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Nike is one of the most recognizable brands in the world and has built a world-class training app that’s now completely free. While there’s no shortage of free fitness information available on the internet, Nike Training Club is a contender for the best free workout app on the marketplace.
A beautiful app, world-class trainers, and a wide range of workouts are now available for everyone. While Nike used to charge a fee for the training club, it made the app completely free during the COVID-19 pandemic and never looked back.
In this Nike Training Club review, I’ll tell you exactly what to expect from the app, what workouts are available, and help you decide if this is the right training app to level up your fitness in 2024.
Tested by a Certified Personal Trainer
Our team of expert testers has carefully tested over 50 workout apps, spending plenty of time exploring all of the features and trying different workouts. Many of us are fitness professionals ourselves, including certified personal trainers, CrossFit coaches, gym owners, and even Olympians, which means we can spot the difference between good and bad fitness apps.
Whenever we write an app review, we pay careful attention to specific categories, such as:
- Pricing: So you know how affordable the app is, how to sign up, and whether or not there’s a free trial.
- Interactive Features: Many apps include interactive features like workout tracking, integration with smart watches, video demonstrations, and more, so we’ll tell you all the best features.
- Programming: We’ll tell you what kind of workouts you can expect, so you can decide whether this app suits your goals and preferences.
- Equipment Needed: Can you follow the workouts at home, or do you need special equipment only found in a gym? We’ll tell you if there’s any mandatory equipment required.
Nike Training Club
Nike Training Club
Product Highlights
- Completely free
- Massive library of on-demand workouts and live classes
- More than 10 workout categories
- App is easy to use
- No individualized programming
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Completely free to use
- Previously premium/paid content is available for free
- More than 10 workout categories
- Most workouts taught my certified trainers and instructors
Cons
- Audio controls can be finicky
- Sometimes hard to see on-screen metrics like reps and time
Bottom Line
Nike Training Club is a free fitness app with a robust workout library that includes one-off workouts as well as periodized programs led by certified instructors.
A Quick Look at Nike Training Club
Nike Training Club (NTC) is a free training app that allows you to access a large variety of workouts, training plans, educational content, and more. Whether your goals are improving your cardio, improving your conditioning, or you just want access to great at-home workouts, the NTC app has you covered.
Similar to other streaming workout apps, like Peloton or iFit, Nike Training Club allows you to choose from all kinds of workouts, including stretching, mobility, strength and conditioning, athletic training, yoga, and more. There are no live classes, but this means you can start any workout at any time.
When the Nike Training Club first launched, Nike charged $14.99 per month, but decided to make the app free during the COVID-19 pandemic. The app remains free to this day, making it a strong contender for the best free app on the marketplace, given the quality of both the app itself and the many trainers who lead the workouts.
Finally, the workout library includes programs for nearly all fitness levels, and you can easily tell ahead of time how long the workout will be, how difficult it is, and how much equipment, if any, is required for the workouts.
Before You Try
- The Nike Training Club app includes a large library of individual workouts or pre-made programs to follow, but there is no customization, support, or interaction from any of the coaches.
- In addition to a large workout library, you can also access educational content that covers wellness topics such as mindfulness, nutrition, and recovery.
- The workouts are led by a large team of trainers with all kinds of specialties and backgrounds, so you’re sure to find someone you enjoy, and many of the workouts include a celebrity guest instructor.
Is the Nike Training Club Worth It?
Just like Nike’s running app, Nike Run Club, the NTC app is completely free, which means there’s zero risk to downloading the app and trying it for yourself. That said, the app may not be appropriate for everyone, so before you waste your time downloading the app and setting up your Nike account, you’ll want to make sure this app can deliver what you’re looking for.
