Apps I Like & Why
/If you’re starting Interactive Coaching with me there are three apps in particular I find extremely useful.
First, the app that has had the most significant impact on my progress and that of clients has been My Fitness Pal. To gain muscle, lose fat, or be optimally fueled for athletic performance, you need to have an accurate idea of your food intake and macronutrients. My Fitpal also helps me and clients keep track of crucial information such as minerals, vitamins, and fiber. The app's database has millions of foods pre-entered. Also,the app remembers many of your frequent meal pairings and serving sizes. This, combined with the barcode scanning, makes tracking your food intake easier than it has ever been.
NOTE: one big caveat with My Fitpal is to double check information entered for foods. Look at the label and do a google search and compare foods you frequently eat. Personally I have found a few times when macros have been way off or mathematically impossible. Remember the onus is still on you build your level of comphrension.
I like this one for tempo training. No matter what your training goals are, I feel like tempo-training should be an integral part of your routine. I've used a specific tempo timer explicitly designed for exercise with a "down down down, hold, hold, hold, up, up, up" verbal command for the tempo. However, I found that the voice made it more distracting.
I've stuck with Metronome with it set to 60pbm. Sometimes the (x/x/x/x) of tempo and the number of reps can become challenging to keep track of once you start exerting yourself. My tip is to count the cadence in your head and then repetitions out loud. The basic version is free. The pro-which I feel is worth the purchase, is only $2.99.
The Seconds app is A big step-up from the old-time oven timer style timers. I feel like this one is a must for serious trainees and trainers. I love how simple or detailed you can get with the organization in the app. For example, I have files for different clients, for my intervals that are less than a minute, and for my rounds that are over a minute. One of my favorite features of this app is that not all rounds have to be the same. For example. So if you wanted to do "push-ups" for 20 seconds, a 5-second transition, then "squats for 45 seconds" and a 20-sec rest before repeating, you can program that. Also, the app will call out-loud the exercise, so you can just set-it and focus on your effort and training instead of keeping track of circuits. Another huge plus, especially for use by group fitness instructors, is that the commands of the app work in conjunction with music. You can go to the settings in the app to determine if you want the music to fade, and to what degree.
