Among the vast range of fitness apps and programs available to people seeking a healthy lifestyle, some attract greater attention because they feature a celebrity trainer to help them stand out in a crowded market. Jillian Michaels is one of the most renowned personal trainers, but how does the Jillian Michaels Fitness App stack up against other popular options in the category?
What the Jillian Michaels Fitness App Offers
Jillian Michaels needs no introduction. An American personal trainer who achieved worldwide fame through her bestselling series of fitness DVDs, Michaels has dominated the world of health and fitness for over 20 years, publishing books, podcasting, appearing regularly on TV, and traveling the world to speak about living well. She boasts a social media reach of over 100 million followers.
The award-winning Jillian Michaels Fitness App presents a mixture of strength, cardio, kickboxing, and yoga. The app presents the three main aspects of Michaels’ approach to wellness:
- Fitness plans and workouts
- Meal plans
- Stress management, sleep, and meditation
Download: Jillian Michaels: Fitness App for iOS | Android (Subscription required, free trial available)
Working Out With the Jillian Michaels App
When you first open the app, you’ll complete a short questionnaire about your fitness level and preferences, and select your fitness goals. The main Workouts section of the app then presents you with a list of suggested workouts. Options are extremely limited without upgrading to a subscription, but there are some 7 Minute Circuits to try for free.
Subscribe to gain access to the whole catalog, and you’ll find there’s a vast choice of workouts that can be a little bewildering. That’s where the Workout Generator function comes in handy. Just enter a few details about whether you’re at home or in the gym, choose the duration, type, and intensity of a workout, and let the app present you with a routine. The Workout Generator is a great feature and easy to use.
Elsewhere, the app contains workouts of all types. No matter your preference, you'll find an exercise that suits you. Workout categories include the following:
- Audio workouts (perfect for a gym or anywhere that makes it difficult to watch a screen and follow the movements)
- First timer exercises
- Walk/jog/run
- Resistance training
- Weight training
- Yoga
- Kickboxing
- Kettlebell
- Cardio
- Treadmill and stepmill
There are special sections for prenatal and postnatal exercise and a free series of circuit programs. There’s also a series of interactive programs to help you get in shape with a plan you follow over an extended period. With titles such as 365 Day Fitness Plan and 6 Week Bridal Bootcamp, these comprehensive workout plans will give you the structure to help you make rapid progress.
Finally, there’s a whole section containing the entire content of all the original Jillian Michaels DVDs. So if you want to revisit 30-Day Shred or Killer Abs, you’re covered.
The Jillian Michaels Advanced Meal Planner
Answer initial questions about your dietary and nutrition requirements and this app can become your complete meal planner. You can select what days and mealtimes you want help with, and the app gives you a meal plan to suit, including all the recipes and even a shopping list.
You can tailor it to suit your whole household. There are batch cooking options, too. If you prefer, you can simply browse all the healthy recipes for inspiration and save your favorites to create your own menu.
Meditation and Relaxation Sessions
A series of guided meditations and relaxation exercises are available, with titles such as Stress Release Meditation and Meditation to Cultivate Resilience. These are audio sessions with a focus on mindfulness and breathing. You’ll also find several options to help with better sleep, including sound baths and practices designed by Jim Donovan.
These meditations are a great feature. However, they are buried within the Workouts section of the app, so you do have to look for them. If you're looking for more mindfulness activities, explore other meditation apps dedicated to mindfulness.
Tracking Your Progress and Getting Support
Tracking progress is vital to any fitness journey, and the Jillian Michaels Fitness App enables you to do so in the Me section. You'll get a new tip every day with the My Day function as well as a workout routine and meal planner, all in one place. Activate notifications on your device for workout reminders and words of encouragement to help you stay positive.
As you progress, you'll earn badges and track your weight in My Journey. This section encourages you to take progress pictures and fitness tests at regular intervals. All users can benefit from the Community section of the Fitness App, which contains a forum, Jillian’s blogs, a FAQ section, and links to listen to the Keeping It Real podcast.
The app integrates with Apple Health and you can share data with My Fitness Pal. While it's well worth considering these fitness apps for women, as some contain more personalized plans and tracking features, the Jillian Michaels fitness app is a great all-in-one option.
Should You Subscribe to the Jillian Michaels Fitness App?
In her introductory video, Jillian Michaels calls this “the most comprehensive app on the market,” and it’s hard to argue. The amount of content in the Workouts section is almost too vast. It’s also pretty hard to navigate, so you might struggle to find a suitable workout quickly. Using the search tool returns a mixture of individual programs and extended plans with no obvious way of distinguishing one from the other. Search functions on other apps, like Apple Fitness+, are far more useful.
The Workout Generator is a great tool. However, the personalized workout options are not presented as clearly as in some other fitness apps, and professional athletes would undoubtedly need a more personalized plan.
For everyone else, if you like a variety of activities to stop your workouts from becoming stale, subscribing to follow any of the Jillian Michaels programs is bound to give you a step up in your training.
Try the seven-day free trial before subscribing to judge for yourself, and compare it to these fitness apps with over one million downloads on Google Play.
Find a Workout Routine to Suit You
A great feature of the Jillian Michaels Fitness App is the sheer variety of exercise types available. You can try out new ways of getting fit that you may not have considered and establish a good workout routine to promote a healthy lifestyle.