Tag: Exercise »

We've looked at some pretty intriguing games from Mojo Bones and Simogo, but this time round, it's the turn of a more exercise-focused app developer in the form of Six To Start.

What is Six To Start?: Six To Start describes itself as next-gen storytellers. Made up of a variety of different staff from backgrounds as diverse as the theatre and neuroscience, the company works on online games, as well as apps for iOS, each with the focus on storytelling as well as providing memorable experiences. One glance at the team page on the company site ably demonstrates just how varied skillsets the team offer.

What is Six To Start most famous for?
Zombies, Run! One of the most successful Kickstarter projects in recent times, Zombies, Run! manages to make running (or walking) fun by adding a zombie twist to proceedings. Stick your headphones in as you run and an immersive audio adventure kicks in, distracting you from the aches and pains as well as telling a fantastic story, courtesy of award-winning novelist Naomi Alderman.

What's next on the horizon?
There's been a steady stream of new content for Zombies, Run! since it launched earlier this year but CEO Adrian Hon has promised us that a new app, Zombies, Run! 5k Training, will be out in the near future, aimed directly at beginner runners. New updates for Zombies, Run! will continue, also.

Anything else I should know about Six To Start?
Yup! We asked Adrian Hon how Zombies, Run! came about.

148apps: What was the inspiration behind creating Zombies, Run?

Adrian: It came from a couple of places - I've been a runner for a long time now, but it didn't come naturally! I only really got into it with the help of gadgets like the Garmin Forerunner GPS watch, which at least helped you see how much you were improving. The problem was that they didn't make running any more interesting or fun, and even when GPS tracking apps became commonplace, no-one seemed to be making running games for smartphones, so it was something that I've wanted to do for some time.

The other half of the inspiration came from our co-creator and writer Naomi Alderman, who fairly recently joined a running club. When they asked people why they'd joined, some people said 'to get fit', others 'to lose weight', but one person said, 'to survive the zombie apocalypse'! We put two and two together, and that's where Zombies, Run! came from!

148apps: What’s your favourite thing about iOS development?

Adrian: There's a lot to like - the solid development environment, the consistency across devices (although the iPhone 5 does make our life a little more difficult!), the comparative smoothness of publishing on iTunes Connect, and the absolutely massive potential audience. It's not perfect, but it's very good.

Where can I find out more about Six To Start?
Quite a few places. The Six To Start website is a good starting place, there's also the Twitter page. For more zombie based updates, check out the official Zombies, Run! website and its Twitter account. And, of course, we'll keep you informed on any updates and the progress of Zombies, Run! 5k Training

Many of us live in increasingly busy times that mean we don't always have as much free time as we'd like, especially when it comes to finding that spare hour in the day to exercise. Dog owners also need to find the time to take care of their beloved pooch and ensure they're well cared for and well trained. Why am I reminding you of all these responsibilities? Because, fortunately, there's an app that combines the two!

It's called Thank Dog! and it comes from the people behind Thank Dog! Bootcamp, an exercise bootcamp that also ensures your dog is well trained.

The bootcamp routine is the brainchild of Jill and Jamie Bowers. Jill Bowers explained it better than us when we asked her how it all came about: "I’ve been a dog trainer for 11 years and during that time, I became 40 pounds overweight. I have a Doberman who loves to exercise and when I decided to finally lose the weight, I joined a bootcamp. I got so into the bootcamp style workout, got trained for a fitness dvd due to my success story of losing 40 pounds. My poor pup didn’t get the exercise she needed (she got a little hefty after a while too, ha!) because my dedication to my own fitness regime made me too tired. So, long story short, I needed to change that and created the nation’s first obedience and fitness bootcamp for dogs and owners."

The bootcamp has been a great success with Jill taking personal training certification and working with a bootcamp instructor to ensure the class was perfect for both dog and owner alike. As Jill knows, "dogs learn faster with repetition and consistency" as well as while having fun so classes were "made up of 10 min intervals and it’s a total of 30 minutes of cardio and 30 min of strength training". Jill's own dog, Quinn, is now "the most exercised dog on the planet", thanks to this, as you can see from the photo.

The next logical step after setting up the bootcamp was to create an app in the form of Thank Dog! Mobile.

Currently available for free, with additional content unlockable for $2.99, the app combines cardio training, strength training and the all important dog training. It's all exactly how things would be if you attended the Thank Dog! urban bootcamp.

