Keep Better Track Of Your Lifting With "MyWorkout" For iPhone
October 24, 2011
As a professional trainer and avid weightlifter, I've always been interested in how the mobile revolution would (continue to) affect the everyday gym-goer's exercise habits and active life. However, beyond the non-skip A/V playback afforded by such devices' solid-state constructions, little in the way of expert app assistance has been made available. Still, change slowly seems coming. And, as usual, it's coming to Apple's App Store first.
For those just getting started with the lifting life, developer Shalom Levytam has created the excellent MyWorkout (www.myworkoutapp.com). Check out the trailer:
Essential for beginners, the iPhone app is a refined, simply-presented, and simple-to-use workout journal/performance tracker. You can assemble custom routines from a comprehensive library of traditional barbell, dumbbell, and machine-based movements; and the app will list, record, and graph your progress. You can even enter your weight, BMI, and muscle measurements to chart your rate of physical growth!
Over 150 exercises are included in MyWorkout's default list, and each of these is illustrated with both CGI pictorial and video demonstrations. These aren't your standard stock productions, either. Instead, Levytam worked with a company called SnapRender to create accurate representations of each pull and press, highlighting the essential form required for each rep. True, the animations are somewhat stiff, but the anatomically exaggerated model does a good job laying out the necessary parameters for keeping your flexion tight and your joints moving freely.
Of course, should you want to add something non-standard to your cycle, you have that option, too. Realistically, though, most folks'll be covered by what's already included. Just make sure you do a thorough check before going the custom route, as a few exercises may be mislabeled by the app's muscle-group categorization. The dead-lift, for example, is incorrectly classified as a "quadriceps" movement even though it's largely considered the most fundamental of back exercises. Other than that, though, everything works as advertised.
Don't be misled. MyWorkout won't replace the help of a good trainer or teacher. That said, the app -- as a tool -- is every bit as important for the novice: It lets you quantify everything you do at the gym. You'll never have to carry a notebook around the weight room again.
MyWorkout is currently on sale in the App Store for $2.99. A bit pricey, but worth every penny!
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