abandoned my paltry selection of panic-bought fitness equipment and the hastily cobbled-together workout videos from my local gym fairly quickly over the course of Melbourne’s 2020 lockdowns. But there was one thing that kept me moving: closing my rings. With the launch of Apple Fitness+, a streaming workout video service that costs A$14.99 a month, Apple is definitely targeting those iPhone users who have been stuck at home during the ongoing lockdowns across the globe. To close my rings – which sounds more like a term for abstinence – during lockdown, I made sure I did all the set amount of exercise and movement per day on my Apple Watch. It helped me feel as though I had achieved something, while also using the maximum amount of time I could leave home. Fitness+ takes the “close your rings” mantra a step further. Now it’s not just about the app on your watch hounding you daily to do at least half an hour of exercise, stand at least once per hour for 12 hours and burn a user-defined set of kilojoules per day. It’s about giving you workout videos fully integrated into the watch app to achieve that. Fitness+ is suited to people already deeply embedded in the Apple ecosystem. You’ll need an iPhone or iPad that can run iOS 14.3 and an Apple Watch that can run WatchOS 7.2. If you want to watch it on your TV, you’ll need an Apple TV too, since unfortunately there’s no Chromecast compatibility yet. Buying all that tech at once would cost about $2,000. Then, there’s the subscription itself. That $14.99 per month gives you access to a wide range of workout videos, from running to cycling and rowing, to HIIT classes, yoga and core workouts. They range from about 10 to 45 minutes long, and can be watched on a phone, iPad or Apple TV. While you work out, it uses the heart monitor and other tracking tools from the watch to keep track of your efforts. Your heart rate, timer, kilojoules burned and how you’re tracking against your rings are all displayed on the screen as you go. There’s also a “burn bar” for competitive motivation, where you can see how you’re tracking against other people who did the same workout. Each video is paired with an Apple Music playlist and frequently the trainers refer to the songs during the workout, making it feel much more integrated than background music. In some parts, the trainers push you to work harder or faster based on the beat of the music. Group fitness classes always seem like a bit of a cult to me, and given it’s Apple – the company where staff in stores collectively clap the new iPhone buyers on launch day – the fact that this vibe is also found in the workout videos is no great surprise. The trainers are very Apple. Big smiles, very energetic, way too excited to be there. I was initially going to attempt to do an alternating day-by-day comparison between free YouTube workout videos and the Apple Fitness+ workouts for a week, but I found it difficult to find workouts on YouTube that I liked. Watching videos on YouTube made it easy to give up halfway through, when a trainer proposes a ridiculously complex move that is not designed for a tall person in a small apartment, or when for some reason they forgo a break between sets. I also realised doing both would be an unworkable number of workouts in a short amount of time, unless I never wanted to be able to move again. Fitness+ is a better browsing experience. It gives you a wide variety of options and difficulty levels, letting you start out with basics, then work your way up. The app will recommend workouts similar to ones you have done in the past, as well as ones you might be interested in trialling. Getting set up, I initially struggled to get the app to pair with my watch, a major issue that required several attempts and resets to resolve. Since then, it has worked every time. At home in my apartment living room with my gym mat, an Apple TV, a water bottle and a cat that wouldn’t leave me alone, I tried a couple of different HIIT workouts, between 10 and 20 minutes long. I worked up a sweat and felt like I’d had a good workout after both. The exercises were simple and had back-up trainers in the videos giving you slightly easier options to do if you were new to it, or couldn’t quite do the full workout. My favourite workouts, however, were the cycling classes, which I did at my gym on their stationary bikes. My favourite trainer is Kym Perfetto, a high-energy pink-haired former Soulcycle instructor with her own YouTube channel, who has also appeared on the Amazing Race. In these videos, you are pushed to keep your heart rate up, and to keep going through the intervals. I loved the way Kym weaved the music into the workout (upbeat anthems and electro pop hits – definitely to my taste) and told stories from her own life. It was the closest feeling to a group fitness class that did not actually involve attending one. The archive is big enough, and expanding fast enough that you’d never have to do the same workout twice, but if you find a favourite workout or trainer you’ll have enough to work with. At the end of each workout, the trainer finishes with a mantra – the same one I’d taken on during lockdown: close your rings. But is it worth it? The first month of Fitness+ is free for everyone, and you get three months free if you buy an Apple watch ($599 for the latest model). The $14.99 per month fee is a bit steep, especially if you’re already paying for a gym membership, but it is a good starting point for people who might want to work up to going to gym classes, or just prefer to work out on their own. While most workouts do not require much in the way of equipment, if you don’t have a stationary bike, treadmill or rower, you’ll either need to go to the gym (an added monthly cost), or stick to the other workouts. If you do not already own an Apple Watch, buying one to use Fitness+ costs around the same as eight sessions with a personal trainer. While a trainer would probably lead to more immediate results, the watch and an ongoing subscription to the app has more longevity, and its reminders might prompt you to use your gym membership more, if you’re already paying for one. Will I stick with it? Maybe. Since Melbourne’s lockdown ended, I have been attempting to shed the Covid kilos, but like with all gym routines I sometimes struggle with motivation. Short of getting a personal trainer, Fitness+ is at least good at getting me to push myself during cardio workouts, rather than slacking off while listening to podcasts, so I will probably continue cycling with Kym. I am also incredibly keen to see what the Dolly Parton walking workout is all about.