Fitness apps or Personal Trainer? Which one do you prefer? Which one is more effective?
Thousands of people are crazy about finding a way to get a perfect body as fast as possible. Of course, getting exercise along with applying a reasonable diet is the best choice. However, the problem is how we should practice.
Perhaps fitness apps have no longer been strange to all of us. Just go to the Google Play store then you will find out loads of apps to install.
Those apps may provide you with all the necessary information about the way to your fitness goal. But of course, during the workout process, sometimes you will wonder about more things or don’t know exactly what to do among various sources of information.
And that’s why in some aspects, finding a Personal Trainer (or PT) would be better.
In fact, both fitness apps and PT have their own advantages. Below are several main ideas listed for gymers to consider which one you prefer.
Personal Trainer (PT)
It is always better to have a person guide you on what you have to do, especially when that one is much experienced in the field.
We can’t learn Maths, Physics, Chemistry, etc. without going to school. We would never be able to read and write without being taught by primary school teachers.
Fitness is also similar to the above mentioned subjects. PTs are trained to help other people exercise.
They know what is our strengths and weaknesses, so when we tell them our main goal, they will know how to start, and which exercises are suitable for the target. We won’t have to swim along various information sources on the internet.
We can also avoid injuries when exercising with a PT. There are a lot of videos with detailed instruction to imitate, but you cannot see how yourself is doing. A real PT will stand by your side, watch how you do each exercise, and correct it if it is wrongly done.
Besides, a PT also helps us to overcome our own phobias. For example, you may feel afraid of doing some exercises.
Or you might have an injury somewhere in your body parts but you never dared to rebuild the muscles and improve mobility. Then PTs are there to help you. Their experience can make a huge change to your training program.
Last but not least, PTs can help you to form good habits. It takes a long time to create good habits and give up bad ones. Maybe it would take some weeks, some months, or even a year. A good PT will encourage you to go on the right track. You will be pushed and have more effort to reach the final goal.
Fitness apps
The first advantage of using fitness apps is free cost. Although most of them have charged version which can be more useful and interesting, you can try a free one to see how it works. It is hard to get a job in this developed world, and it is even harder to save money from your monthly salary.
That’s why not everyone can afford to buy a full gym membership card as well as pay for the charge of practicing with a PT.
If you are in this case, fitness apps can be the best choice. You don’t have to pay for anything, just grasp a smartphone and get started to work out.
Fitness apps are also very convenient. You can practice anywhere, at anytime you want, either when you are on your business trip or traveling on a tour, or when you are staying at home. You won’t be tied in any specific area, just workout as you want.
Moreover, fitness apps can also support tracking your progress. You have spent a great effort exercising, but you don’t know how many calories you have burnt so far.
Apps like Strava and Runkeeper use your smartphone’s GPS to track your mileage and speed when you go out for hiking, cycling or jogging, or running.
Then they will automatically generate a progress report to see how much you have done. It would make you feel more motivated whenever looking at the positive numbers.
Some apps are specialized in calculating the nutrients in your diet. As everyone knows, diet is the most important factor besides exercise during the workout schedule. You may spend hours and hours getting exercise but can’t get any result.
That’s maybe because you are on the wrong diet. Special apps can help to track your food intake (e.g. Weight Watchers, iWeight Deluxe, etc.). You can try these to see how they can help.
If you are a beginner and don’t know which app is good to start with, try the below suggestions. They are rated as the best fitness apps for beginners:
1. Map my fitness
This is the most classic and also the best fitness app for beginners. It can log more than 600 different fitness activities and can sync with more than 400 devices so that users can see the whole picture of their workout progress.
You will be able to set your own goal, then the app will help to measure your workout in pace, distance, and calories you have burned.
You can search nearby running trails by its GPS feature, and this app even can help to track your heart rate in the premium version.
2. Gixo
Gixo offers the first seven days’ trials for free. Then it will cost $20/month if you pay month-to-month or $15 for a full-year subscription.
You will have a chance to access many workout classes throughout the day. There are up to 19 hours of live workouts every day, including both indoor and outdoor activities.
You can choose to attend a variety of classes like cardio, strength training, and so on. If you’re too busy to exercise in an hour class, you can still work out for 15 minutes or as long as you want. It will also help to track the minutes, pace, distance, and steps.
3. Fitbit Coach
If you are strict enough with yourself and ensure following the workout schedule in a long term, this app can work as a great PT. It is one of the best fitness apps for those who are beginners on the workout journey.
It creates workouts based on your level, so nothing is too difficult and you won’t feel frustrated on the way. The interesting thing is that the app provides workout playlists including complementary exercises after each session, so it would be easier for you to follow.