Best Fitness Apps for Strength Training and Cardio in 2026: 6 Apps Tested for Integrated Programming

The Two-App Problem Nobody Talks About

Search for the best fitness apps for strength training and cardio, and you will find the same advice everywhere: use Hevy for your lifts and Strava for your runs. Or Strong for the gym and Nike Run Club for cardio. Or Fitbod for upper body day and Zwift for cycling.

The fitness app industry has decided that strength and cardio are separate problems requiring separate tools. Every listicle, every comparison, every recommendation assumes you are happy juggling two or three apps and managing your own recovery across all of them.

But that assumption breaks down the moment you try to actually train both. Your deadlift session on Tuesday affects your tempo run on Wednesday. Your long run on Saturday determines how much volume your legs can handle on Monday. Programme these in isolation and you end up overtrained, undertrained, or constantly adjusting one plan to accommodate the other.

The best fitness apps for strength training and cardio in 2026 are the ones that understand this relationship and programme both modalities together, not the ones that bolt a basic run tracker onto a lifting log and call it done.

We tested the most popular options over several weeks each, evaluating how well they actually integrate strength and cardiovascular training into a coherent programme. Here is what we found.

What Makes a Good Strength and Cardio App?

Before the rankings, it helps to understand what separates a genuinely integrated training app from one that simply offers both workout types.

Integrated Programming

The most important feature is also the rarest. True integration means the app understands how your strength sessions and cardio sessions interact. It programmes your heavy squat day away from your long run. It reduces lifting volume during high-mileage weeks. It manages total training stress across both modalities rather than treating them as separate worlds. Without this, you are just using a multi-feature app that happens to offer weights and running, which is no better than using two separate apps.

Progressive Overload for Strength

Any app claiming to handle strength training needs proper progressive overload. That means systematically increasing load, volume, or intensity over time based on your actual performance. If the app gives you the same workout every week regardless of what you lifted last time, it is not building strength. It is maintaining it at best.

Structured Cardio Programming

A run tracker is not a cardio programme. The best apps prescribe specific types of cardiovascular training (easy runs, tempo work, intervals, long runs) at the right times in your training week, with progression built in. They adjust cardio load based on your fitness level and goals rather than simply letting you log whatever you did.

Recovery Management

This is where most multi-discipline apps fail. Your Monday leg session creates fatigue that affects your Tuesday run. Your Saturday long run impacts how much chest and back volume you can handle on Monday. Apps that programme strength and cardio without accounting for cumulative fatigue across both are setting you up for plateaus, overtraining, or injury.

Personalisation

People who want both strength and cardio have wildly different goals. Some want to build muscle while staying fit. Others want to run a marathon while maintaining strength. Some train for HYROX or hybrid events. A good app adapts its programming balance to your specific priorities rather than giving everyone the same generic mix.

The Best Fitness Apps for Strength Training and Cardio in 2026

1. Edge - Best Integrated Strength and Cardio Programming

Rating: 5/5

Edge is the only app built from the ground up to programme strength and cardio as a single, integrated training plan. Every other app on this list either bolts cardio features onto a strength platform or offers both workout types without understanding how they interact. Edge treats your training week as one interconnected system.

Tell Edge you want to build muscle while training for a half marathon and it builds a plan that does both. It programmes your heavy lifting days away from your hard running sessions. It manages total training stress so your legs are not destroyed before a key run. It adjusts strength volume during peak running weeks and scales cardio back during strength-focused blocks. This is the kind of programming that normally requires a coach who understands both disciplines.

The strength programming follows progressive overload principles with periodised blocks, deload weeks, and intelligent exercise selection across all major movement patterns. Sessions adapt based on your actual performance, not a static template. If your squat numbers jumped, the app recalculates working weights. If you missed a session, it adjusts the week accordingly.

The cardio programming is equally structured. You get prescribed easy runs, tempo sessions, intervals, and long runs, all placed in your week at the right time relative to your strength work. If you are training for a race, the running programme follows an actual periodised plan with progressive volume and intensity, not just "go run three times this week."

Coaching access makes Edge unique in this category. You get 24/7 access to real human coaches who understand how strength and cardio interact. These are not chatbots or AI responses. They are qualified coaches who can review your training, answer questions about balancing both modalities, adjust your programme when life throws a curveball, and provide genuine accountability. At £19.99/month, this is a fraction of what you would pay for a coach who programmes both disciplines.

Apple Watch integration lets you follow guided workouts for both strength and cardio sessions directly from your wrist, with real-time metrics and coaching cues.

Why it works for strength and cardio:

• Integrated programming that balances strength and cardio as one plan, not two separate programmes
• Recovery management across both modalities so your training days complement each other
• Personalised to your specific goals, whether that is muscle building with fitness, race training with strength, or HYROX preparation
• 24/7 access to real coaches who understand both strength and endurance training
• Progressive overload for lifting and periodised cardio programming with race-specific plans
• Apple Watch guided workouts for gym sessions and runs
• Conditioning sessions that bridge the gap between pure strength and pure cardio

What could be better: The exercise library is smaller than dedicated lifting apps like Fitbod or Hevy. If you need 900+ exercise variations with detailed muscle activation maps, a pure strength app offers more depth. But Edge programmes the exercises that matter within a plan that actually works across both training types.

