An Honest Studio Tone It Up Review

This Studio Tone It Up review can help you decide if the new popular fitness app might be right for you!

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Tone It Up recently released their new app, Studio Tone It Up. This week also concludes the #TIU21 challenge which utilizes daily workouts within the app. I’ve been participating in the challenge and testing out the app for a few weeks, so I thought it was time for a review.

As a self-proclaimed “Tone It Up Girl” I knew I had to try out the app, or at least take advantage of the free trial period. That said, it was very important to me to approach the app from an objective point of view and not get caught up in “drinking the Kool-Aid”. I love and admire Karena and Katrina, but I don’t take their word as gospel. I like to do my own research and testing, and make my own decisions! That’s how this honest Studio Tone It Up review came to fruition.

An Honest Studio Tone It Up Review

The App

Studio Tone It Up is available in the Apple App Store (no Android version yet!). Users can get a 7-day free trial and are then charged $12.99 + tax each month to maintain the subscription. With the subscription, users gain access to “studio” classes, community interactions, and on-demand workout videos. The free version of the app offers only the ability to swipe through the Tone It Up Daily Workout, which is also available for free on ToneItUp.com. The workout videos offered are led by Karena and Katrina, as well as a handful of new trainers. The workouts can also be streamed through the app to your television, though it doesn’t communicate with my television, so I can’t speak to that experience.

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Upon downloading the app, users are invited to create a profile, set weekly workout goals, and share interests. You can view profiles of other users and start conversations with them, but there’s no way to “follow” each other.

Studio Schedule

The studio schedule is the most interactive part of the app. Each hour on the hour, a “class” is held through the app. Users sign up for the time they elect and are a sent a push notification reminder about 10 minutes before the class starts. The app counts down the minutes and seconds until the class begins. It also lets you know at a glance what equipment you’ll need for the class.

Each studio class offers a “chat” option that acts as a group message between all users signed up for that specific class time. I used it as a way to say, “hello,” before the class started and to give an “attagirl” to other users at the end.

There is only one type of studio class offered each day. The class offered matches closely to the suggested workout on Karena and Katrina’s Weekly Schedule. I understand they want users to follow the Weekly Schedule to encourage thoughts of “we’re all working out together,” but I wish other types of classes were offered throughout the day.

One benefit of the studio classes is that many of the offerings are “exclusive” workouts. Over the years, Tone It Up has released a number of DVD programs and digital downloads only available for purchase. With those videos being offered as studio classes, it allows users who don’t own the workouts to try them for a few bucks a month. Personally, I already own them all, so this aspect is not valuable to me, but someone who doesn’t own the premium content might enjoy it.

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Community

As mentioned, you can group message anyone signed up for the same studio class 10 minutes prior to the class. You can also do this right after the class, but once you leave “the studio” there’s no way to return to that particular chat. You can also send messages to other users through their profiles, but I would honestly rather do this through Instagram, so I haven’t utilized it. On Instagram, I can follow other TIU girls and show support for their check-ins through likes and comments.

On Demand Classes

The workouts are divided into categories based on body parts, as well as kickboxing, cardio, HIIT, and stretching, making filtering your needs easy. You can also see at a glance what equipment is necessary for each workout. At first, I couldn’t see the value of $12.99/month because most of the workouts included were already available for free on ToneItUp.com or YouTube. However, once a few updates to the app were released, I could see new exclusive workouts cropping up in each category. Some of these exclusive workouts are led by Karena and Katrina, while many of the others are led by the other Studio Tone It Up trainers. I felt like I couldn’t give a thorough review without testing these out, so I signed up for the free trial.

A lot of these workouts are similar to the resistance training style that Tone It Up is known for, but also appeal to other types of workouts. Think dance-style cardio, kickboxing, and power lifting with heavier weights. These workouts allow for a nice change-up, but still maintain the energy and positivity of Tone It Up. For a few bucks a month, getting a handful of new workouts each week is worth it to me.

Overall Thoughts

My number one complaint about the app is that it uses a ridiculous amount of battery life. One workout class can use 20 percent or more of my phone’s battery. I turned off location services shortly after downloading and it didn’t seem to help. Because I work out at 4:45 a.m. I don’t like to start the day with this type of deficit. Similarly, if I worked out in the evening, I wonder if one class would leave my phone dead as a doornail by the end. But I can work out with my phone plugged in, so I can live with it.

I do wish the studio offered different types of classes each day, and that there was a way to “follow” other users. I’m anxious to see how the app will evolve over time. It would be even more worthwhile if there were a nutrition aspect included in the monthly price. I enjoy Tone It Up and their workouts — I find them positive and motivating. The app offers a different aspect of being a “TIU girl”, and helps limit trainer burnout through the array of other trainers. For $12.99/month it’s another great tool to have in my fitness arsenal.

Question: Have you tried Studio Tone It Up? What are your thoughts on it?

I’m linking up with Annmarie, Jen, and Nicole for Wild Workout Wednesday!