back in 2020, like most of you guys, i started doing all of my workouts at home and i will say…i feel like working out at home is the best thing that came out of the pandemic. even now 4 years later when we have access to gyms, fitness studios etc, i actually still prefer to workout at home more than anything else! every now and then it’s fun to change it up and go to a class or the gym but for the most part, i love how convenient it is to workout at home AND i honestly feel like my workouts are the most efficient at home, thanks to some of the incredible workout apps i use.
one of the most frequently asked questions i get is related to the workout apps i use. how do i use it? stream on the TV? watch it on my phone? which is my favorite? so today i wanted to break down the workout apps i use the most + why and how i use each one! there are literally COUNTLESS fitness apps out there these days and it can be really overwhelming. i personally have cycled through 5ish or so but today i’m gonna share my top 3 fitness apps i have and use the most often.
moves by madeline app
let’s start with the moves by Madeline app – the workout app i’ve probably used the most consistently over the past 4 years! madeline’s workouts were literally my very first experience with ever lifting weights. prior to starting her workouts, i solely did cardio – running, cycling, stair master etc and i’d throw in some abs here and there. i just had no clue what to do when it came to weights and her workouts were a GAME changer for me. her workouts TAUGHT me how to lift weights. they gave me a plan on what to do each day. it was the first time in my life i consistently lifted weights and my body really transformed.
so let’s talk about exactly what this app is and how i use it. one thing i love about the moves by madeline app is that there are lots of different programs you can choose from – strength, pregnancy friendly, post partum, endurance focused, etc. tons of options. i personally do the ‘weekly moves’ which is their foundational strength training program. with this program, you get 5 workouts each week. upper body pull, lower body, upper body push, conditioning + core, and full body strength.
a lot of y’all have asked me if i watch a video or how it works. the workouts are laid out in a vertical format within the app – broken up into circuits and sets. she has a demo video of each workout as well as form tips. but you basically just look at the app and then go – so you’re not following a video. you pull up the workout app and it lists exactly how many reps you do, how many sets etc. it’s super easy to follow IMO! so for example, on an upper body day…the workout will have “superset 1: 3 rounds”. then it will give you the two workouts you do, and how many reps. then you move onto the next set.
these workouts are SUPER doable at home. there are some exercises that look like they require a gym or machine but she always gives alternate move options in case you don’t have access to that equipment. i do these workouts at home 99% of the time and love them.
another thing i love about the moves by madeline app is you can choose if you want to do the 60min version of the workout or the 30min version!
evlo fitness
i discovered evlo about two years ago when i first started listening to the founder (shannon’s) podcast called ‘fit body happy joints’. shannon is a doctor of physical therapy and i found her podcast + her story around fitness super interesting. she shares how she has a background in over exercising, under nourishing, and how that really took a toll on her body. the motto behind evlo is ‘gentle consistency’. “Effectiveness without Extremes – Gentle strength training for long-term results taught exclusively by Doctors of Physical Therapy.”
i started doing evlo workouts in a season of life where i was really trying to lower stress as much as possible, but i still wanted to build muscle and move my body. honestly, transitioning to slower paced, shorter workouts was not easy for me! my go-to type of workout is hard and sweaty and long and evlo workouts are typically around 30mins and slower paced but THEY ARE SO EFFECTIVE at building muscle! once i started doing the workouts consistently and noticing incredible results, i was hooked.
evlo workouts are in video format – they drop new workouts every single week. i pull up the workouts on my laptop but you could also watch them on your phone / iPad etc. i actually love that they are video workouts because it makes working out at home feel more like a class. sometimes doing strength training workouts at home alone in your gym can get super boring so this makes it more interesting IMO.
the monthly subscription for evlo is not cheap. however i will say…you are getting SO MUCH VALUE in this one fitness app. they have several different ‘tracks’ you can pick from – whether you want a program that’s 3 days a week, or 5 days a week…cardio or no cardio. postpartum, pregnancy friendly, etc. they have several different tracks you can pick from based on your lifestyle, schedule, needs, life stage, preference etc. they also have meditations in the app as well programs like ‘core stability’ or ‘foundations’ to help you learn proper form, the basics, how to target certain muscles effectively, etc.
