Future Review: What to Know in 2024

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This article looks at how Future works, its reputation among users, and discusses the benefits of using a personal trainer. It also features a hands-on review from our tester, Jessica Timmons, detailing their experience with the app and Future’s trainers.

Future is a personal training service that offers personalized and flexible weekly workout plans via an iPhone app. People can tailor their plans to their fitness goals, lifestyle, and preferred types of workouts.

Future collaborates with coaches who specialize in different fitness areas, such as strength training, sports psychology, and sports performance.

Coaches provide feedback, check in to assess a person’s progress, and provide pre-recorded workout videos.

Users can have a video call with a fitness coach to discuss their workout plans.

Before signing up for Future, people should consider the advantages and disadvantages of the service.

Future is for people wanting customized workout plans with ongoing coaching support. The exercises may suit those without a gym membership or a home gym, as Future’s coaches will create exercise programs that only use the equipment people already can access.

Individuals who find it hard to find time to exercise may also benefit from Future’s program. Its plans are flexible, and people can complete their workouts at a time and place that suits them. Coaches consider a person’s lifestyle and schedule when they devise their fitness plan.

However, people must have a smartwatch to use all of Future’s features, so it excludes those who do not have the budget for one.

Below, we cover what people need to get started with Future.

Equipment

Future recommends individuals use a smartwatch alongside the Future app. The watch must be compatible with WearOS 3.0 or above, which Future writes includes Google Pixel, Samsung Galaxy, Montblanc Summit, and Apple watches.

People will use the watch to track their heart rate and calorie burn and sync their data to the Future app for their trainer to see. Future also writes that it helps improve people’s accountability.

Signing up and finding a trainer

When signing up, users will answer questions in a 3-minute quiz about their current exercise routine, gender identity, exercise experience, motivation levels, challenges, and fitness goals. Future also asks people about their coaching preferences, including the coach’s gender, coaching style, and intensity level.

These answers will match new users with four of the most suitable trainers. A person can choose their trainer at this stage or later in the signup process.

People can research the coaches on the Future website, which provides profiles covering:

• their expertise
• their resume
• their coaching style
• their hobbies and interests outside of fitness

Once a person has chosen their coach, they will have a Strategy Call to get to know them and discuss their goals. For example, people can use Future to lose weight, build muscle, or train for an event. During this call, individuals can let their trainer know where they plan to exercise so they can tailor workouts accordingly.

It is possible to swap coaches at any time.

Following the plan

Users will receive a new workout plan every week on their Future Fitness app. They can work with their trainer to adapt the plan as necessary through the Future app’s chat feature.

During workouts, users may get pre-recorded voice messages from their coach, offering motivation and explaining the exercises. There are also videos demonstrating how to complete exercises.

Users can send videos of themselves to their coach during workouts to get feedback and advice on their form and technique.

The Future coach will schedule another video call when the person has used the service for around a month. This call gives people space to offer feedback to their coach, discuss their goals and reinforce focus, and celebrate their progress.

Future’s trainers have a wide range of experiences and qualifications. Some are former competitive athletes, certified instructors for specific sports, mental performance consultants, or coaches at elite training facilities.

Some areas of specialization include:

• sports psychology
• strength training
• bodybuilding
• injury prevention
• metabolic syndromes
• weight loss
• prenatal and postpartum fitness
• orthopedic conditions

While most trainers provide their services in English, some can speak Spanish or Chinese.

People can filter the trainers by coaching style, expertise, language, and sports on the Future website.

Future’s membership costs $149 per month. People can try the service for 30 days and get a full refund if they are unsatisfied.

Future has a rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot, based on 99 reviews. Customers wrote that the app was effective and easy to use and helped them set their goals. The fitness coaches were also supportive.

According to negative comments, some coaches do not offer personalized workout plans, and the app can have technical glitches.

Future offers similar services to FlexIt, Trifecta, Ladder, and Peloton. Learn how each compares below.

Much scientific research supports the benefits of exercise, but there is less research into the benefits of personal trainers. Some research notes that they can have varying experience in their field, which may affect the quality of their services.

The coach profiles on the Future website show that the company uses fitness instructors with high levels of experience in their field. Many coaches have health qualifications and have led fitness programs at universities or other fitness companies. Some hold master’s degrees, and others are former professional athletes.

