Keelo: The Perfect iOS Workout App for the Busy Bee

Working out is hard any way you look at it. The physical act of working out is difficult, but so is making time for a workout in your schedule. In a perfect world, everyone would have one hour of free time every day to get some exercise in, but we do not live in a perfect world. As someone often short on time, I’d rather workout for smaller periods, but with higher intensity. That’s what Keelo is all about.

Keelo for iOS and Apple Watch wants you to dedicate anywhere from seven to 20 minutes, three days per week to exercise and you don’t need any weights or equipment. That’s far more doable for someone on a busy schedule. The catch is those minutes you do dedicate will be brutal.

The Science Behind HIIT

The app burns and tones using HIIT: high-intensity interval training. This method is quickly becoming one of the preferred cardio routines for people who want to lose weight fast and, dare I say, keep it off.

Keelo is great for people who don’t know where exactly to get started with high-intensity interval training.

HIIT is backed by science, too. Research has shown that you get a much more effective workout this way. 40 minutes of brisk walking is no match for only 20 minutes of jumps, swings, squats and hops. You move fast, get your heart-rate up, and keep it up for the duration of your workout. It’s much like the 7-Minute Workout, but often longer.

Keelo is great for people who don’t know where exactly to get started with high-intensity interval training. It designs a custom plan just for you with complete workout routines for various days of the week. The app even adds all-important warm-up and cool down sessions.

Keelo is free to use certain workout routines, but to get your own personal workout plan you have to subscribe to the service. That’s $7.99 per month or $49.99 per year. It’s fair pricing since both are much less than the cost of a typical gym membership.

Your Keelo Workout Plan

Upon signing up, my workout plan recommended the Keelo Bodyweight Montage today. First, my warm-up consisted of jumping jacks, high knees, air squats, push-ups, mountain climbers and a few other exercises. I didn’t have to do many of each and the app told me to do them at my own pace.

After that, it was montage time. The exercises were organized in a 40-30-20-10 format, which means 40 of each exercise, then go back and do 30, then go back and do 20 and so on. Mine were air squats, sit-ups, and hand release push-ups. Keelo wanted me to do all of them in under 12 minutes if possible.

When I tapped Start at the top right, a person on screen showed me the proper form for the exercise on loop until your done. I’m pretty happy about that because I had absolutely no idea what an “air squat” was. After one full round, I tapped the right arrow to move onto the next exercise and repeated until I was done and ready for the cool down. The design of the app is simple enough and promotes learning new exercises for beginners, but advanced users can easily get a good experience and workout plan as well.

You can browse the app under the Today tab where you can view you your plan’s suggestion, edit your equipment settings or change your schedule. Otherwise, browse the Workouts tab to do your own thing and select any HIIT workout at your leisure. There are hundreds so you’ll never be without one.

A person on screen showed me the proper form for the exercise on loop until your done.

Keelo is a fantastic app if you don’t want to or have time to join the gym. It’s a bit like Sworkit, but definitely more intense. The subscription price is affordable and it provides a quick way to get a good burst of exercise into your day. Just be prepared to feel the burn.