Review iPhone Fitness App: lolo Treadmill Trainer – Day 7 & 8
This is the sixth in a series documenting my experience with the iPhone fitness app, lolo BeatBurn Treadmill/Outdoor Trainer.
Another five day gap between workouts is not the recommended way to do this. It is the way my life is currently working. Things are very busy for me now with some major life transitions about to occur. I’ll talk about those at another time. There are other things that maintain a higher priority for me than exercise. I admit this, and I know the consequences. Until exercise, and more importantly, dietary changes are higher on my priority list, I will not experience any significant weight loss. Combine the hectic quality of my life now with the fact I am unbelievably good at procrastinating, and you get sporadic reviews of a fitness app.
My next workout was on Sunday, February 24th. This one varied from 0-12% with only one two-minute interval of 2.0 mph at 12%. The rest of the intervals were from 0-8%. Speeds ranged from 2.0 to 4.3 mph with 4.3 mph being the fastest I’ve gone on this program to date. There were two intervals at that speed, lasting only thirty seconds a piece. Those were completely doable for me, even though they came about halfway through the workout and were preceded by a series of one-minute intervals that had me thinking, “Holy butt muscles!” The glutes had a decent beating, and not of the paddle variety. Overall, this was definitely a more definitive step up from the previous workout.
The Day 8 workout on Tuesday, February 26th featured more of the same. In fact, it was even harder, and I experienced my first moment of doubt I would be able to continue without decreasing the intensity with the app. This too had its “Holy butt muscles” moments, but it was the significant ramping up of intensity right after the warm-up that made the muscle on my shin (tibialis anterior) cry out and threaten to cramp. My calves and glutes weren’t too happy either. They were all telling me I need to quit waiting so long between workouts, so they have a chance to adjust. I told them, “Fat chance.” (Yes, that was an intentional pun.)
This session had a variety of speeds, inclines, and interval lengths. The beginning half of the workout was so tough on me, it made the three-minute interval at 3.5 mph seem like a blessing. Another three-minute interval of heavenly 2.7 mph followed. Then it was back to misery, though not the fierce brand brought on at the beginning. I managed to get through the whole thing without decreasing intensity.
Once again, both of these workouts featured inclines from 0-12% and speeds from 2.0-4.3 mph. They were also my biggest challenges to date, which brings me to something that came to mind that I haven’t addressed yet.
As I said, I started this workout at the most beginner setting. I am not in great shape, and I am obese with a BMI over 36. That being said, I have also ran several half-marathons, the last one being in May 2012. While I am in the worst shape of my life, I am not as bad as some people I know. Until the past year, my weight is mainly due to my terrible eating habits, not my activity level. I say all this because this app starts at a level that is above that of your average couch potato. It does have the ability to decrease your intensity, and I will have to see how far that can be decreased before I can recommend this to those who have been committed to a seriously sedentary lifestyle.
It is also possible to do a fifteen minute workout, which is something I should probably consider doing next time I think about putting exercise off for another five days. I originally intended to do 45 minutes each and every time, but with so many things getting in the way, it could be beneficial to test out the 15 and 30 minutes options.
Though it may sound strange, I actually enjoyed being pushed to my limits during these workouts. This is the first time I experienced true discomfort or doubt, and that’s the sign of something good. Change is uncomfortable. If I’m going to have results, I need a challenge. These two workouts did that.
The next planned workout is Thursday. I am off from my regular job on Thursdays, so that is typically a good day to do things. The problem is, I plan a lot of stuff on those days. This Thursday is no different. I’m probably only making excuses before the failure. Not the best strategy, but it is the way I think. That explains a lot.