Fitbit Coach Reviews

by Lmburnett4ever

If possible I would have rated it 0 stars. FitbitCoach seems pleasing at first. But nothing challenges you nor actually makes you feel like you are doing anything to start getting in shape. The idea of only paying $40 a year is pleasing to the eye and the wallet, but when you haven’t used it in months and they send you an email saying you are about to auto renew, and you go in and remove your bank card and they still charge you? I contacted Fitbit and they claim to have no subscription for me and to contact google play. Google play can not find it either and tell me to contact Fitbit. It’s a run around. Don’t do it. Not worth the money, not worth the aggravating pain you have to deal with when you didn’t select auto renewal and they apparently “do not have your subscription.” Had to contact my bank to dispute it since they stole from me. Love the Fitbit watches and the Fitbit app. No problem with them. Just their stupid Fitbit coach.

by Cisco Superior

The service provided by FitbitCoach is good. It offers a decent arrange of coached workout sessions. Audio quality is good and it plays in the background when the phone is locked which is also very convenient. I personally use their stair master workouts and it’s really nice. There are a few things that turn me off about FitbitCoach however. When going into a session it downloads first. That’s great except later on when you want to do that workout again it has to re-download. Why not implement a feature where you can download ahead of time and it stores the workout audio/video sessions on the phone much like what other apps do. Another thing is every workout session you go into starts in full screen even if it’s just audio. Why not give us the option to shrink it to use in vertical mode? One last thing it definitely needs is music service integration. Yes I know FitbitCoach has its own music stations but they’re not that great to be honest, and what’s with the censorship of the cuss words in songs? Music integration is something it really needs. Would like to be able to add my music streaming service account. That way I can listen to the playlists that motivate me and aren’t censored! To sum it up, FitbitCoach needs more work and I feel like it’s missing features that it should’ve had from the very beginning. I canceled my subscription for the time being. I’ll renew and update once I see progress in the features FitbitCoach provides.

by Shankmcgank

Like the title implies, FitbitCoach offers bare minimum. After looking at all 4 of the workout selection programs, they do not offer much different material. You do not need a gym for FitbitCoach - so keep in mind there is no weighted exercises - even in the get strong section. I did a month of the get lean to get a little more cut while being in relatively good shape previous. The workouts felt the exact same. I often repeated a lot of the movements the next day or the day after that. The “get strong” workouts mimicked a lot of the get lean workouts. Understandable. But gathering strength isn’t as intensive in cardio as it is in FitbitCoach. If you’re looking for a $7 a month app to get your fatter friend moving - this is it. But if you’re looking for something new - expect about a month of workouts all really just focusing on getting you moving, before getting tired of the same things. Bonus (not really), the ten minute abs that I was hoping to do at the end of each of my workouts never changes. It’s always the same workouts. FitbitCoach started my cardio kickoff for getting cut, but that’s about it. Be prepared to do a little cardio and stability exercises and then you’re pretty much done with the difficult stuff.

by Shragerfam5

I am using the Fitbit app to track my runs as I am preparing for the track season at my school. I read about Fitbit Coach on the original Fitbit app and read some reviews, so I decided to download it. Once I got on FitbitCoach I wasn’t all too happy. A big majority of the sessions were locked unless you were willing to pay a monthly/yearly fee. As a student and a child with no money I can’t afford that and I’m not going to make my parents pay for it. Some other reviews said that once you download the workout and do it, the next time you want to do it you have to re-download it. Although, some points of it were good such as doing preworkouts and accustoming workouts due to your body type, there were only hard and medium workouts...no easy ones. I’m not going to say don’t download it though because I was only on FitbitCoach for about 5 min. If you are willing to pay the price then it would probably be a way better app but if not you are stuck with around 5-7 workouts.

by RachelV303

First, I am really enjoying the full body walking progression work out and it has helped me in my weight-loss goals. The actual quality of the content and its integration with my Fitbit are both exceptional.

Second, I just received an email informing me that my subscription would renew. This small courtesy is much appreciated… Apps that charge automatically are hard to keep track of and I appreciate being notified that a renewal will process soon.

