We love a good ol' fashioned workout. Your sneakers hitting the pavement or you hitting the weights in the mudroom. It's not a bad way to train. That said though, we have so many technological devices and applications we can use now to track our performance and motivate us to push harder. We've taken the time to compile a list of smartphone apps for you that you can take on-the-go, right alongside your sneakers, sweat band, and Promax bar. (The best thing about all of these apps? They're free.)
- MyFitnessPal Counting calories can be overwhelming and difficult to keep track of. MyFitnessPal makes it easy for you. When you create an account, you set a goal weight while noting your current weight, height, age, and gender. Based on this information and how much weight you desire to lose a week, the app sets a caloric goal for your day. You can log not only what you consume but also how much exercise you do, which type, and the estimated calories you've burned. If you're interested in seeing how you burn off what you put in, then this may be a fun app for you. What's great is that it learns and remembers what items you like, making it easy to count the calories in your favorite foods.
- StrongLifts 5x5 This one is great for weight-lifting aficionados. It motivates you to complete a 45 minute weight-lifting workout, three times a week. With 5 sets of 5 reps, it helps you know how much of a break to take between each set and when it may be time to add more weight. You can use it's tracking to follow your progress. This app is a free way to motivate yourself to pick up the weights consecutively each week.
- WOD Deck of Cards A Workout of the Day is a big trend at Crossfit gyms across the country, but you don't have to belong to one to get the same great workout. If you use the WOD Deck of Cards workout, you're sure to get an entertaining, challenging, and new workout each training session—which is great, because we all know how boring some routines can get after a while. You choose 4 different exercises each time—one exercise for each suit. Then the cards are drawn and you have to complete that exercise. For example, if hearts represents burpees and you draw the 7 of hearts, you do 7 burpees. The great thing about this app is that it keeps track of how long it takes you to complete a deck each workout, so you can see how far you've come.
- Argus This app is great for the athlete who is data-crazy. You can track all your activity in and outside the gym and then take a closer look at your habits by analyzing the trends in your life, and adapting to improve your lifestyle. What's better, is that you can find friends in your community that have similar habits. Need a workout buddy? Argus can help you find someone to train with. In fact, Argus is connected to other apps that help you track sleep, your glucose level, and your heart rate, too.
- HealthyOut One of the greatest challenges of athletes is when we're out of the gym and out with friends. And let's be honest, not all the people in our social circle understand our training commitments and the nutrition requirements we must meet. HealthyOut helps us to make good choices when we're eating out. It tells the best options at restaurants and allows you to feel a little less overwhelmed about your choices.