It seems everyday mobile applications are becoming a bigger part of our daily lives. Millions have downloaded ones like Angry Birds and the music finder Shazam. One type of app growing in popularity is the health and exercise app. Here is a list of some great health and exercise apps to check out.

Men’s Health Workouts App

Cost: $1.99

As someone who exercises three to four times a week, I found this app very handy. It gives you 20 complete workouts with 150 exercises. Although it may not have as many exercises as other apps, each exercise is clearly presented by trainers, athletes and strength coaches. The best thing is the app shows you the correct way to perform an exercise in order to prevent injury.

You can build your own exercise program and it has a log to keep track of your progress. The app’s usability is a big plus that helps improve your gym experience.

 

Fitness Pro

Cost: Free

This app is similar to the Men’s Health Workouts App, but it has many more exercises. In total, it has pictures and details on more than 450 exercises that are organized by exercise type. The app also allows you to set weekly training schedules and log what you’ve done during each workout.
There are two problems. First, some of the images don’t help you do the exercise correctly, leaving room for injury. Second, you can’t listen to music while using the app.

 

Hundred Push Ups

Cost: $1.99

Pushups are a great exercise that can be done anywhere. They work the chest, arms, shoulders and even your core. This app will leave you feeling like you just used a bench press while being in the comfort of your home.

The idea behind the app is to get you to do 100 pushups in a row after a six-week period. You start by doing an initial test to see how many you can do. Once you have this number, the app creates a program based on your strength. For instance, I received a daily workout plan to do sets of 10,12,7,7,9 pushups with a minute rest between each set.

 

Pocket Yoga

Cost: $4.99

For those who prefer yoga, Pocket Yoga is the app for you. It features 27 different sessions that allow you to chose the type of practice, difficulty and workout length. What makes this a great app is each pose has visual instructions as well as pose images to guide you through each session. If the workout gets too difficult, you can easily change the settings to get rid of any discomfort.

M-Train

Cost: Free to download with one workout, $.99 per extra workout

This is the type of app for someone looking for an intense workout regime. M-Train is based on a P.A.S.E. system –power, agility, strength and endurance- that makes you feel like a trainer is pushing you to your limits.  One great thing about this app is the unusual workout plans it creates. One routine combined plyometrics, long jumps, squats and the mountain climber exercise. Each workout includes videos, times and instructions to push you from one exercise to the next.

 

RunKeeper Pro

Cost: Free

RunKeeper Pro is another great exercise app that doesn’t involve the gym or lifting weights. It lets you track your running, cycling and other workouts by putting the information on the RunKeeper Website. Here, you can connect with friends to encourage each other to workout.

The app informs you about your pace, distance, calories burned and your route. Although this is an update from the original version, there have been issues of people’s phones crashing during the end of a workout.

Calorie Tracker

Cost: Free

Not all health apps have to show you a routine or act as a log for your workout information. Calorie Tracker is a free app from Livestrong.com, Lance Armstrong’s health and fitness Website, that looks up calories and tracks protein, carbohydrate and fat intake for different foods. From the Website’s Daily Plate nutritional database, you get information on more than 450,000 food and restaurant items.

Lose It

Cost: Free

This is another calorie tracking app, but Lose It differs in that you set a weight goal and the app helps you create a daily meal plan. The main thing it does is plan out meals and creates a grocery list for you to eat healthier. It’s easy to log any extra calories you may intake and the app will alter your next meal accordingly. One great aspect about this app is the social interaction it provides. On LoseIt.com, you earn badges for losing weight, receive recipes from friends and encourage others to eat healthy. Lose It also reminds you to log in your meals.

Isometrics: Low Impact Exercises Anywhere

Cost: $1.99

For those who don’t have time to go to the gym or go for a run, there is the Isometrics app. Isometrics is exercising against an immovable force, like pushing against a tree. The app has more than 50 guides and training charts to help get in a quick workout during your busy day. I found using elastic equipment worked my muscles better. Although this is a good app for when you don’t have much time or space, I feel a regular workout provides a better workout experience.