(Credit: Apple)
Apple is ringing in the new year with a batch of updates to its Fitness+ service. Slated to start rolling out on Jan. 6, the updates most notably include a program designed to get you in shape for pickleball. Also on tap are new Artist Spotlight workouts featuring Janet Jackson and Kendrick Lamar and fresh Time to Walk episodes featuring Adam Scott, Tiffany Haddish, Steve Aoki, and more. Also expect new meditation, strength training, and yoga programs arriving on the exercise service. Read on for all the details.
Spotlight on Halftime
Like last year, Fitness+ will count down the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl halftime show (which is sponsored by Apple) with new Artist Spotlight workouts. These trainer-led workouts feature the playlists of a single artist, with specific lyrics and beats used for motivation.
(Credit: Apple)Janet Jackson’s spotlight workouts will launch on Jan. 13, followed by Coldplay on Jan. 20, then Bruno Mars on Jan. 27, and culminating in this year’s halftime headliner, Kendrick Lamar, on Feb. 3 before the Super Bowl on Feb. 9. Note that the three artists preceding Kendrick Lamar fit the theme and have each played at the halftime show in the past.
Adam Scott Gets You Walking
Actor Adam Scott kicks off the new batch of Fitness+ Time to Walk episodes on Jan. 13. He’s the star of Apple TV+’s Severance, which has its season two premiere on Jan. 17.
(Credit: Apple)Other new episodes of Time to Walk will feature Steve Aoki, a deejay, producer, and electronic dance music artist; Lana Condor, a producer and actress known for her role in the To All the Boys film series; Tiffany Haddish, a comedian and actress who broke out in the movie Girls Trip; Rita Ora, a singer-songwriter and TV personality; Daddy Yankee, a rapper, singer, and songwriter known for the song "Gasolina"; and Maddie Ziegler, a dancer and actress who appeared in the reality show Dance Moms.
Apple’s Time to Walk series aims to keep you entertained while you get in your steps. During each roughly 30-minute episode, a celebrity tells stories and offers words of encouragement along with a motivational playlist. Last year around this time, Apple announced episodes featuring news anchor Al Roker, Emmy-winning actor Colman Domingo, and others.
New Workouts for Flexibility, Strength, and Pickleball
Pickleball is the biggest workout craze of the moment, and Apple is joining the fun. The new Fitness+ pickleball program will feature a variety of workouts, including strength-building activities and high-intensity interval training (HIIT), designed to help your game. The workouts were created in collaboration with professional pickleball champion Catherine Parenteau based on her own training regime.
Apple will also be rolling out new Fitness+ workout programs designed to fit a variety of personal goals, including:
- A three-week strength training program features a dozen different 30-minute workouts aimed at targeting every major muscle group. The goal of the program is to help you build and maintain strength, and it’s broken up by week, with the first week called Progressive Overload, the second Time Under Tension, and the third Dynamic Power.
- If you need some peace of mind, a new Breath Meditation program consisting of five 10-minute sessions aims to help you find balance by focusing on your inhales and exhales. Breath is among a dozen meditation themes available on Fitness+.
- Yoga Peak Poses is a new series of 20-minute sessions designed to help you hone your form. Each session will focus on a single pose, with 10 minutes of prep and 10 minutes of practice to help you master the move.
- Alex Wong, a professional dancer who appeared on So You Think You Can Dance, leads a special 20-minute dance workout.
Expanded Strava Collaboration
Finally, Fitness+ will integrate more closely with popular fitness app Strava. Fitness+ workouts that you log on Strava will now show episode details that you can share. Strava subscribers can also redeem two months of Fitness+ at no cost (plus an additional month available to all new Fitness+ subscribers).
(Credit: Apple)If you stick to your fitness resolution, you might notice a unique award on your Apple Watch for closing all of your activity rings for seven days straight in January. If you’re considering trying Apple's exercise streaming service, check out our review of Fitness+, or browse alternatives with our favorite workout apps.