i personally do & love their 5 day a week program. it’s similar to the MM app above i mentioned in that these workouts are split up into muscle specific days. for example yesterday i did the evlo upper body build workout and it was triceps, biceps, shoulders. all of their workouts are around 30mins long, with a warmup and cool down. even though they are slightly shorter than what i’m used to, they are SO effective. their trainers are all doctors of physical therapy and explain the science behind muscle growth and how to do it effectively, without beating your body into the ground.
so my muscles feel COOKED at the end of these workouts, but i don’t feel like i just got ran over by a truck. my nervous system feels calm and grounded thanks to their warmup and cooldown and breath work and mobility (which, i would never do on my own. so i’m so glad they are built into the workouts). i have seen incredible results from these workouts, both physically and mentally.
something else i love about evlo workouts – since they are in video format…the form cues their instructors give are INCREDIBLE. when i started doing evlo, i already had a pretty solid foundation of strength training knowledge and experience. but i have learned SO much about form and muscle activation through these video workouts. for example, the form cues they gave on how to do a proper bulgarian split squat was a game changer for me in allowing me to really target / activate my glute muscles, vs just going through the motions.
you can throw weights around all day long but if you’re not using proper form or know how to really have that mind / muscle connection then you won’t see results. i have seen incredible results with muscle tone + growth because of these workouts and because of the form cues + tips the instructors give.
i could go on haha but i’ve already written a novel here about evlo. a lot times when you hear low intensity or gentle…you think “oh that workout must be easy or not effective” and that’s not the case at all with evlo. they are low intensity workouts but insanely effective at building muscle and still super challenging. i am (clearly) obsessed. i will say…i think you need to try their workouts out consistently for at LEAST two weeks (really, a month) before you can really decide what you think. especially if you’re coming from a background of all cardio and HIIT. it’s an adjustment, but man it’s been a good one for me.
so one of the most commonly asked questions i get is which one do i like more – evlo or moves by madeline? i obviously love and recommend both of these apps and personally i kind of alternate between the two depending on stage of life, what sounds fun to me, etc. the biggest differences are…
- video format vs no video. evlo classes are all on a video, moves by madeline is an app you just pull up the workout on. so, depends on your personal preference
- for the most part, evlo workouts are shorter than moves by madeline workouts
- evlo workouts incorporate breathwork, mobility, warmup and cooldown as part of the workout. (moves by madeline have warmups and cooldowns as well, but i feel like evlo’s are a little bit longer and more intentional at really priming / calming the nervous system if that makes sense!)
- evlo workouts are more low intensity than MM. MM has a lot of exercises like jump squats, burpees etc and you won’t see a lot of that in evlo workouts. (evlo does offer 2 cardio workouts a week that are about 15mins long and they’ll incorporate some more plyometric moves in there, if you want that)
- evlo workouts are easier to do at home IMO. you don’t need any gym machines. everything is done with dumbbells, bodyweight, or bands
i will say, when i travel i usually do MM workouts because i don’t like watching a video of a workout in a gym.
but honestly both apps are freaking incredible and very effective at building muscle. i love them both so much. both apps also have a free trial so i suggest doing a free trial of both and just seeing which you vibe with more because the vibe of each of them is very different!
peloton app
this one probably needs no explanation haha because i feel like everyone has the peloton app! we have the peloton bike & tread and i love both. but i also love their app because they truly have SO MUCH other stuff in there. i use their app for meditations, core classes…if we’re traveling i’ll do a peloton run class on another treadmill. they also have strength training classes, yoga, pilates and more. literally, everything. and you don’t need a bike or tread to use this app. i love how many options are on here, you can filter by length of time, class type etc! this isn’t an app i personally use like 5 days a week…(but you could). but i use this more for interval run classes (these have helped tremendously with my running paces), or a core class after a peloton ride. i use it for kind of one off type of workouts or, like i said, meditations. it’s incredible though if you’re looking for a very well rounded fitness app with tons of options.
for weekly updates sign up here!
do you guys use any of the apps i mentioned in this post?! or what are your favorite fitness apps? ALSO in case you missed it…my activewear line beige hour launched yesterday !!! so y’all can shop this exactly look i’m wearing + the rest of the line at beigehour.com! i have personally worked out in every single one of these pieces and can honestly say they HOLD UP for any type of workout you’re doing! i can’t wait for y’all to get your orders in and let me know what you think!!
thanks for reading!
xo Lauren
