Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Pocket Workout Wizard 3 mini review
Being an avid fitness fan, one thing I have been on the lookout for is a good quality guide to weight training. I have tested out several pieces of software, some better than others, however have yet to find one that helps you target a good workout but also offers a good and clear instruction on how to correctly carry out this workout – until now. Let me give you a brief introduction on Pocket Workout Wizard 3 and how this software can help any would be gym users define a good weight training program.
First, let me clarify that this application targets weight training only, there are no cardiovascular exercises or complete training guides and no dietary information on offer. If you are looking to include this kind of information into your workout then this program is not for you. What this application offers are three distinct sections – an animated exercise guide, a workout planner and a workout journal.
The exercise guide is a very well executed component that is integrated cleverly into related areas of the program. From the Home page, you can select ‘Anatomy Chart’ which brings up an illustrated front on human profile with the major muscle groups listed. Tapping on the change view button flips this round to the rear view with the corresponding groups on offer. Selecting any of the available groups takes you to the exercise screen for that muscle group. From here you can tap any of the exercise names which will take you to the animated screen showing the exercise being executed. A brief description of the exercise is also on this screen with the ‘Exercise’ menu taking you through more detailed information such as alternative equipment to carry out the exercise, the starting position and finally how to correctly perform the exercise. The animation can also be paused or slowed down or viewed from a different angle if you wish to study the movement.
If you are familiar with a particular exercise, instead of tapping its name you can use the icon to its right to add this into a custom exercise program. From here you can add the number of sets, weight used and repetitions to build your own personal workout.
Going back to the Home page, Muscle Gain will take you into one of the inbuilt workout routines. Here you select the number of days in the week you wish to train with a drop down menu letting you select between the basic routine, German Volume Training or Supersets. To start your workout proper, you then select the preconfigured muscle group and then work your way through the delivered exercises filling in the training record as you go. Once you have finished these exercises, you move onto the next muscle group and so on until you have completed that day’s workout.
The alternative type of routine on offer is Shaping which is aimed at toning your body instead of increasing muscle size. In here you can select a full or partial body workout and then select the number of days you want to train much in the same way as the muscle gain routine. For each type of routine, a detailed overview is on offer explaining things like the warm up, the level at which you should be working at and what kind of weight to utilise.
The final piece of the jigsaw is the Training Journal. This records all your workouts as you go and stores them in a daily format or by a specific exercise. Notes can be added for a workout and these can also be tracked through the journal. Looking up a workout is as simple as picking the date or an exercise from the drop down list of all completed. You can also manage this journal by deleting a full workout or a particular exercise for a given date.
I would recommend Pocket Workout Wizard to all but the advanced weight trainers out there. Unless you train daily with a fully qualified instructor or have an in depth knowledge of a wide variety of exercises, this application will be of great benefit. It also sports a very good entry system for recording your work out data with your fingertips. The only issue I found with this system is there was no key to skip back a field to correct a mistake; you would have to physically tap on the field to alter it even though there was a key to skip forward to the next field. Otherwise, top marks to the ease of use and of the clarity of the exercise animations – simple and easy to follow. Even the enclosed help file is clear and concise being straight to the point which ensures you will get the most from this title.
Clarity and ease of use seem to have been high on the agenda when Workout Wizard was being designed and thankfully this has been realised. This really is as good as having a training instructor in your pocket when you hit the gym. The price does seem a little pricy at $50 given there is no cardio or dietary assistance included but if you would otherwise have to pay for a personal trainer to achieve your results it may turn out to be a great value for money purchase.
More details and screens can be found on PocketGear.
First, let me clarify that this application targets weight training only, there are no cardiovascular exercises or complete training guides and no dietary information on offer. If you are looking to include this kind of information into your workout then this program is not for you. What this application offers are three distinct sections – an animated exercise guide, a workout planner and a workout journal.
The exercise guide is a very well executed component that is integrated cleverly into related areas of the program. From the Home page, you can select ‘Anatomy Chart’ which brings up an illustrated front on human profile with the major muscle groups listed. Tapping on the change view button flips this round to the rear view with the corresponding groups on offer. Selecting any of the available groups takes you to the exercise screen for that muscle group. From here you can tap any of the exercise names which will take you to the animated screen showing the exercise being executed. A brief description of the exercise is also on this screen with the ‘Exercise’ menu taking you through more detailed information such as alternative equipment to carry out the exercise, the starting position and finally how to correctly perform the exercise. The animation can also be paused or slowed down or viewed from a different angle if you wish to study the movement.
If you are familiar with a particular exercise, instead of tapping its name you can use the icon to its right to add this into a custom exercise program. From here you can add the number of sets, weight used and repetitions to build your own personal workout.
Going back to the Home page, Muscle Gain will take you into one of the inbuilt workout routines. Here you select the number of days in the week you wish to train with a drop down menu letting you select between the basic routine, German Volume Training or Supersets. To start your workout proper, you then select the preconfigured muscle group and then work your way through the delivered exercises filling in the training record as you go. Once you have finished these exercises, you move onto the next muscle group and so on until you have completed that day’s workout.
The alternative type of routine on offer is Shaping which is aimed at toning your body instead of increasing muscle size. In here you can select a full or partial body workout and then select the number of days you want to train much in the same way as the muscle gain routine. For each type of routine, a detailed overview is on offer explaining things like the warm up, the level at which you should be working at and what kind of weight to utilise.
The final piece of the jigsaw is the Training Journal. This records all your workouts as you go and stores them in a daily format or by a specific exercise. Notes can be added for a workout and these can also be tracked through the journal. Looking up a workout is as simple as picking the date or an exercise from the drop down list of all completed. You can also manage this journal by deleting a full workout or a particular exercise for a given date.
I would recommend Pocket Workout Wizard to all but the advanced weight trainers out there. Unless you train daily with a fully qualified instructor or have an in depth knowledge of a wide variety of exercises, this application will be of great benefit. It also sports a very good entry system for recording your work out data with your fingertips. The only issue I found with this system is there was no key to skip back a field to correct a mistake; you would have to physically tap on the field to alter it even though there was a key to skip forward to the next field. Otherwise, top marks to the ease of use and of the clarity of the exercise animations – simple and easy to follow. Even the enclosed help file is clear and concise being straight to the point which ensures you will get the most from this title.
Clarity and ease of use seem to have been high on the agenda when Workout Wizard was being designed and thankfully this has been realised. This really is as good as having a training instructor in your pocket when you hit the gym. The price does seem a little pricy at $50 given there is no cardio or dietary assistance included but if you would otherwise have to pay for a personal trainer to achieve your results it may turn out to be a great value for money purchase.
More details and screens can be found on PocketGear.