Try Edge free for 7 days

Price: £19.99/month (7-day free trial)

2. Peloton - Best Content Library for Strength and Cardio Classes

Rating: 3.5/5

Peloton offers a massive library of both strength and cardio classes, from cycling and running to weightlifting, bootcamp, and HIIT. The production quality is excellent, the instructors are motivating, and there is genuine variety across both training types.

The bootcamp classes are Peloton's best attempt at combining strength and cardio. These alternate between running and strength segments within a single session, giving you a taste of integrated training. For general fitness and staying active, they work well.

Peloton also offers structured programmes that combine multiple class types over several weeks, which adds some progressive structure to the experience.

Why users rate it:

• Enormous library of strength and cardio classes with excellent production
• Bootcamp classes that combine both modalities in a single session
• Motivating instructors and community features
• Structured programmes that span multiple weeks

Where it falls short: Peloton is a content platform, not a programming app. It does not personalise your training, manage progressive overload, or programme your week based on how your strength and cardio sessions interact. You choose your classes and manage your own schedule. There is no recovery management across modalities and no adaptation based on your performance. For people who already know how to programme their training, Peloton provides great content to fill the slots. For everyone else, it is motivation without structure.

Price: £12.99/month (app only) or £24/month with connected equipment

3. Fitbod - Best AI Strength Programming (With Basic Cardio Logging)

Rating: 3.5/5

Fitbod is one of the most intelligent pure strength training apps available. Its algorithm analyses every set you log and generates your next workout based on your performance history, muscle fatigue, and recovery status. The AI learns your patterns and adjusts weights, sets, and exercise selection accordingly.

Fitbod does let you log cardio sessions, but this is where the integration stops. Logging a run in Fitbod is like writing it in a diary. The app records that you did it but does not factor that training stress into your strength programming. Your legs could be shot from a hard interval session and Fitbod will still programme heavy squats the next day.

Why users rate it:

• Genuinely intelligent AI that learns from your lifting data and adapts workouts
• Muscle fatigue tracking that balances volume across muscle groups
• Massive exercise library with 900+ movements and quality demonstrations
• Equipment-aware programming for home or gym

Where it falls short: Fitbod treats cardio as an afterthought. There is no structured cardio programming, no recovery management across modalities, and no understanding of how your running affects your lifting or vice versa. If you want both strength and cardio in one app, you are really getting a strength app with a cardio logbook.

Price: Free trial, then around £9.99/month

4. Hevy + Strava (The Two-App Approach)

Rating: 3.5/5

This is the combination most fitness forums recommend: Hevy for strength and Strava for cardio. Hevy is a clean, efficient workout tracker with excellent progressive overload tracking, lift history, and community features. Strava is the gold standard for run tracking with GPS, pace analysis, and social features.

Together, they cover both bases. Hevy tracks your lifts with detailed analytics and Strava tracks your runs with route mapping and segment comparisons. Both are well designed and popular for good reason.

Why users rate it:

• Hevy offers one of the best free strength tracking experiences available
• Strava is the most popular and fully featured run tracker on the market
• Both apps sync with Apple Health for unified data
• Strong community features on both platforms

Where it falls short: This is exactly the two-app problem that integrated training is supposed to solve. Hevy and Strava do not talk to each other. Neither app knows what you did in the other. Your strength programming has no awareness of your running volume, and your running app has no awareness of your lifting fatigue. You are the integration layer, manually managing recovery, scheduling, and training stress across both platforms. For experienced athletes who already know how to programme concurrent training, this works. For everyone else, it creates the exact problems that integrated apps solve.

Price: Hevy free or Pro from £9.99/month, Strava free or Premium from £6.99/month

5. Nike Training Club + Nike Run Club - Best Free Combination

Rating: 3/5

Nike offers two free apps that together cover both strength and cardio. Nike Training Club provides follow-along strength, HIIT, and mobility workouts with excellent video instruction. Nike Run Club offers guided running programmes, audio-guided runs, and training plans for various race distances.

For someone starting out who wants to explore both strength and cardio without spending anything, this combination is the strongest free option. The workout quality is high, the instruction is clear, and the variety keeps things interesting.

Why users rate it:

• Completely free with no hidden paywalls
• High production quality with professional instruction
• Running plans for 5K through marathon distances
• Strength workouts across all equipment levels

Where it falls short: Like the Hevy/Strava combination, these are two separate apps with no integration. NTC does not know about your running and NRC does not know about your lifting. Neither app tracks progressive overload for strength, neither personalises based on your training history, and neither programmes your week as a coherent training plan. Good for exploring both training types, but not for progressing seriously in either.

Price: Free

6. Freeletics - Best Bodyweight Strength and Cardio

Rating: 3/5

Freeletics uses AI to generate bodyweight-focused training plans that combine strength exercises with high-intensity cardio. Workouts are short, intense, and require minimal equipment, making it popular with people who train at home or while travelling.

