Fittr Creates a Personalized Workout Based on the Equipment You Already Own
Health and activity tracking via mobile devices is all the rage right now. But what if you can’t decide what types of exercise you should be doing to reach your goals, with the limited equipment and space you have? That’s where the Fittr app comes into play.
Fittr is like having your very own trainer yelling at you from inside your phone. And as a special trick, Fittr will also build personal workout routines based upon your desired result and the amount of equipment you have on hand, if any.
You know the websites and apps where you can input the ingredients in your fridge, and they will spit out a recipe using only those ingredients? This is like the fitness version of that service.
Whether you’re the owner of a $200-a-month gym membership or just looking to get fit sans exercise machines, Fittr has a regimen to help.
During the app’s setup, it will collect basic information like name, email address, and so on (you can also simply link the app to Facebook). Then, after logging your desired body result and appropriate fitness level (aka how far out of shape you currently are), Fittr will ask for workout tags to base the activities on. Things like “home workout” and “apartment” will let Fittr know that you don’t have much equipment to work with. And to be certain, on the final setup screen, the app will ask you to place a check next to any pieces of exercise gear that it reckons you might have available.
If you have no weights or machines at all, you can simply tap I have no equipment and hit it hard, Rocky IV style.
Once the workout begins, Fittr’s voice instruction will guide you through the exercises. And for reference, an animated example of each activity appears on the phone’s screen while you work out.
Each session begins with a warm-up, like two minutes of jogging and/or doing 20 seconds of things like arm circles or hip twists. Then, depending on your equipment situation and desired result, Fittr will talk you through timed reps of squats, bench presses, crunches, dumbbell lunges, and the like.
Based upon your weight input, Fittr creates graphic reports of your progress and will even adjust workouts when needed to gain maximum results. The system also provides social incentives for working hard (which is why linking the app to Facebook, if you’re into that kind of thing, can unlock the full potential of the system). The app has an optional feature that will post to your Facebook Timeline or Twitter stream to either shame you when you skip workouts or praise you when you’re working hard and on schedule.
So in short: Since Fittr provides a no-think workout without the need of any equipment, you can be a dumbbell with no dumbbells but still get in shape. Just follow along and feel the burn. That’s it.
The app is designed for the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s; we found that it was buggy on the iPhone 4s.
The other downsides: Fittr is so far available only on the iPhone, and not Android. It can be downloaded from the App Store as a free five-day trial, but the full version will run you $11.99 a month. Still cheaper than a membership at Gold’s Gym — and fewer weirdos on the next treadmill, too — but it sort of defeats the idea of the “free” home workout if you’re paying monthly for an app.
Still, Fittr is worth a try for iPhone owners, and it can give you some ideas for future workouts, too. And, hey, if you like it, you might never have to use a shared shower at the gym again.
Have questions, comments, or just want to tell me something funny? Email me at danbean@yahoo-inc.com.
