If you’re looking for a way to improve your fitness, you might be tempted to hire a personal trainer or join a gym. But what if you could get the same results, or even better, with an AI-powered fitness app? That’s what we wanted to find out when we tried FitnessAI, an iPhone-only app that uses artificial intelligence to create personalized workout routines for you.
FitnessAI is different from other fitness apps because it doesn’t just give you a list of exercises to do. It also tells you how many sets, reps and weight to use for each exercise, and adjusts them over time based on your progress and feedback. It also shows you a 3D-anatomical model of the human body, so you can see which muscles are targeted by each exercise and how to do them correctly.
We compared FitnessAI to Future, another app that connects you to a virtual personal trainer. With Future, you get a real human who designs your workouts, checks in with you regularly, and motivates you through text and audio messages. Future also provides you with an Apple Watch and a pair of AirPods to track your workouts and communicate with your trainer.
We expected Future to be more effective than FitnessAI, since it offers more personalized attention and accountability. But we were surprised by the results. After four weeks of using both apps, we found that FitnessAI helped us achieve our fitness goals better than Future.
Why? Because FitnessAI was more challenging, more consistent, and more flexible than Future. Here’s how:
- FitnessAI was more challenging: FitnessAI pushed us harder than Future did. It increased the intensity of our workouts gradually but steadily, making us lift heavier weights and do more reps. Future, on the other hand, seemed to be more conservative and cautious with our workouts. It often kept us at the same level or even lowered it, making us feel like we weren’t progressing as much.
- FitnessAI was more consistent: FitnessAI gave us a clear and structured workout plan every day, with no excuses or delays. It also reminded us to log our workouts and gave us feedback on our performance. Future, on the other hand, sometimes failed to deliver our workouts on time or at all. It also didn’t always follow up with us or give us enough guidance on how to do the exercises.
- FitnessAI was more flexible: FitnessAI allowed us to customize our workouts according to our preferences and availability. We could choose the type of equipment we had access to, the duration of our workouts, and the days of the week we wanted to exercise. We could also skip or swap exercises if we wanted to. Future, on the other hand, was more rigid and restrictive with our workouts. It didn’t let us choose or change anything about our workouts, and it expected us to follow its schedule strictly.
Of course, FitnessAI is not perfect. It has some limitations that Future doesn’t have. For example:
- FitnessAI is not human: FitnessAI can’t understand or empathize with us as humans. It can’t tell if we’re feeling tired, sore, bored, or frustrated. It can’t adjust our workouts based on our mood or energy level. It can’t cheer us up or celebrate our achievements with us. Future, on the other hand, can do all these things and more. It can provide us with emotional support and encouragement that can make a big difference in our fitness journey.
- FitnessAI is not interactive: FitnessAI can’t communicate with us in real time or answer our questions. It can’t give us verbal instructions or feedback on our form or technique. It can’t correct our mistakes or prevent injuries. Future, on the other hand, can do all these things and more. It can talk to us through audio messages and coach us through our workouts live.
So which app is better for you? It depends on your goals, preferences, and budget.
If you want a challenging, consistent, and flexible workout program that is based on scientific data and algorithms, then FitnessAI might be the best option for you. You can try it for free for seven days, and then pay ₦1,800 per month or ₦18,000 per year.
If you want a human touch, interactive guidance, and emotional support in your fitness journey, then Future might be the best option for you. You can try it for free for 14 days (including the Apple Watch and AirPods), and then pay ₦72,000 per month.
