As a freelance personal trainer I spend a lot of time on the road training clients in their home gyms, private fitness studios or sometimes outside in the park. Being this much on the road I need to travel light and be able to access information that help me drive my clients’ success. Having an iPhone with useful apps helps me accomplish just that. Here are the five essential iOS apps I use all the time. Most of these apps have Android versions, if you none exist look for something similar.
Coach’s Eye
Allows you to record your client’s movements and then play it back with analysis. This is extremely useful when trying to teach proper technique and form. I even use it to record myself and then review the footage for analysis, and note areas of improvement. Being able to see yourself from a different perspective makes learning that much faster. Also, if you have any online clients, Coach’s Eye makes it so much easier to review and coach your clients.
Seconds Pro
HIIT, Tabata and Circuit Training are very popular these days, and for a very good reason. Seconds Pro allows you to set and name your own intervals or use provided templates. It’s easy to use, clutter-free and has a large display. If I design a HIIT workout that one of my clients loves, I’ll save it and share that custom internal training session with others. I’ve tried so many interval timers in the past, but nothing comes close. It’s worth paying for.
Full Fitness
This app is loaded with exercises and workout routines. It has other functions and features but I primarily use it for exercise and training ideas, especially if you’re on a road and in a time crunch.
MyFitnessPal
MyFitnessPal is a very popular nutrition and calorie tracking app and I’m sure you’ve heard of it. When my clients start out a training program or a nutrition plan I encourage them to use it. Personally, I don’t track my nutrition at this time but I use the app to pull up nutritional info on foods.
Feedly
Feedly is not a fitness app, but it has the power to keep you on top of everything fitness. It’s very difficult to keep up with a constant stream of blog articles, news, and research. I use Feedly to stay up-to-date with my favorite blogs and news sources. So, instead of visiting each site separately or wait for daily email digests, I get instant updates through Feedly when a new article is published. Feedly also makes it easy to share interesting content with your clients, your Twitter account or on your facebook fan page.