Tracking your gym progress on pen and paper is so neanderthal that you might as well be lifting rocks roped to tree branches and shouting “Ug!” at every repetition if you’re carrying a mini-clipboard. Setting goals, tracking progress and having a small electronic device to peer into so as not to catch the eye of any ‘roid-pounding, bronzed lycra-wearing moustache rider are essential elements of the new urban gym-monkey’s repertoire.
At this point the reviewer diverges into all of the apps he’s tried and ranks them based on many hard years of trial and error. Who has time to read all that fluff? Here’s the app that I use, quiet simply because it works.
What it does:
- tracks times, notes and numbers of any particular exercise
- tracks cardio, resistance (strength) and supersets of any type
- plots graphs. I love graphs.
- tracks any arbitrary measurement over time – e.g. weight, BMI, calf size etc.
- allows three simple one touch timers to allow you to time your rest intervals
- makes a positive “yes!” exclamation and gives a big green tick every time you complete a set. It’s very motivational.
What it doesn’t do:
- show you how to do any exercises (I have youtube and google for that anyway)
- spot you on big lifts
- lie and say, “it’s all you buddy.”
The interface has a great deal of power – you can enter exercises, add them to workouts and add all different types of lateral raise if you so desire – it allows you to track anything you care to. It’s also so simple that you can line everything up and just turn up and lift on auto-pilot – start when it goes ding, enter your progress and then go to the next exercise. So simple a fat-fingered gap-toothed bad-boy can plug away at it as he benches and squats.
Also it’s $3, which is less than the cost of one squirt of antler velvet. I don’t know about you, but having details of my last five workouts right in front of me when I’m pumping iron is more use than a line of powdered reindeer any day. Also, Gym Buddy has an icon that looks like a be-muscled and angry M&M. What more do you want?
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