The AI adapts based on your feedback after each session, adjusting difficulty and volume for future workouts. The training style naturally blends strength and cardio since most sessions involve compound bodyweight movements performed at pace.

Why users rate it:

• AI-adaptive programming that adjusts to your performance and feedback
• No equipment required for most workouts
• Sessions naturally combine strength and cardio in one workout
• Short, time-efficient sessions that fit busy schedules

Where it falls short: The bodyweight focus limits how much actual strength you can build, particularly for your lower body and posterior chain. Progressive overload is primarily through increased reps and more complex movements rather than added load, which has a ceiling for strength development. There is no structured running programme or distance-based cardio. For general fitness combining strength and cardio, Freeletics works. For serious strength gains or race preparation, you will outgrow it.

Price: From £12.99/month

How We Tested These Apps

Every app was evaluated against five criteria specific to combining strength training and cardio:

Integration Quality. Does the app programme strength and cardio as one coherent system, or does it offer both as separate features that do not communicate? We specifically tested whether cardio sessions affected strength programming and vice versa.

Strength Programming. Does the strength component follow progressive overload, include appropriate volume management, and deliver periodised programming? We tracked whether loads and volumes increased appropriately over time.

Cardio Programming. Does the cardio component offer structured training with specific session types (easy, tempo, interval, long), or does it simply let you log runs? We evaluated whether the cardio programming showed actual periodisation and progression.

Recovery Management. Does the app account for cumulative fatigue across both modalities? We assessed whether strength sessions were adjusted based on recent cardio load and vice versa.

Personalisation. Does the app adapt the strength-to-cardio balance based on your individual goals? We tested with different user profiles, including someone training for a race while maintaining strength, someone focused on muscle building with fitness, and someone preparing for a hybrid event like HYROX.

Why Using Two Apps Is Costing You Results

The fitness industry has normalised the idea that you need separate apps for strength and cardio. Forums are full of recommendations like "use Strong for lifting and Strava for running." App comparison articles rank the best strength tracker and the best run tracker as if they exist in separate universes.

But your body does not train in separate universes. Everything you do creates fatigue, demands recovery, and affects what you can do next. A heavy deadlift session on Tuesday changes what your legs can handle on Wednesday's run. A hard interval session on Thursday affects your ability to squat on Friday. A high-mileage running week reduces how much overall training volume your body can recover from.

When you use separate apps, you become the integration layer. You are the one deciding whether to push through leg day after a hard run, whether to scale back your tempo session because your hamstrings are still sore from Romanian deadlifts, whether your total weekly training volume is sustainable or heading toward overtraining.

Some people can manage this successfully. They have years of training experience, they understand concurrent training principles, and they can make these decisions intuitively. But most people cannot, and even experienced athletes benefit from having these decisions made systematically rather than on gut feel.

Research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine consistently shows that combining resistance training with cardiovascular exercise produces better health outcomes than either modality alone. The challenge is not whether to do both. It is how to programme both intelligently so they complement each other rather than compete.

That is what integrated apps solve. They handle the complexity of concurrent training so you can focus on showing up and training hard, knowing that your programme accounts for everything you are doing.

FAQ

What is the best app for both strength training and cardio?

Edge is the best app for combining strength and cardio because it is the only one that programmes both modalities as a single integrated plan. Your strength sessions, cardio sessions, and conditioning work are all designed to complement each other, with recovery managed across everything you do.

Can you build muscle and do cardio at the same time?

Yes. Research consistently shows that you can build muscle while doing cardio, and that the combination produces better overall health outcomes than either alone. The key is intelligent programming that manages total training volume and places strength and cardio sessions at the right times relative to each other. Apps like Edge handle this automatically.

Should I use separate apps for strength and cardio?

You can, but you lose the benefits of integrated programming. When your strength app does not know about your cardio and vice versa, you are managing your own recovery, scheduling, and training stress. For experienced athletes this can work, but for most people, an integrated app produces better results with less guesswork.

How many days a week should I do strength training and cardio?

For most people, three to four strength sessions and two to four cardio sessions per week is a productive range. The exact split depends on your goals. Someone focused on muscle building might do four strength and two cardio sessions. Someone training for a race might do three strength and four to five cardio sessions. The important thing is managing total training volume so you can recover between sessions.

Will cardio kill my gains?

No, if it is programmed correctly. The "cardio kills gains" myth comes from studies on extreme concurrent training volumes without proper recovery management. Moderate cardio (two to four sessions per week) can actually support muscle growth by improving cardiovascular health, nutrient delivery, and recovery capacity. The key is not doing hard cardio immediately before or after heavy leg training.

What is the cheapest way to get both strength and cardio programming?

Nike Training Club plus Nike Run Club is completely free and covers both training types, though without integration or personalisation. For structured, integrated programming, Edge at £19.99/month offers the best value, providing personalised plans plus real coaching for less than most people spend on coffee each month.

Is Peloton good for strength training?

Peloton offers decent strength classes with quality instruction, but it is not a strength training programme. There is no progressive overload tracking, no personalised programming, and no periodisation. It is a content library, not a training system. For maintaining general fitness and enjoying structured classes, Peloton works well. For building serious strength while also doing cardio, you need an app with proper programming.