Trying to become a faster, more consistent runner sounds easy — just run faster for longer right? But it’s significantly more complicated than that. We all tend to start strong out of the gate but typically lose steam before we make real, tangible progress. So we tested the Future Fitness app to see what its roster of elite coaches (a majority of whom have competed at the collegiate, professional or Olympic levels or have trained those who have) and sleek app experience could do for our running. Future Fitness coaches create customized workout plans tailored to your goals and lifestyle. We spent the week with Jelani Clyburn, former strength and conditioning coach at Maryland and Delaware State, to get a feel for all of its features and hit the ground running (quite literally) with six days of workouts tailored to exactly what we wanted.

Gear Patrol Studios

What We Like

After a thorough questionnaire about what your goals are and where your fitness level is, you will be matched with one of Future’s elite coaches. Our tester, who is focused on becoming a faster runner, matched with Jelani Clyburn, a former strength and conditioning coach at Maryland and Delaware State. Beyond an impressive collegiate resume, Clyburn also has an M.S. in physiology, a B.S. in kinesiology and exercise science and is a certified strength and conditioning specialist — that’s in addition to a background in track and field. Clyburn’s approach to constructing exercise programs is combining scientifically proven principles with input from each of his clients. Needless to say, we were excited to see what he put together for someone with a passion and interest in running, given his focus areas.

After matching, the process is pretty simple. Your coach schedules a Facetime meeting with you, letting you go into more depth on your goals, lifestyle and any injuries you might be working with. On Sunday afternoons, your workouts for the week are loaded onto the app, letting you take a look at what’s to come. For our tester, this consisted of a short run, lower body push, yoga flow, long run, upper body push, speed work and recovery day.

Gear Patrol Studios

The Future app syncs with an Apple Watch (one is included in your welcome kit), allowing your metrics to be tracked and shared with your coach. The Watch also switches its workout automatically based on what’s next, so you don’t need to start a new workout when you move from stretching, to calisthenics, to your run.

The landing page in the app shows your workout with a video demonstrating proper technique, along with a timer and a preview of what’s next. This feature allows you to focus on form and pushing through your current reps without having to worry about what to do next. You can also choose a playlist curated by Future to play during your sweat session, and the app easily connects to your TV if you prefer a larger picture.

The flexibility of Future sets it apart from its competition, as does the ability to message your coach whenever you need to. Whether you had a long night and are feeling it the next day, or a work deadline was put on your schedule, you can reach out to your coach and they will reconfigure your workouts for the week. Our tester had a morning meeting put on the calendar the day of a long run, but after reaching out to Clyburn, he swapped workouts to accommodate.

Before getting experience with the app, our tester was concerned about being bombarded with messages and notifications from the app. But Future provides a hands-on feel without being overbearing. Your coach sends you daily texts asking how the workout went and gives you feedback on your progress. You feel the guidance and motivation you need without getting frustrated. Plus, who doesn’t need a Monday morning motivation text to wake up to? Your coach pre-records messages on the app that you will hear on certain workouts. Just when our tester was feeling sluggish three miles into a run, Jelani’s voice would chime in with a bit of motivation and a reminder to check form and focus on breathing.

Gear Patrol Studios

Who It’s For

With the diverse backgrounds and specialties of the coaches, Future truly offers something for everyone — especially if you’re looking for a hands-on, tailored, workout plan without having to pay personal gym prices. Whether you are constantly traveling or fitting in workouts around your kid’s schedules, this app lets you stick to your fitness routine no matter where you are and no matter how much time you have.

Future is also perfect for those who have specific fitness goals they want to meet, but maybe don’t know where to start. Whether you want to become a better runner, build up your strength or lean out, Future has you covered.

Verdict

To describe Future in one word would be difficult, but seamless comes to mind. From navigating the app, to the custom workouts and constant coach communication, Future makes everything easy — well, everything except the actual workout.

With an extremely friendly user interface and daily workouts customized to your schedule, it’s easy to see why Future is garnering so much attention.

Gear Patrol readers can try their 1st month of Future for just $49, simply click through at the link below.

Price: $49

SHOP NOW

Gear Patrol Studios

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io