Mobile apps are the latest in thing. The original apple ad slogan told us: “want to ... insert anything you could ever possibly want to do ... there’s an app for that” – a sign for a future in which we would all be swiping endlessly across little glass screens.

They weren't far wrong — it now seems there really is an app for everything — and, while some apps are not worth the pixels they're written in, we thought we'd try a few of the top rated fitness apps. Are they worth your time, money and flash drive space?

Nike Training Club by Nike Inc

NTC’s aim is to put a personal trainer in your palm to use whenever you want. Offering 60 workouts based around getting lean, toned, strong or focused, it is a comprehensive package and includes instructional content and videos to guide you through each session. 

We liked

The variety of workouts is huge and it’s free! We are big fans of the alert options which you can set to remind for your workout. If you are looking for way to structure your workouts without paying a Personal Trainer this can go some way to bridging the gap.

We didn’t like

A lot of reviews point to the app being very female-centric. It is (you have to create a Nikewomen account to get the full package of rewards online) but we didn’t see this as too much of problem, the workouts work for both sexes.

The one issue we did have is with the fluidity of the app. You have to click into the videos and images of the exercises to see them which can be a pain. As a minor gripe some the workouts we did said “no weights required” but then depicted weights being used in the videos.

Couch to 5k by Felt Tip Inc

C25K sells itself on an attractive premise − go from a couch potato to a 5k runner in nine weeks. Upon opening the app you are given a quick text break down of how to use the app before you launch into the programme one run/walk at a time.

We liked

The interval style of the app makes sense and would definitely help you to make progress. We are confident the app would be able to keep its promises to get you ready for 5k event in the time.

We didn’t like

There is a major drawback with C25K. It is aimed loosely at someone who is new to exercise but, as any former lay-about come runner will tell you, not all beginner runners start at the same level or have the same needs. There is no provision for the individual exerciser here.

Yoga Stretch by Neil Harris

Yoga stretch sets out to offer tech savvy yogis the opportunity to create their own sessions to do at home. It does this well, is very simple to use and squashes a lot of value into an attractively designed package.

We liked

You can create your own custom sessions from a wide range of poses. There is built in calming music to help you relax and you can import your own tunes. The icing on spiritual cake is that each pose comes with a soothing instructional voice over.   

We didn’t like

You may need a stand or dock to use this app − the process of having to hold the phone yourself, while trying to contort your body into the positions can ruin the mood.

Hundred PushUps by SoftwareX

Hundred push-ups is a straightforward package which designed to improve your strength with simple progressive push-up workouts. The app gauges your current level of fitness from the outset and then pushes you on with interval style regimen that can get pretty tough as you progress.

We liked

Unlike some of the similar apps on android and other formats it gives you progress charts which improve the experience graphically. If you are just looking for a simple way to improve your strength then this is for you.

We didn’t like

The price, other formats have stripped down versions of this app for free.

Runmeter

There are several apps out there that make use of the Iphone’s GPS chip to map your routes as you run. We went for Runmeter which had the best average review on the Istore. The app promises to allow you to track your route, speed, distance and elevations scaled to get you motivated to succeed with your training.

We liked 

It does the above and well! It also chucks in various cool extras like the ability to integrate the data with a calendar and export it to your twitter and facebook pages. It even has remote control function so you can keep your phone pocketed and still stop the clock.

We didn’t like

It is very hard to find fault here. It is a little annoying to have to open up a Safari window to sign in to twitter ... we had to find something!

Pedometer by Max CA apps

One of many, many pedometer apps available on the apple istore Pedometer by Max CA is one of the better apps out there and when we went trawling through the app store it was discounted to half price so we thought we’d snap it up.

We liked

It was quite accurate. This may sound basic but any fitness enthusiast will tell you that some cheap pedometers are pretty dreadful. The built in calorie counter and graphs to chart your progress, though standard, make having the app worthwhile.

We didn’t like

It’s a bit confusing to navigate around and where the pedometer can only be viewed in portrait, the graphs are fixed to landscape. It’s minor but struck us as lazy.