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Apple Fitness+ may be a newbie in the at-home workout game, but the platform continuously brings exciting new fitness classes and activities to your home sweat sessions. Now, Apple is kicking off Black History Month with a slew of exciting goodies — including new workouts that celebrate Black culture, a new limited-edition Apple Watch that was designed with Black history in mind, and much more.
ICYMI, Apple recently launched its buzzy on-demand fitness subscription service, Fitness+, which connects your Apple Watch to your iPhone, Apple TV, or iPad, allowing you to stream workout videos while your watch keeps tabs on how hard you’re working. The stacked library of classes includes cycling, treadmill, rowing, HIIT, strength, yoga, dance, core, and mindful cooldown sessions, and new classes in each category are added weekly. (Read our review of Fitness+ here.)
Throughout the month of February, Apple Fitness+ will be rolling out a collection of themed workouts to celebrate Black History Month. Fitness+ trainer Sherica Holmon, for example, is leading a 45-minute cycling workout featuring a playlist of Black disco, funk, and soul artists. “We are celebrating Black excellence in the Fitness+ studio!!” Holmon wrote in an Instagram post. “This special ride is very close to my heart.”
If you don’t have a home exercise bike, Fitness+ trainer Bakari Williams will be leading a 20-minute HIIT workout with a playlist featuring all Black male artists. And if you’re more into dance, you can check out LaShawn Jones’ 20-minute hip-hop dance workout, which will include a special Black History Month-themed celebratory playlist. (
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Whichever workout you choose, be sure to participate in the new Unity Activity Challenge, in which you can earn a limited-edition award by closing your Move rings seven days in a row at any point during the month of February.
After you finish your sweat session, you can use Apple Maps to find a yummy post-workout meal near you and support a Black-owned business at the same time. As part of its Black History Month offerings, the brand announced a new collection of Apple Maps Guides in partnership with EatOkra, an app that helps you locate Black-owned restaurants in your area. Pretty sweet, right?
Along with these themed workouts and map guides, Apple also debuted its Black Unity Collection, which includes a limited-edition Apple Watch Series 6 (Buy It, $399, apple.com), a Black Unity Sport Band (Buy It, $49, apple.com), and a Unity watch face. The colors of the band and watch face — red, black, and green — pay homage to the colors of the Pan-African flag, which represents people of the African Diaspora and symbolizes Black liberation in the U.S. Designed by a team of Black creatives and allies, the Black Unity Sport Band also features the words “Truth. Power. Solidarity.” laser-engraved onto the interior of its stainless steel fastening pin. While the Apple Watch Series 6 Black Unity will only be available for the month of February, you can snag the Black Unity Sport Band now through the rest of the year. (
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Apple Watch Series 6 Black Unity
Apple Watch Series 6 Black Unity
These new offerings represent just a few aspects of Apple’s larger dedication to racial equity and justice. The brand recently launched a long-term initiative with a $100 million commitment toward education, criminal justice reform, and economic equality for the Black community. And, as part of its Black History Month efforts specifically, Apple is supporting several global organizations working toward promoting and achieving racial equality, including the Black Lives Matter Support Fund via the Tides Foundation; the European Network Against Racism; the International Institute on Race, Equality, and Human Rights; and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, just to name a few.
Looking for more ways to support the Black community during your next workout? Here are some of our favorite Black trainers and fitness pros to follow on social media.
