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There truly is an app for everything, even exercise. The Google Play Store has a whole bunch of exercise-related apps, some of which are a bit dodgy but others that are actually genuinely useful and surprisingly well-made. Here is a list of eight decent exercise apps that we recommend you download and check out for yourself, although if you want to skip right to which one is best, that’s easy – Zombies, Run! is what you’re looking for. What could be better than letting an unfolding zombie apocalypse story motivate you to run just that bit farther and faster?

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Instant Heart Rate Monitor by Azumio

R19.55
Monitors your heart rate without extra equipment

With this free app you’re able to track your heart rate after a workout and be shown graphically just how quickly your heart is beating, for a much more immediate indication of fitness levels. By employing a technique called photoplethysmography that makes use of your phone or tablet’s camera, the changes in light-absorption in your finger are measured to determine how fast your heart is beating, and the resultant heart rate is displayed on-screen within a few seconds. Paid-for features include the ability to store more than your last five readings, the absence of advertising and you can turn your phone on its side to see a progress chart of your measurements.

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Runtastic Pushups Pro

R21.77
Helps you work your way up to doing 100 consecutive push-ups
This sophisticated app uses professional sport sciences to help you work towards the goal of completing 100 consecutive push-ups. All you need to do is place it directly in front of where your face nears the ground as you perform your push-ups, and it uses your device’s proximity sensor to detect when your nose nears the screen, which pushes the count up by 1. You can also compare the stats the app records to those of your friends, and upload your own to social media platforms. There are several training plans available and these are structured in such a way that achieving your goal is a gradual process that encourages success by not over-taxing your abilities from the get-go.

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Fitocracy Workout Fitness Log

Free
An exercise app that tracks, inspires and motivates

This social exercise app not only lists a whole bunch of exercises for you to complete, but it lets you track your routines which gives you points that are used to level up, a process that helps keep you motivated. Complete “quests” to push yourself even further, follow other users of the app for inspiration and automatically post your progress to Twitter and Facebook if you’d like to share how well you’re doing online.

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PaceDJ

R9.72
Syncs your music’s beats with your running pace

PaceDJ examines the songs in your library and matches their beats to your running pace, giving you a novel way to track whether you’re maintaining your pace. The latest version of the app has a feature called “BPM Shifting” that adjusts your song’s rhythm to match your pace, all without changing the pitch of your music. You can even measure your pace beforehand and upload it to pacedj.com to find music that matches.

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Zombies, Run!

R39.84
Escape zombies and have a bit of fun while getting fit

Zombies, Run! is part game, part exercise app in which your running affects how the story of a virtual zombie apocalypse unfolds. Instead of just running, you get sent on missions to collect supplies, rescue survivors and outrun zombies, and your success depends on how fast and for how long you run. It’s a great way to focus your exercise, and even run further than you normally would, without noticing that you’re putting in a bit of extra effort.

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Calorie Counter MyFitnessPal

Free
Lose weight by tracking your caloric intake and exercising

With a database of over 3 000 000 different foods and their individual caloric value, Calorie Counter – MyFitnessPal can tell you the exact calorie count of every meal you have in the course of a day. It also suggests exercises you can do to help lose weight, and entering each food type is a quick, easy process thanks to a new, streamlined interface. You can even make your dieting a social experience by connecting with friends through the app to track each other’s progress and keep each other motivated.

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Runtastic PRO

R54.57
Fitness-tracking app for running, jogging, biking and walking

With Runtastic PRO, you can track many of your physical exercise routines using your phone’s GPS sensor and mapping functionality to see the length, time and elevation of your runs/walks/etc. PRO features include voice feedback during workouts, the ability to share your location and an auto pause function that pauses session recording when you stop running. It’s a fantastic motivation, tracking and training tool that will help take your fitness to the next level.

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Fitness Buddy: 1700 Exercises

R19.55
An almost-replacement for real-life personal trainers

Track your workouts with this handy app; it lists over 1700 unique exercises that are suitable for all major types of gym equipment, and sorts exercises by category so you know where to look if, say, you want to work on your core muscles but you’re not sure which machines are best for it. There are workouts for both men and women, including routines that are tailored around achieving specific fitness and body-shape goals.

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