Most online exercise The apps I’ve seen take the form of group classes or pre-programmed general exercises. There are fewer and fewer apps that offer personalized training. And while there are fitness apps out there that claim to offer personalized training, much of that personalization comes in the form of adjusting your machine’s resistance level or the number of reps you need to complete during your workout. joint workouts are broadcast live.
The Future app goes beyond that, offering private, personalized training from a large number of coaches. These coaches — real people — develop a training plan specifically tailored to your goals and needs. They also regularly communicate with you during online classes, and they hold you accountable for keeping your assignments up to date.
Every time you launch the app to complete a session, you’ll be greeted with a personalized log from your coach where they review your goals and recent progress. The trainer will then guide you through your workout for the day, and the app allows you to pause and start the trainer’s pre-recorded video so you can progress through the workouts at your own pace. yourself by tapping your iPhone or Apple Watch. (The app is currently only for iOS, but the company speak Android support is on its road map.)
The integration with the Apple Watch is neat. It not only allows you to control your training, but also allows the coach to see the statistics of your training: calories burned, training time, mileage, The app also vibrates the Watch to indicate when you should take a break and when to move on to the next episode. If you don’t have an Apple Watch, Future will even lend it to you to use for the duration of your membership.
That’s a great perk, especially since a Future membership costs $149 a month. While that’s a big spend when compared to other online fitness programs, $150 is roughly what you’d pay for a single personal session at most gyms. So, if you prefer one-on-one training from a knowledgeable personal trainer—who will stick to your schedule and stay in touch with you—and you want to work out more than once per month, the price is right. This is quite attractive.
One big caveat is that Future requires you to have your own exercise equipment. So if your workout requires weights, you’ll need to reach for weights. This means that if you want to do anything other than run or work out, you’ll need a home gym or gym membership to get it done.
Begin
As a certified trainer, I’m not excited about evaluating an app that could pair me with a personal trainer. I maintain a steady running regimen and I do CrossFit classes a few days a week, so I don’t feel the need to train separately. But when I signed up for Future and went through the app, I was surprised to see a seemingly endless scroll of trainers with a wide range of expertise.
While I found plenty of HIIT professionals and aerobics coaches needed, I found many coaches working on more specific disciplines. Since my weakness is lifting weights, I was surprised to find an Olympic weightlifting coach who has some serious street cred in the weightlifting world. Allan Contreras is a college weightlifter who has studied under top weightlifting coaches and is a world-renowned trainer. Juggernaut Training system. I like to work with catch and clear, so Allan is a good fit for me. (You can switch coaches at any time during your membership if you don’t accept your first choice.)
Right after I booked Allan Contreras as my coach, he scheduled a FaceTime meeting with me. We talked about my goals, previous experiences, and my weekly schedule. A few days later, my loaned Apple Watch arrived from Future, and Contreras loaded my first week’s worth of workouts into the app.
Pump it up
Each workout is customized for every user, but mine includes about an hour of skill and strength training that I’m required to complete two to three times a week, depending on my schedule. . The exercises for each week are downloaded into the app every Sunday. At the gym, I hit “Start Workout” and I hear a recording through my headphones from Contreras listing the goals of that workout and indicating what we will focus on. what. The app walks me through each movement (shoulder presses, hangers, etc.), instructs me on repetitions, motion fundamentals, and weights, while a demonstration video plays on the phone. phone. If Contreras has any notes for a particular lift, his voice will interject to convey them.
