As devices have become increasingly smaller over time it is now possible to bring an entire training regimen with you to the gym and forego any kind of hired personal trainer or 3 ring training binder to tell you what you need to do that day. Better yet, everything you do in the gym or outside the gym (bike rides, runs, swims etc…) can all be monitored and recorded automatically so you can see your progress, set benchmarks and ultimately keep a healthy rate of improvement over time without any hassle! The best part is that all this can all be done from devices you can wear normally or that fit in your pocket.
The Ipod
This device has not only partnered with Nike to develop Nike+, the add-on that is inserted into your shoe and logs all the data from a run (speed, time, distance etc…) wirelessly and syncs up with your computer when you get home to store it all. The ipod has a lot of other great applications for creating a great fitness routine as well.
My favorite is ripping a fitness training video into an ipod format (you can get a great video converter here Free Ipod Video Converter) and taking it with me to the gym where I can show up to the gym, pop on my video and go through the routine glancing down at the player only when I am unsure of the proper form for the exercise otherwise I can just listen in as a professional trainer tells me what to do and keeps me at a good workout pace. If this sounds cool to you, then check out P90X, you may have seen the infomercials on late-night TV and if you have not just Google it, but let me tell ya, that program will kick you in to shape in no time and it’s actually fun to do since it involves a diverse and balanced mix of exercises based primarily on the concept of Muscle Confusion. The best routine is Plyometrics, you might want to do that one in a secluded room since it involves jumping around like a lunatic. Anyway, this is not an infomercial so I will let you check out more on that yourself but if you need motivation the P90X program is one of the best fitness programs I have ever done.
There are also great fitness apps in the app store for the Iphone and Itouch, my favorite is iFitness. This app is a database of exercises organized by targeted muscle groups. All you do is click on a muscle group, you get a list of exercises to choose from, make your selection and you get a real life demo of the proper form and technique as well as a detailed description of the exercise. You can put exercises in a list to step through when you are at the gym so no time is wasted thinking of what to do next.
(feel free to leave your favorites in the comments below!)
GPS + Heart Rate Monitors
There is a lot more to the concept of a pocket size personal trainer than just the ipod though. You can now pick up a watch that monitors your heart rate , tracks the route you just biked or ran and maps it when you get home alongside detailed statistics on where you were working the hardest along the run (probably hills…) and you can see where you were slacking so you know to pick it up in that spot the next time, a great alternative to a personal trainer standing over your shoulder telling you to work harder.
The bottom line is all of these devices collect data about your physical activity and provide visual and quantitative meaningful feedback over time. These devices allow you to train much more precisely and therefore naturally lead to you working harder when the feedback is right there in front of your face. There is no number fudgery since your exercises are all monitored automatically. For me at least, when I know that my last best 3 mile time on a run around the neighborhood was an average of say 7 minutes a mile, I am going to make darn sure I beat that by at least 5 seconds on average the next time. I think the same way of thinking goes for everyone as we all have a competitive spirit inside us, these devices really allow us to compete with ourselves. If that isn’t enough there are websites that sync up with all your devices, collect the data, and posts it for the world to see as a way to motivate people to do better because their results are highly visible (if you enjoy trashtalking these sites can be an outlet for that as well.)
For your convenience I have included links to a bunch of my favorite performance monitoring and workout tracking sites as well as the gadgets that make it all happen. Enjoy!
Resources:
http://www.weendure.com
Monitor your performance and leave “comments” on the performance of others. This online performance tracking site lets you upload all your personal metrics from dozens of devices and lets you critique others as well as monitor your own stats.
http://www.mapmyride.com/
http://www.mapmyrun.com/
These guys map your routes on google maps with uploaded GPS data you can sync up when you get home, you can evem see and rate all the routes others have posted in your area with the option to print directions right from the map itself:
TrainingPeaks.com
Training Peaks collects data from a hanful of fitness devices and reports back with visualizations of heart rate, power output, speed, distance, elevation, and much more. A great tool for benchmarking your progress and finding areas for improvement.
Garmin Forerunner 310XT
This bad boy is the ultimate workout tool. It does all that fancy stuff I mentioned earlier and automatically syncs it with your desktop or laptop when you get home. That and it is even waterproof!
(Know of any other good ones?, post them below!)
ours on this nifty little app and no tears to speak of. Stanza is jam packed with features, many of which surpass even those of the Kindle. Some noteworthy features include: