Apple starts selling yoga mats and other exercise gear ahead of Fitness Plus launch

Apple Fitness Plus
(Image credit: Apple)

Are you (and your muscles) ready for Apple Fitness Plus? The premium subscription service is launching on December 14, and in preparation for the big day, Apple has started selling a range of exercise equipment via its online store.

It's the first time the online Apple Store has listed kit like this, and at the moment there are two yoga mats and a yoga block available to buy, as spotted by MacRumors. It's possible that we'll see these accessories joined by more products as time goes on.

For the uninitiated, Apple Fitness Plus lets you watch and follow workouts through the Apple device of your choice. If you've got an Apple Watch, you can even see your vital statistics up on screen while you're exercising.

The incoming subscription service will cost you $9.99 / £9.99 / AU$14.99 per month, or $79.99 / £79.99 / AU$119.99 per year, and it goes up against similar offerings from the likes of Fitbit, Peloton, and several others.

Choose your accessory

The most expensive new product listed by Apple is the Manduka 6 mm Performance Yoga Mat, yours for $119.95 / £109.95 / AU$229.95. It offers "unmatched comfort and cushioning" for your body, while you try and contort yourself into the correct poses in response to your instructors.

If that's a little on the pricey side for you, consider the Manduka eKOlite Yoga Mat at a mere $77.95 / £74.95 / AU$149.95. It promises to be the "most durable natural rubber yoga mat on the market", though obviously the materials aren't quite as premium as they are on the Performance version above.

Finally there's the Manduka Cork Yoga Block for a little extra help keeping your body in position during your routine. That will set you back $19.95 / £21.95 / AU$39.95. The block apparently "has a firmness not found in foam blocks, and allows you to feel secure in the support it generously provides".

Apple Fitness Plus will be launching in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and the US to begin with – there's no word yet on any wider availability. If you already own an Apple Watch, you can get your first month free; if you buy a new Apple Watch after December 14, you can try Fitness Plus free for three months.

David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.