Olympians love their fitness apps
But they’re no help if you lack motivation
Usually when we see someone red in the face staring exasperatedly at their smartphone, we assume they’ve just downloaded a new operating system or perhaps received a doozy of a breakup text.
If you watch this scene unfold in the setting of a gym, however, chances are that the poor soul is using one of the increasingly common workout apps on the market and has just been instructed to do 12 more burpees.
A quick search for “workout” in the app stores reveals pages of fitness-focused widgets, from the big-name athletic brands to the nonames, all claiming to be able to whip us into shape with a little dedication. And while they certainly aren’t all created equal, there are a few apps garnering high praise from some of the fittest folks on earth.
After giving birth to son Danik in May 2013, Canadian Olympic moguls champion Jennifer Heil, began using the Nike Training Club app to squeeze in high-intensity workouts during her breaks from mommy duty.
“It’s amazing, and best of all, it’s totally free,” Heil says of the extensive workout library (to date it houses more than 115 complete workouts and 120 drills) Nike offers to Training Club members. “I could make workouts up for myself, but without the intervals and the timing they program for the user, they would be way less intense.”
Heil isn’t the only Olympiclevel fan of the app, either. Tessa Bonhomme, a former member of Team Canada’s Olympic women’s hockey team, has also gone on record about using the app as part of her training regime.
With more than eight-million users worldwide (though it’s unclear how many of those are actually using the app regularly), the NTC app is clearly offering people something they like.
Launched last summer, Reebok’s fitness app takes a slightly more personalized approach to their workout programming, allowing users to design their sessions around specific activities they already like and new activities they’d like to try.
“Users simply need to select the length of the program they require, followed by the percentage of time they would like to focus on each activity, and the app generates a routine based on those preferences,” explains Michael Rossi, vice-president of Reebok Canada.
Now, if you’re thinking there’s no way these apps can get people sweating — and, more importantly, seeing continuous physical progress — the same way that an in-the-flesh personal trainer can, think again. Most programs, at least on the big brand name apps, are designed by superstar athletes. There’s no doubt these programs were designed extremely thoughtfully to maximize minimal workout time. If executed properly and regularly, they will get results.
“The app offers some of the same benefits that come with having a personal trainer, like personalized and targeted training, but the NTC app is more accessible,” says Claire Rankine, Nike Canada’s communications director. “No matter the user’s fitness ability, budget, schedule or location, their next training session is always just a click away.”
Trainers don’t need to worry about the future of their industry just yet, however. Wallet-friendly alternatives to real-life drill sergeants fail in the motivation department. You really need to be a self-starter to reap the full benefits.
An Olympian like Heil has no problem getting herself off the couch and pushing herself to the max during her app-instructed workouts, but the average Joe and Jane likely find hitting the gym alone with their phone pretty unappealing after a long day at the office.
I won’t name names, but I know one fellow with no less than a dozen different fitness apps on his smartphone. The number of times he set foot in the gym to use them this past year? Let’s just say he spent more time downloading them than exploring what they can do for his bod.
With an appas your training partner there are no scheduled appointments and no real repercussions to not showing up.
With a trainer you have builtin accountability. If you aren’t getting it done—or you’re doing it wrong — chances are they will call you on it. That’s what you are paying them for, after all.
If you aren’t using your training app, you won’t be collecting points or unlocking new programs, but for most folks that’s really not enough of a threat to make them put their butts in gear to do the “butt blaster” workout if they aren’t in the mood.
“If it’s good enough for an Olympian, it’s good enough for me!” Seems like a logical sentiment in regards to getting in shape, but it’s also quite possible that these pocket-sized workouts are good enough for world-class athletes precisely because they have the drive and determination of, well, worldclass athletes.
Now, if there were a fitness app that provided the secrets to staying focused like an Olympian, we’d all be doing those red-faced burpees, smartphone in hand.