SINGAPORE, May 6 — Geographical — and financial — constraints used to mean that personalised workouts with celebrity trainers were out of reach for most of us.
No longer.
Using the Sweat app, this writer has, in the past week, attempted a series of sweat-inducing resistance training exercises designed by American celebrity fitness trainer Kelsey Wells at home and on-the-go: Think triceps kickbacks, shoulder presses and bent-over rows.
The app, developed by the creator of the Bikini Body Guide programme Kayla Itsines, features a range of customisable workout programmes by certified trainers such as Wells and Australia-based Chontel Duncan.
Wells’ videos and exercise programmes, for instance, teach users how to execute moves and use various fitness equipment correctly.
“The app is the next best thing to me being there, training the users in person,” Wells told TODAY on a recent visit here. She and Duncan were in town last weekend and showcased their workouts at FitnessFest by insurer AIA at the Marina Bay Sands.
Personal trainer in your pocket
As top fitness trainers around the world tap technology to bring their programmes to the masses, more people are heading to the app store to get fit.
Data from Flurry Analytics, a mobile analytics company, revealed that usage of health and fitness apps has more than tripled from 2014 to 2017. Apps that focus on exercise and tracking weight loss accounted for the majority of app use.
Flurry Analytics, which tracks over one million apps across all categories, examined the health and fitness categories, combining iOS and Android data for the study.
It also uncovered a high proportion of fitness enthusiasts who access exercise apps regularly. Three quarters of active users access their apps at least twice a week, and more than a quarter access them more than 10 times a week.
Fitness apps like Sweat, Nike+ Training Club and Fitness Buddy typically cover a variety of workout techniques that users can access anywhere and at any time. While some basic apps are free, others require a membership fee, which is usually a fraction of the cost of a gym pass or personal training programme.
“It allows everyone on a smaller budget to get involved in health and fitness, and our overall goal as fitness trainers is to change everyone’s health. It’s like having a personal trainer in your pocket,” said Duncan.
Such apps have also evolved over the years, taking personal training to a whole new level.
Unlike the early apps which mainly demonstrated exercises, many newer apps have the added function of collecting exercise data for record and reflection, said Wesley Chee, director and chief physiotherapist of Physio and Sole Clinic.
“The current apps do an excellent job in giving instructions and illustration for the exercises. These days, the apps also make use of the built-in accelerometre and gyroscope in smartphones to detect, quantify and record the users’ movements,” said Chee.
“It will be exciting to see the next generation of apps which can create individualised training programmes and provide constructive feedback,” he added.
Some fitness apps are already allowing some personalisation and flexibility.
“My ‘Fierce’ workouts on Sweat feature different combinations of durations. Depending on the users’ preference and time constraints, they can either do a full-length 40 to 45 minute workout or smash it out within 15 minutes,” said Duncan.
Apps ‘unlikely to replace personal training anytime soon’
However, current apps are unlikely to replace traditional gym sessions and personal trainers anytime soon, said Chris Lo, principal physiotherapist at the Physio and Sole Clinic.
“At this stage, fitness apps work best if the person is trained by a trainer in the first few sessions, and the apps provide exercise instruction to remind users for continuous training and data recording,” said Lo.
Although newer fitness apps and accessories can detect and record users’ movements, there is still much to be improved, said Chee.
“It is hard to rely on apps to fully monitor the individual’s performance and suggest improvement,” said Chee.
“Currently, the apps and accessories are not able to detect the force of muscle contraction during exercise and the individual’s muscle work. This (may affect) the effectiveness of the exercises as users may not be exercising correctly without careful observation and feedback,” he added.
It may not be ideal for people nursing an injury or those with no previous training to start their fitness journey through an app, said Chee.
For individuals with underlying medical conditions, Wells and Duncan advised working with a healthcare professional to integrate fitness apps into their exercise routine. The same advice applies to women who have just given birth.
“In my post-pregnancy exercise programme in the Sweat app, mums must be cleared by their doctors before they begin exercising,” said Wells.
Tips on choosing a fitness app
According to Lo, a good fitness and exercise app should be able to take the users’ fitness and physical condition, and past medical or injury history into consideration.
A good exercise app should ideally encourage gradual progression from lower to higher exercise intensity, to help the user adapt gradually and ensure results, said Duncan.
The programme should be developed based on clinical research and proper reference materials, and should include precautions that users should take, said Lo.
“Better apps give detailed descriptions of the exercises. Exercise dosages, which refer to the number of repetitions and sets or duration of exercises, are important too,” he said.
And how the user feels about the app matters. The experience should be pain-free, manageable and enjoyable, said the physiotherapists.
“Ultimately, individuals must find a fitness app that suits their lifestyle and engages them so that they remain consistent with their exercise routine. In fitness, consistency is the one thing that will help them get results,” said Duncan. — TODAY
