iPhone 4: my favorite gym (Photo CC by 2.0, via Patrick Hoesly on Flickr)
With summer approaching, of course comes the annual race to get back on track with fitness. My thinking on this has definitely changed over the last few years. Sweating at the gym may seem like something better reserved for meat-heads on South Beach, but dying of cancer or diabetes complications hardly seems “cool” either.
Anyways, going to the gym still isn’t really my style, mainly because there are so many cool new fitness tech apps to help you out with the process for much cheaper. I’ve been using my iPhone as a portable trainer lately in a few different ways. Here are some of the apps I’m using right now to stay on track.
Gym Boss Timer: This is a programmable interval timer you can use while running, or whatever else. I mostly use it to time Tabata intervals (20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest), which is a pre-programmed setting in the app. A bell rings when you start, and again when you are supposed to rest, and so on. It’s an easy way to do high-intensity training when you’re by yourself and it’s inconvenient to keep looking at a watch.
100 Pushups / 100 Situps / 100 Squats / 100 Pull-ups: Bodyweight training is one of the cheapest and most convenient ways to get in shape, and are a true test of your actual strength, anyways. This suite of apps helps you build up to 100 of these four basic movements with a graduated, is-week program. At the beginning, you take a test — do as many of whatever chosen movement for a minute — then input your results, and the app comes up with a weekly program for you, complete with rest timers.
All-in-
One Yoga (by Viaden Mobile): This is my absolute favorite fitness app discovery!! It costs $3.99 but is worth so, so much more. The app boasts an encyclopedic library of yoga poses, from beginner to “guru” level, including breathing exercises. Each comes with the sanskrit name, photos of the proper position, and usually, video. You can put them together into your own flow, or input the amount of time you have and areas you want to address, and the app comes up with a custom program for you. Once you start the program, you can customize it so it calls out instructions and the name of the position with music, or any of the above. You can put on your own music and just listen for the cues, and it’s basically a free yoga class that changes as often as you want it to.