My main complaint with Fitbit Coach is the disparity between the volume of the music and the volume of the coach’s voice. I’d like the music to be loud, but if I turn it up my coach’s voice is deafening. I also find it times that the music lags substantially so there are long dead periods, and I cannot really find a way to avoid this except to avoid causing the work out at all costs (for instance, I have tried downloading the work out before I leave the house in case the lag is on account of cellular data, etc. If I do anything that involves pausing FitbitCoach , something that I certainly have a tendency to do Periodically during walks or for answering phone calls, etc. the music sometimes will not catch up to the coaching for several minutes. These seem like very minor and insignificant changes and could make a big difference in my rating of FitbitCoach .

by Jessiedoll7

I started FitbitCoach over a year ago and instantly signed up for premium so I could do one of the programs. I was consistent for about 6 months and was probably in the best shape I’ve been in since having my 3 kiddos. I love the moves - the mix of strength and cardio and I love being able to rate each movement so it would tailor each workout to your fitness level. I never felt like I reached a plateau because FitbitCoach was constantly making the moves harder or having you go longer in each exercise. BUT now here I am about 6 months later after...well...slacking off! I decided to sign up again for premium membership, excited to start a program. The first workout I went to do had me starting at the fitness level I left off on- 2 minutes of tuck jumps followed by 2 minutes of burpees followed by 2 minutes of pushups, etc ...you get the idea. Way too hard after a 6 month break. Long story short- I researched and wrote customer service and found that there’s no way to “restart” a program. It just keeps where you last left off no matter how long it’s been. Total bummer! I really love FitbitCoach but shouldn’t you be able to restart a program or update your fitness level or something???

by Drammattex

Much prefer the previous version of FitbitCoach coached by Tony Gonzalez. When FitbitCoach was overhauled with new coaches and design I noticed the sessions suddenly increased in difficulty. I reported this to Fitstar and then started marking exercises as “brutal.” It didn’t make much difference. Within a few weeks FitStar would increase the level of difficulty again. Because I’m driven to achieve the challenges I would continue. After the session I would find that I’d hurt myself. Then I’d have to resort to other exercises until I’d recovered. It came to a point where I had to keep a close watch on the FitStar app and how hard it was pushing. Finally, during a muscle focus workout I injured my elbow trying to keep up with the intensity and pace.

I had opted to continue my subscription after the overhaul, giving FitStar time to work out the kinks. Ten months later, I’m done. Tried SWORKIT, seems much more stable. Canceled subscription. 3 stars because the Tony Gonzalez version really did it right; that was a 5-Star app.

by RachelB69

The workouts are pretty good but for the price I don’t understand why there is no family sharing plan. My son uses it also but we can’t both have a plan on our phone bc we share an Apple ID. It’s kind of silly to not have a family plan or sharing option. Also I was very disappointed that the yoga wasn’t a part of it, that has to be paid separate and that program is definitely not worth paying for at all. I had to subscribe to a different program which is disappointing since I was hoping to keep everything synced with the Fitbit I paid good money for and my whole family has one. I’m going to keep checking it to see if changes take place bc I would like to join again but right now just seems ridiculous to join when the price doesn’t match the benefits you really don’t receive. Here’s hoping!

by Khughes91418

I love my Fitbit and just joined a gym. I thought FitbitCoach looked great. I loved the different workouts (body weight, treadmill, walking, stair master and more) and I really loved how it automatically synced with your Fitbit.

I cancelled my membership after a month however for a few reasons. One, there is not enough variety to charge $8 per month for this. For example, the treadmill workouts have about only 3 “easy” workouts. If you’re just starting out, you need the easy workouts. Two, you can’t use your own music in the coached workouts. While the music selection is actually not horrible, I need my own music to enjoy my workout. Three, some of the coaching is too annoying and cheesy for me.

Visually, I think FitbitCoach is great but if you want to charge $8/mo you need to add more variety and make the music capability better.

by Dmm227

This is a wonderful app. The instructions, visuals and music make it the easiest, most straight-forward exercise coaching app I have used. It shows you exactly how to do each exercise correctly, and is as motivating as such an app could possibly be without a live teacher. It is perfect for people like me who work out at home and need more guidance to know how to vary what I do and push myself beyond what I think might be possible. It also allows you to pause or repeat specific exercises within a workout in case you need more recovery or want to do more reps, so each workout is customizable in that way as well.

The variety of exercises continues to increase too, as they recently added coaching using machines like treadmills as well as walks and runs. I hope they add exercises using kettlebells and medicine balls as well.

