The time has come when an alarm clock alone is not enough to get up in the morning for a workout. The digital age has spawned different services for body pumping and motivation: mobile apps have now partially replaced websites. We tested four free apps and figured out which of them are worth downloading, and which are better left to gather dust in the App Store or Play Market.
«Workout trainer»
Available in several languages, it starts with a survey where you can choose your level and goals. For example, “I want to train my upper body three times a week. Voila, the program automatically picks up templates for any workout – yoga, cardio, or strength training. The developers have made the app a social network: there’s an option to like, comment and share your results. But don’t count on media success: it’s hard to get more than 5 likes. But there is a list of trainers from all over the world, who cover exactly your tasks. They record video workouts and post them either for free or for a fee.
You can put “labor days” into the calendar, add your favorite exercises, but such features are available almost everywhere. Another thing is the ability to organize a team and keep track of each participant’s results. Psychologists have proven that evaluating others makes us work harder.
- + interaction with live coaches;
- – no translation on other languages.
“Fitness.”
The application’s interface is as simple and concise as its name. After logging in, you enter your information: height, weight, and fitness level. Then the cards pop up, where each day’s workouts are recorded. The program is focused on weight loss, so there is a “tips” section, which explains what to do so that excess weight can be released from the body faster.
It is worth bearing in mind that the app is designed for women, as the pink and white design confirms. There are exercises for 4 muscle groups: whole body, legs, arms, and torso. If you don’t need the audio instructions anymore, you can choose a music mix.
- + focus on a specific task – weight loss
- – poor interface;
- – limited functionality.
«Your fit day»
It is constantly being updated, and now has three main blocks: “Challenge”, “Training”, “Nutrition”, and “Community”.
Open the “workout” block and a message pops up: “Remember! Technique is the main thing. Don’t sacrifice technique for the sake of extra weight or reps. Try to overcome the pain threshold in each workout without sacrificing technique. There’s also a graph here, where the curve clearly shows your progress. The emphasis is on strength exercises for chest, back, abs and biceps. The number is strictly set – 17 pull-ups and no less – feels rigorous. Against the number of repetitions, the weight of the projectile is written in, and then that data is used for the chart. Done, we press the button and get a release of endorphins in the blood.
+ суровый авторский подход;
+ визуализация прогресса;
– однообразие контента – нет фото или видео упражнений;
– невозможно создавать собственную программу (а это есть почти во всех приложениях).
«Freeletics»
Probably the most advanced program. After downloading it, a warning pops up: “Freeletics workouts may seem complicated to you. And it’s true.” They are compiled by a personal trainer named Coach – he analyzes the questionnaire indicators and makes an individual program for several weeks. At 60 kg and 177 cm, he offers a balanced fat-burning – even offensive.
Coach adapts the workouts each week using information from previous successes. There are already formed individual exercises, points are awarded for them, and then a leaderboard is formed. The app also has a search for training and running locations in your city, the ability to keep a diary and stories of people who have brought themselves into better shape (with photo proofs).
- + the ability to adjust the training to your needs as much as possible;
- – a huge number of exercises (more than a thousand);
- – The need to download videos.
Mobile fitness apps are a great solution for low-cost self-exercise. Well, at least it’s very useful. It will not, like a live trainer, stand over you and count the approaches performed. Everything depends only on you, so you need to be prepared in advance and not to cheat yourself.
