet Jackson will be the first to fall of the year. Coldplay will soon follow on January 20 and Kendrick Lamar on February 3, timed to the Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show while he headlines.
If dancing is more your speed, So you think you can dance star Alex Wong leads a special 20-minute dance workout releasing January 6, 2025.
Time to Walk, Fitness+’s audio-only guided walk series, is back with new episodes from Adam Scott, Maddie Ziegler, Tiffany Haddish, Steve Aioki, Lana Condor, Rita Ora and Daddy Yankee, all coming this year. This prompts you to walk through stories and even favorite songs as the host walks through stories. It’s a cool experience that works great on the Apple Watch.
As a whole, Fitness Plus offers new programs that I think existing users will find worthwhile and continues to expand its offerings for people who might try Apple’s streaming workout service for the first time. As a reminder, it is deeply integrated with the Apple Watch, but you can stream and follow the lessons on the iPhone, iPad and Apple TV 4K streaming box. I’m still waiting for a Mac app.
Fitness Plus starts at $9.99 per month or $79.99 for an annual subscription, but in addition to the Strava promotion, you can also score free trials by purchasing an Apple device like an Apple Watch, iPhone or iPad. If you’re already subscribed to Apple One Premier, you also get access to Fitness Plus for you and your family. In fact, each subscription is for a maximum of six members in total.