I love fitness and technology, and fitness technology, and apps are one of my favorite things to experiment with. I got the opportunity to try out the Openfit app recently and I’m excited to share it with you.

Openfit has several workout program options to choose from. Honestly, I was most excited about Xtend Barre, since I really enjoy barre classes and ultimately I want to try all of the big name barre programs. This app gave me a way to try that program (I’ll get into it in a moment) as well as other programs.

In the screenshot above, we see everything that is available in the workouts tab of the app. There are 5 main programs, with several more workouts available inside of each program. The programs are:

• Xtend Barre: 30 workouts, 30 minutes each.
• Rough Around the Edges: 17 workouts, 30-40 minutes each.
• Tough Mudder T-30: 27 workouts, 30 minutes each.
• 600 Seconds: 42 workouts, 10 minutes each.
• Yoga 52: 52 workouts, 30-45 minutes each.

I’ve spent most of my time playing around with the app in the Xtend Barre portion, with some work in the 600 seconds program. I used to do yoga all the time, but I haven’t been for the past several years. Maybe this is fodder for a different post, but I’ve found that starting about 5 years ago, anytime I do yoga (specifically inversions) I get pounding headaches and queasiness. So I haven’t jumped in there yet. The other programs would probably be smart for me to tackle sometime, I’ve been doing a bootcamp program for several weeks and I can only fit so much working out into one week!

600 Seconds

These workouts are fun because they are only 10 minutes. So if you’re really time-crunched, you can fit something in. And if you wanted to, you could cobble together a few of them to make a longer workout. 10 minutes of upper body, 10 minutes of lower body, 10 minutes of core… you’ve got a full-body workout and it feels more manageable looking at it in those blocks as opposed to just thinking it is 30 minutes of strength training.

There are calendars put together, so you can do a 21-day challenge to work toward specific goals. You can also filter through the workouts based on body parts or exercise types and just pick and choose.

I love that they keep a countdown on the screen of the entire 600 seconds. For me, it keeps the motivation up because it’s really not that long. Some of these workouts require hand weights, some are just bodyweight. (Perfect for travel!)

Xtend Barre

This is what I was super excited to try. I’ve discovered that Xtend Barre is pretty tough! I’ll be honest, barre workouts are a lot harder in general that many people might think at first glance. But Xtend Barre is one of the toughest varieties I’ve tried.

You need some light weights (seriously 1-2 pounds are sufficient), resistance band loops, and a bar or chair for these workouts. There are 30 total workouts and they’re all about 30 minutes each (give or take a couple minutes).

The calendar options for this are a 30-day program, a 30-day amplified program (harder), and a 7-day program to get you used to the program and instructor and the habit of workout out.

Nutrition

Each program has information on a nutrition plan that you should follow for the program. It’s not just a one-size-fits-all plan, they ask some questions specific to your gender/size and the program you’re doing so you know which plan to follow. The plans are broken down by color: Blue, Yellow, Orange, Green, Red, Navy. The colors are just a convenient way to help you sort them out.

Inside each plan, it gives you meal plan ideas, some recipes, and the reasoning about why the approach is recommended. I’ve browser through the plans, but I haven’t followed one. I noticed some meal suggestions that sounded tasty, but I don’t typically follow meal plans recommended by others and try to rely on intuitive eating. (see: past eating disorder)

Community

When you complete a workout, they encourage you to share that. There are either pre-built templates that say things like “I took my booty to the barre” and “Crushed it” or you have the option to snap a photo of yourself or whatever you like. If you tag it with #openfit then you might see your post show up in the feed on the Home tab in the app along with others.

Pricing

The plans for Openfit subscriptions vary, but you do need a subscription. You can purchase in terms of length like 12-months, 6-months, even a 30-day free trial which would be followed up by a 3-month term.

Overall, the prices are a lot cheaper than what you’d pay if you went to a studio for these types of classes.

Connectivity

The app works on iOS and Android, but then you can cast your workouts to a bigger screen via Roku, Chromecast, or AirPlay.

It will not open on my iPad, the minute I open the app it crashes out of it. But even then, it doesn’t open full-screen on the iPad, it opens like the size of an iPhone device. I would prefer it to be fully compatible with an iPad for a slightly bigger screen.

Overall, I have enjoyed my time with Openfit. It’s got a great range of solid programs. If you’re looking to have something readily available to supplement your running, this is a great choice. If you are looking to build a whole program to improve your fitness, this would work for that. If you are bored with whatever you’re doing now, something like the Openfit app could shake things up and reinvigorate you.