Great for:
- Those looking for a near-endless variety of workouts and training programs to choose from
- Anyone who enjoys following video workouts led by world-class trainers
- People who train at home and may not have access to a full gym
Not recommended for:
- Anyone looking for custom programming
- Those looking for an app that tracks your lifting stats over time
- Advanced lifters and athletes who need specific training for their fitness goals
Nike Training Club Specs
| Pricing | Free |
| Trial period | N/A |
| Type of training | Endurance, mobility, strength, yoga |
| Accountability | No |
| Available on | iPhone and Android |
Experience With the Nike Training Club
To get the full Nike Training Club experience, Amanda Capritto, CPT, CF-L1, and former GGR writer, downloaded and used the app herself, testing many of the features. While I didn’t use it as often as Amanda, I also downloaded the app and set up an account to test a few workouts myself before writing this review, using my iPhone and Apple Watch.
Overall, the app is very clean and user-friendly, similar to the Nike Running Club, or even the Nike shopping app. If you enjoy Nike’s aesthetic style, you’ll like this app. In addition to receiving access to a growing workout library, you’ll receive access to educational videos and articles that cover a variety of topics like healthy recipes, when to take rest days, mindfulness, and much more.
Nike makes it very simple to find the perfect workout. You can browse by muscle group, equipment needed, or workout focus, which would be endurance, mobility, strength training, or yoga. Wherever you are in your fitness journey, whether you’re looking for a challenging HIIT workout to get your heart rate pumping, or a relaxing mobility flow to calm down, NTC has a workout for you.
You can also browse the bios of all the trainers, where you can see an introduction video, as well as read about the trainer’s expertise and personality. This is a great way to find a trainer you like and view their programs or individual workouts. Some of the workouts and programs are co-led by various celebrities, like Megan Thee Stallion, Ja Morant, and more.
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Workouts are individual workouts you can do at any time, and programs generally focus on one specific goal, with programs lasting anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks, with progressive workouts designed to fit together perfectly.
If you’re looking for an enjoyable workout experience with an intuitive app, this is a great choice. Amanda was very impressed, saying: “This app is beyond easy to use. It’s Nike–they definitely have the money to invest in a seamless user experience. It’s easy to navigate the workouts, blog articles, nutrition/recipes, and motivational social feed.”
The one callout I have is the lack of workout tracking. You can track how many workouts you’ve done, and how long you trained, but you can’t track individual stats to see your progress over time, so there’s no way to measure how much your performance is improving.
Interactive Features
When it comes to interactive features, we look for things like accountability, a support community, coach interaction, stat tracking, and more.
This is where the Nike Training Club app is lacking the most. You’re essentially getting a huge library of follow-along workout videos, but there’s no way to customize your training or get expert advice. You can connect with your friends who also use the app, but that’s the only sense of community.
Overall, we give the NTC a 3-out-of-5 rating for interactive features.
Programming
The fitness programs themselves are generally designed well, and most beginner to intermediate fitness enthusiasts will find plenty to choose from.
However, for advanced lifters, the lack of stat tracking may be an issue. Once you reach a certain point in your weightlifting journey, you’ll probably need a specific plan that focuses on progressive overload, or adding more weight and/or reps over time. The structured programs are designed to increase in difficulty, but if you want to track your stats to see if you’re getting stronger, you’ll need to do that separately.
For progressive overload and overall programming, we give the Nike Training Club a 3-out-of-5 score.
Types of Workouts
The NTC app includes a large variety of workouts to choose from, with more added regularly. You’ll find everything from yoga and mobility classes to strength and conditioning workouts and hip-hop dance classes. We give this a 5-out-of-5 score for workout variety.
You can choose workouts that target the glutes and legs, various types of interval training, and even select quick five-minute workouts if you’re in a pinch. Workouts are further classified into basic equipment, full equipment, and no equipment workouts, so you don’t need any gear to get started.
Amanda said: “You need equipment for a majority, but not all, of the workouts. There are actually a great deal of bodyweight-only workouts, but when you compare it to the overall volume of the entire library, it’s a small fragment. Still, you can filter by equipment and that’s really helpful for people who have no or minimal equipment.”
