Anyone who has ever tried getting in shape without a workout buddy, a personal trainer, or a drill sergeant knows how difficult it can be to get motivated. A gym membership can be expensive, not to mention inconvenient. Nike has offered up NTC (Nike Training Club) as a free, ad-free, no excuses solution for newbies and fitness addicts alike.
Not only do you get a simple, sexy way to get in shape, but you get rewards! When you enter the app, you get two figures: your total training time, and what you need to do to hit your next level reward. A celebrity (i.e. Lea Michele, Hope Solo) is featured with their personal workout that you can do. From here you have two options; choose a workout, or do a quick conditioning corps routine.
When you go to choose your workout, you choose your workout by goal. I love this feature. My biggest problem with working out is that I know what I want the end result to be, but have no clue how to get there. Each goal (get lean, get toned, get strong, get focused) then has three levels (beginner, intermediate, advanced). NTC has to be the closest you can get to a personalized workout without splurging for a personal trainer.
What’s Macgasmic?
This has to be, hands down, my favourite app ever. NTC boasts a flawless design and task-oriented nature. Not only is the end workout super personalized, but for each move within that workout, there’s a simple video showing you how to do it properly. This is especially useful for beginners, until you get the hang of each workout within the app.
NTC is extremely intuitive, and I honestly still (after months of using) cannot believe this app cost me nothing. No workout video or application has ever held me so accountable for my own fitness level. NTC doesn’t let me make excuses. NTC doesn’t let me fudge my workout. It keeps my workouts, tracks my progress, and is my own personal cheerleader. I cannot say enough good things about this app.
What I Would Improve
I haven’t made it a secret that I am in love with this app. However, playing Devil’s Advocate is what makes a great app top notch. There are a couple things I would like to see from this app in the future.
Sales Strategy
It’s a free app, which is great. But even as a user, I want to know where I can buy that fitness top that girl is wearing in the video. Having a subtle touch feature that would allow me to discover more about Nike products wouldn’t take away from the sleekness of the app, but add that extra touch for users who are curious.
Social Aspect
As a user, I would like to be able to share my workouts, my progress, and my badges with my friends and workout buddies. The beauty of mobile applications is the simple integration of social aspects. I’m actually very curious as to Nike’s reasoning behind not including social networking in the first place. This feature addition would also help in gaining awareness for this super awesome, unbelievably free app.
This app is a must-download. Having it available, in my pocket, whenever I find the motivation (or need the motivation!) to get in shape is priceless.
