Apple announced a new fitness service to rival Peloton and Les Mills during the September launch event. This week, on Monday 14th December, Apple Fitness+ went live and our team were on hand to give first impression.
The TORRO team have been following the Apple fitness trend for some time and entered the industry with our unique hybrid of sport and dress Apple Watch bands. The innovative design has a soft silicone style band for contact against the skin but has been indented to allow us to stitch luxury leather to outside of the band making it a unique solution as a band for stylish dress and perfect for an active lifestyle. As soon as Fitness+ launched we went straight to work.
Source: Apple
Before you begin
Firstly, it is important to note that you must update iOS on your iPhone or iPad as well as watch OS on your watch to the latest version for the app to appear. Using a TORRO stand case allows you to set up your fitness studio virtually anywhere.
This is a subscription based service like Apple News, Apple TV and iCloud but you can get a free trial to see if it is for you. Personally, I use the Apple One plan at £29.99 per month as I use iCloud drive a lot for work, Apple Music, News and TV so all in all it is good value for me.
A few teething issues
To get started I had a few teething issues setting up the watch to sync with the videos. You can watch the videos without an Apple Watch but the USP over regular fitness videos is the ability to see your stats on the iPhone / iPad or Apple TV screen as you work.
The solution
I found that turning Bluetooth off and on again sorted the problem and it all synced up seamlessly after that.
On your marks. Get set. GO!
Source: Apple
Once ready to go, you can choose a range of activities that require equipment and some that rely on body weight and a couple of square meters of space only. The instructors are as cheesy as you would expect from Apple, but the workouts are intense and in my opinion on par with Les Mills on demand you would need to be ultra fit to totally keep up with the instructors.
There are a few beginners classes and the instructors do offer options for less intense versions of an exercise so everybody can participate.
Music to workout to
I liked how the workouts link directly to Apple Music, you can select your favourite genre of music and workout along to classic hits directly from Apple Music, if you like a song you can go straight to the Music App from the workout playlist to add it to your regular music playlist. I had assumed that you could select personal playlists which sync to the videos but at present the videos are recorded with pre-set music but maybe this will come in the future.
Source: Apple
Keeping track of your stats
Seeing your stats on the screen was also another really good feature compared to a regular workout video, the spin bike videos will show if you are working hard enough to be at the front, middle or lagging behind the rest of the pack in a bike workout. In time I am sure this will develop to be a live streaming game whereby you can race and exercise against your friends.
Source: Apple
Is it for everyone?
At £9.99 per month, it’s a lot cheaper than a gym membership but then again you will need some home equipment to make the most of it or connect whilst at the gym and watch the videos. If you already subscribe to Apple Music, Apple TV, Arcade, iCloud Drive or Apple News, then the Apple Once Plan at £29.99 for the entire family is a no-brainer.
If you are taking your fitness+ game to the gym don’t forget to complete your look with the TORRO AirPods Pro cover to add luxury leather to your accessories.
Paired with your TORRO watch band, you can work out in style and the iPhone Stand cases or iPad Cases with back stands make watching the videos wherever you are an easy setup. Get in shape in 2021 with Apple and TORRO.
Apple Fitness+ Device Compatibility
Source: Apple
