I’ve invested in a personal trainer.  Well, when I say ‘invested’, I actually got it for free.  And when I say ‘it’ I mean a

I like that you can workout to your own music (Image courtesy of Nike+ TC)

new training app that I’ve downloaded.

Inspired by last week’s Weight Watchers talk about using regular exercise to help improve health, fitness and appearance, I decided to take the bull by the horns and get my, rather wobbly, backside moving.  I reasoned that I’ve got about a month before I go on holiday and in that time, if I work really hard, I could see good results.  After all, celebs can do it when they’ve got personal trainers beasting them daily.

Now, I can’t afford a personal trainer but I thought back to when I was on a mission to fit into my wedding dress and I’d downloaded a free Davina McCall fitness app.  I really enjoyed using it as the workouts were short, needed no equipment and because they were on an app I could do them to different music or even whilst watching TV so they didn’t get too boring.

Unfortunately,  it seems you can no longer get this app.  But I didn’t let this put me off.  I looked for an alternative instead.  There are quite a few decent looking free apps out there, but after a bit of research, I eventually went for the Nike+ Training Club app .

I’ve been using it for a week now and so far I’m really impressed with it.  There are loads of different workouts you

My Program (Image courtesy of Nike+ TC)

can choose from.  They’re split into different categories depending on what you want to achieve: Get Lean, Get Toned, Get Strong or Get Focused.  Within each of these sections you’ve got a selection of workouts at beginner, intermediate and advanced level and ranging in time from 15 to 45 minutes.  You can also edit the workouts to suit you by choosing alternative exercises.

The bit that I’ve mainly been using is the ‘Programs’ feature.  This allows you to choose a fitness goal from same categories and intensity levels as the workouts.  I went for a Get Lean Beginners program and was given the option of adding in running to boost reach my goal quicker, which I took.  The app then generated a 4 week program for me to follow.  Each week it gives me 2 different ‘Get Lean’ workouts to do, 2 runs starting at 5km and building up to 8km, and a yoga session.  It schedules these across the week along with 2 rest days.

When completing the workouts, you get the option of using an album, playlist or all music on your device or of using a separate music source.  The app them guides you through the

My Program (Image courtesy of Nike+ TC)

workout with clear instructions and time reminders.  There’s the option to look at photos, written instructions and videos of all the exercises either before or during the workout.  The workouts I’ve completed so far have been really challenging and have really got my heart rate going and have definitely had me breaking a sweat.  The yoga was particularly challenging, in a good way, even though I’m relatively experienced at yoga.

I’ve been impressed at how the app has pushed me.  Whilst I’d started running again a couple of weeks ago, I was only running about 3km and wasn’t finding it easy.  Left to my own devices I wouldn’t have increased the distance to 5km for at least a couple of weeks.  I must admit I was a little apprehensive about my ability to complete the distance but I decided to give it a go.  I knew from previous experience that it would largely be down to mind over matter and pledged to keep going.  And I did.  Admittedly it was at a slow pace but I kept going all the way around and I’m actually quite looking forward to increasing my distance this week.

Apparently there is also a Nike+ running app that you can download that links to the Training Club app but I haven’t had chance to look at that yet.  There’s also an option to

Clear instructions with photos and videos (Image courtesy of Nike+ TC)

link with other users as a way to motivate each other but I haven’t explore this either.

All in all, if you’re looking for a free app to work you hard, this is a good one to go for (for beginners at least).  Here’s hoping I can keep my motivation up and continue enjoying using the app.  Please let me know about any apps you’ve come across that are worthwhile as I find that mixing things up a bit can help to sustain motivation.

You can find a promotional video about the app here Nike+ TC Video

Thanks for reading,

FFF

(This is NOT a paid review.  Please see my disclaimer page for more information on my product reviews)