Training fitness apps or the gym?

Apps are becoming popular among fitness fanatics.

Apps are becoming popular among fitness fanatics.

Published Feb 10, 2020

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Digital workout and fitness apps have been steadily taking over the fitness business.

More and more people are downloading these apps because they make workouts easier, especially when travelling, or even when life just gets too busy.

Many companies and personal trainers have jumped onto the app trend and they do digital training instead of personal training.

Johno’s e-Fitness Faculty (JEFF), a mobile fitness app, is all about making sure that regular exercise is accessible and convenient.

“It’s the ability to exercise whenever and wherever it’s convenient instead of meeting up with a personal trainer.

“People can have a personal coach they are digitally in touch with daily,’’ says JEFF.

A fitness solution that allows people to exercise anywhere and at any time is becoming a necessity. Having easy access to a coach via smartphone is a natural extension of the way people are living and working in 2020.

When asked if these apps are taking over, Daniella Lagerwey, a nutrition and fitness coach, says she thinks so.

But Lagerwey also says it’s important to note that there are people who need an actual trainer to be hands-on and waiting for them at the gym so that they are held accountable for their session and so they show up and train.

“Then I find there are those other people, especially mothers, who don’t have time for a trainer or even barely time to train at all, so coaching apps help give them what they need to do a workout from home,” she explains.

However, Brett Bellinger, Puma’s marketing director, says: “Apps provide an easy, uncomplicated way of training.

“They also provide a low barrier to entry for those who want to start training.”

He added: “A training app

should be seen as an easy-to-use option that will provide an easy to intense workout, depending on your needs.”

Lagerwey says you should find out if the creators or coaches of the app are known in the field of health and fitness. Are they trustworthy and qualified?

Do the movements or exercises and meal plans suit you and have a balanced and holistic approach to health and fitness?

She added that people should be cautious when training.

People can perform the exercises incorrectly because they are copying them from a small screen and are not corrected by a trainer in the room. This can increase the chance of injury.

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