Additionally, Future gives people the opportunity to exercise in a space that is comfortable for them. Research shows that gyms are gendered environments that can place a high value on signifiers of male health, such as muscle mass and strength, which can disadvantage females. However, a gym’s gendered environment may limit all individuals’ participation levels.

Older 2017 research also found that gyms can be inaccessible to people with disabilities for a range of reasons, including:

• inaccessible buildings and equipment
• lack of representation in gym staff
• not connecting with the cultural norms of a gym
• gym values offering a narrow interpretation of good health

Again, these cultural norms can favor strong, muscular physiques, which some of this study’s participants found alienating. Some participants also highlighted that messaging within gyms can be ableist and offer a narrow view of health. This includes slogans such as “no pain, no gain.” While gym instructors saw pain as a positive and necessary element of exercise in people without disabilities, they interpreted pain as a sign of harm in people with disabilities.

Learn more about ableism.

Future allows people to choose their coach carefully and claims that its coaches will create safe and effective workouts suitable for people with disabilities.

Below, our tester Jessica Timmons gives their hands-on review of Future.

Matching and meeting with the trainer

The first step toward training with Future is filling in the detailed intake form, which drills down into what really matters to you. It includes questions about your personal fitness and health history, current fitness goals and challenges, and what you’re looking for in a coach. It’s a good opportunity to get specific about what you’re hoping to achieve.

Once I completed the form, Future immediately matched me with four coaches. I scheduled a video call with the top pick, Michaela S., who had an impressive background as an athletic trainer. We talked through expectations and made a plan.

Trying the workouts

My workouts were loaded into the app on a Sunday. I got started the following afternoon with a strength training circuit that lasted roughly 50 minutes. It was a well-rounded, challenging workout.

Each exercise had a video and voiceover direction for proper technique, and my coach had pre-recorded messages for when she wanted me to focus on something specific. There are also options to record yourself if you want to share your form, flag a certain exercise to discuss later, or adjust weights.

“I appreciate the variety in workouts. My trainer has included exercises and variations that I’ve rarely — and in some cases, never — completed before. It keeps things interesting.”

After each workout, you’re prompted to rate the workout’s intensity and share your thoughts on what you liked and what you didn’t.

I asked Michaela how she would plan my workouts if all I had was a yoga mat and some hand weights. She said the workouts would definitely be more basic, but she really could work with anything.

The coach’s flexibility highlights one of the biggest benefits of Future — the trainers are people who understand that life happens and adjustments are sometimes necessary.

The cost

Monthly memberships to Future are steep at $149 a month, but it’s a saving compared to the typical price of an in-person trainer. That said, it’s important to note that Future is an additional monthly expense to a gym membership.

Is Future worth it?

I was a fan of Future within three workouts. I can see its value for those new to training and elite athletes.

Personally, I love the mindlessness — instead of planning my own workout, I just hit play and follow along, confident that everything I’m doing aligns with my personal goals of staying strong and healthy.

The accountability factor is powerful, too. Knowing that someone is watching my progress makes me push myself harder than I do when I’m training alone. Plus, having a week’s worth of readymade workouts makes it easier to plan ahead.

“The Future app is truly excellent. It’s easy to navigate, the directions and videos are clear and simple to follow, and I appreciated my coach’s personalized additions.”

It’s true that the monthly price is relatively high, which means it’s simply going to be out of budget for some people. However, if you’re prepared to pay for a personal trainer, this alternative to in-person training works beautifully. I can see myself sticking with it for a very long time to come.

Below, we answer the most common questions about Future.

Is the Future app legit?

Yes, Future is a legitimate service offering fitness instruction from trained fitness professionals.

Is Future membership worth it?

Future’s membership costs $149 per month, which includes unlimited workouts and coaching. This is more expensive than some gym memberships, and it does not offer a person hands-on coaching from a professional trainer.

However, it is a very flexible service that provides ongoing support and weekly workouts to keep users motivated. The cost may be worth it for those who would otherwise find it difficult to fit in regular workouts.

How much does Future coaching cost?

At $149 per month, individuals can benefit from Future’s weekly workouts and coaching. They can also try the service for 30 days and receive a refund if they are unsatisfied.

Future is a personal coaching app that offers personalized workout plans and regular feedback from a professional fitness instructor. People can use the app on their smartphones and track their metrics with a smartwatch.

The service can offer individuals an accessible way to keep on top of their fitness goals, but the price may be too high for those working with a limited budget.