I also wish it would add a calendar feature so you could schedule exercises and I wish it would tell you overall how you might be improving based on the feedback you give it

by Stacjo

I love that ai can workout anywhere anytime and have it connect to my Fitbit app. However, I wish there were more workout options for busy people. The average person. I can do a workout everyday for 15-20mins. Anything longer is impossible with a full time job 45mins from my home and 2 young kids a husband etc. It’s be nice if there were options to disable the preview and wait time between exercises. It saves precious mins and would be easier than needing to touch my phone to skip a preview then wait to watch the person stretch and then rate. Also, another issue is that some routines with shorter times (and there are only a handful under 20mins) have moves you need to do for 1-2mins each. I get bored and frustrated within 45 secs. It makes me hate working out. Variety of moves is better for me but it’s tough to find. That said I still like FitbitCoach and think it has great options for a variety of people. I’d like to see some minor tweaks is all.

by Skyshipcrew

I am someone who used to work out regularly when I was young, but have found myself relatively inactive (aside from work) in my 30s. FitbitCoach has been very helpful in reversing that, and even my companion joins me some days! There are two things FitbitCoach could do better:
1. Ability to customize available equipment. I use FitbitCoach in our 2 room apartment, and our equipment is pretty limited. It would be really useful if you could signify which equipment you do or don’t have (like a step-box, a pull up bar, etc) so it can skip assigning exercises that you can’t do because you don’t have the right stuff.
2. Ability to filter workout list by time or other criteria. Some days, I want a good core workout that is less than 15 minutes. Sometimes, I want a longer workout that is full body. It would be nice to have a filter system instead of having to scroll through a list that has zero discernible organization logic to it.

by Mirliu

I’ve been using the paid version for a few years now. It’s a pretty straightforward exercise app. I like the mixed workout programs suggested by FitbitCoach and the ability to review exercises (though it’s unclear if the feedback is actually taken into account)

A few suggestions: I listen to podcasts when I workout and it’s annoying that the sound gets dampened in the background (same for music). I have to turn the volume up really high to hear, and then the voice prompts are jarringly loud. I wish you could have the option to turn off the sound dampening, or turn off voice descriptions of exercises. I’m pretty experienced using FitbitCoach now that I don’t need the trainer describing every move to me.

Another thing I would like is the ability to switch out moves in a program. There are certain moves that I really don’t like so it would be great if I could switch them out for other moves that use similar muscle groups. I’m sure FitbitCoach is identifying what muscles get used out in each move already so it seems like a reasonable ask. You could always have a prompt saying what changes the new move brings, etc.

Please make these updates and I’ll upgrade the review to 5 stars.

by Jcbrcu

I love FitbitCoach, but I did pay the extra money for the premium because I wanted more access to the workouts since so few are free. These aren’t major issues, but it’d be nice if they could be changed. Depending on where I am working out I may or may not have some of the equipment to do the workouts- like chairs, a box, etc. if they offered an option for those without those items that’d be nice versus me hoping what I’m doing makes up for it. Also it’d be nice if EVERYTHING wasnt based off the legs- I get they’re the foundation to a fit body but I’m trying to focus on my arms and stomach because my legs are plenty strong and these workouts fatigue them while my arms and abs don’t necessarily feel it as much. Maybe if we could choose a focus area it’d be better.

by Colorado Outdoor Girl

I started with Fitstar when it was Tony Gonzalez’s app. Loved it then, but love it more now. Unlike the previous reviewer, I find it is VERY responsive to feedback. It gives me fewer reps or shorter times until I can complete the exercise, then it moves me up. I’m on the “strength” program, and I have gotten so much stronger since I started with FitbitCoach . When I started, I could barely do star crawls. Now I do them for 1:45 at a fast pace. As a busy working mom and wife, I appreciate that I can do the workouts anywhere without equipment. Goodbye to all that wasted time traveling to/from the gym. It’s very user friendly, and gives me a challenging, full body workout in 25-45 minutes, with good rotation on my primary muscle groups so I never feel like I’m overworking my 40-year old joints. For two years now, I’ve stuck with it, I’ve never been bored, and I’m in better shape than I was in my 20s. Excited about the new updates with the Fitbit Coach app. Keep it going Fitstar team!