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Pricing and Subscription Options
There’s not too much to say here, because now that the app is free, the value is enormous, earning a rating of 5 out of 5.
Most streaming workout apps charge at least $10-15 monthly, and while the Nike Training Club used to cost $14.99 per month, it’s now entirely free. There are no live classes or custom programs available, but for a free app that’s done so well, there’s really nothing to complain about.
Nike Training Club vs Aaptiv
Aaptiv
Aaptiv
Product Highlights
- Audio-guided workout app
- Over 2,500 workouts
- New workouts each week
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Audio-based classes
- Thousands of workouts
- New classes each week
- Goal-based programs
- Free trial for annual plan
Cons
- Fewer coaches than competitors
- No information on nutrition
- Must sign up for annual plan to get the free trial
Bottom Line
Aaptiv is a great option for people looking for an alternative to video-based workout programs.
There really isn’t a free app that compares to the Nike Training Club, but a close competitor is Aaptiv, which costs $14.99 per month.
Aaptiv also provides a large library of workouts to choose from, but there are a few differences. First, Aaptiv is primarily audio-guided, which means you can listen to the instructions on your headphones without having to watch the video playing. Aaptiv will also suggest workouts to follow based on your goals, and there are more workouts to choose from in Aaptiv.
Overall, Nike Training Club is better for those who like to have visual demonstrations, and of course, it’s free. Aaptiv is a better choice for those who don’t mind paying a little for a suggested workout plan, audio-only workouts, and a larger workout library.
| Nike Training Club | Aaptiv | |
| Pricing | Free | $14.99 per month or $99 per year |
| Trial period | N/A | 7-day trial with the annual plan |
| Type of training | Endurance, mobility, strength, yoga | Endurance, mobility, strength, yoga, pilates, rowing |
| Accountability | No | No |
| Available on | iPhone and Android | iPhone and Android |
Customer Experience
This is a free app, so you don’t need to worry about a refund policy or any annoying return policies. I dug around in the settings menu and found two options to reach support—a phone number or reaching out on Twitter. I’m not entirely sure what anyone would need customer support for given the app is free, but it’s there if you need it.
Customer Reviews
At the time of writing, Nike Training Club has over 252k reviews on the App Store with a 4.8 rating, and 366K reviews on the Google Play Store, with a 4.4 rating.
Most users love the variety of classes to choose from, and the overall theme of body positivity, though some mention the app isn’t quite as good now that it’s free, and some experience technical issues at times.
Final Verdict of Our Nike Training Club Review
When it comes to free apps, it’s hard to beat the Nike Training Club. There are plenty of workout routines to choose from, new workouts are added regularly, and the app itself is easy to use. I wish they’d add stat tracking to see your progress as you follow the workout programs, but that’s my only complaint. I don’t think I’ve seen a free app that provides this much value, which makes sense as it was originally a paid app.
Those who want ongoing support, custom training plans, live streaming classes, or access to a personal trainer will need to look elsewhere and be ready to spend some money. However, if you’re looking for a free library of workouts to choose from, as well as recipes, educational content, and an intuitive app, Nike Training Club is the one for you.
Full Rating
Nike Training Club
Nike Training Club is a free fitness app with a robust workout library that includes one-off workouts as well as periodized programs led by certified instructors.
Product Brand: Nike
Product Currency: $
Product Price: 0.00
Product In-Stock: InStock
4.16
Nike Training Club Fitness FAQs
Is Nike Training Club really free?
Yes, there are no charges to access the workouts in Nike Training Club. All you need to do is create a free Nike account, which you may already have if you’ve ordered from Nike in the past.
What does Nike Training Club do?
Nike Training Club provides access to a growing library of individual workouts and programs, along with educational content to help you learn more about nutrition, recovery, mindfulness, and other important health topics.
Is Nike Training Club good for beginners?
Yes, as long as you’re comfortable with basic exercises. There are videos for each workout, although there’s no supervision or access to trainers if you’re unsure of how to perform exercises with proper form.
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