Users are taught through 20 1 hour routines to exercise at the same time as training their dog important obedience commands, while still having fun, of course. A resistance band is required alongside the app but that's all that's needed to get fitter. Exercises include things such as doing shoulder presses while commanding your dog to stay or jogging while ensuring your lovably mutt is staying near your heel.

It all sounds like a fantastic idea to me and Dog Whisperer himself Cesar Milan has also backed the program. Why not give it a go for yourself? Let us know how you - and your doggie - get on!

Good weather season is here and, along with that, the urge to look good and get in shape for it. One such way is through new workout app Pushing Weight.

Pushing Weight is designed for beginners to intermediate levels and dispenses with teaching users how to do relevant moves, instead focusing on providing a means to log and plan workouts.

Essentially, it means that the user can track and visualize their workout patterns, working out what works best for them. Training frequently rewards the user with a streak for each session they complete, represented by charge bars that fill up. It's a neat touch that helps users check at a glance what they need to work on to keep those bars full.

For those in need of an easy way of tracking their workout routines, Pushing Weight is an ideal and easy to use solution.

It's out now, priced at $2.99.

The vast majority of dogs need a lot of exercise and regular walks. It's an ideal way for their human owner to get fitter and healthier, while having great fun with their beloved pooch. For those people, why not give MapMyDOGWALK a shot?

MapMyDOGWALK is from the makers of iMapMyFITNESS and offers a convenient way of logging dog walks while automatically tracking how many calories are being burned at the time.

It's easy to set up with Twitter integration for the social side of things, plus iPod integration for those who want to listen to music at the same time. Throughout, mapping functionality keeps track of the route taken and synchronizes with the MapMyWalk.com server.

It even lets users know about any upcoming dog events in the local area that might be worth checking out.

MapMyDOGWALK is out now and it's free to download. The ideal reason to get out and take the dog out for a different walk than usual!

App developer, Abvio, has a robust offering of workout apps tailored specifically for the iPhone user. These apps, including Runmeter, Cyclemeter and Walkmeter which respectively track running, cycling, and walking workouts. Each of these apps track and store workout data on the iPhone itself so there is no need for users to connect to any online database to upload or download their data. This can save precious KB for the more data conscious users out there. Users can also post their workout activity to Facebook, Twitter, or dailymile.com and when friends reply to these posts, the apps will report those responses to the user in real time using text-to-speech technology. One voice is included free and other voices are available via in-app purchase for $0.99 each.

As an added bonus, Abvio has recently announced that their apps now support many of the Wahoo Fitness products. Using these monitoring device with their devices, users can track detailed stats on their heart rate and calories burned during their workouts.

Last week, as part of our Health & Fitness themed month, Lisa looked at how apps can help people keep track of the calories they consume. That's great but weight loss and general improved fitness levels won't be achieved without some exercise thrown into the equation. While iOS apps can't force anyone to exercise but they can go a long way to encouraging someone to work harder to achieve their goals. We round up four of the best apps when it comes to tracking progress.

RunKeeper

RunKeeper should be the first port of call for anyone planning on partaking in some outside exercise such as running, walking or cycling to get fit. Other exercises are catered for like swimming, skiing and rowing too with the app's strength stemming from its GPS functionality although indoors use is also possible. RunKeeper tracks more than just how far the user has travelled with speed, pace and calories calculated. Via the GPS functionality, the app even tracks the route taken. All that information is then synced to the RunKeeper website for additional stats and profiling. Interval workouts and target pacing can also be set for the competitive user.

Fleetly

Fleetly is an incredibly simple idea that taps into one key thing that all humans react well to: a feeling of achievement. Within Fleetly, users enter the workout that they've previously performed with the app then allocating points according to how tough the exercise was. Those points then go towards a levelling up system and a global leaderboard with numerous challenges to join and medals to gain. There's a workout generator and coaching side to the app too but the real beauty is in the way it makes its users compete with themselves as much as with others.

All-in-Fitness

All-in Fitness sets out to encompass everything possible fitness wise with 100 ready-made workouts, 1000 fitness & yoga exercises and a calorie counter. The focus here however is on its tracking. The app allows its users to enter numerous different kinds of exercise in order to track calorie consumption and general performance levels. It's a very in-depth app that seems determined to miss nothing (it even includes sex in exercise type) so it might take a little time to fully figure out, but it's ideal for those who need both guidance and a way of tracking all in one app.

Gym Hero

In comparison to the previous app, Gym Hero is incredibly simple. That's where it's ideal for experienced gym rats. For those who don't need to be told what exercises will work for them or how to achieve better results, Gym Hero enables a simple and quick way of entering workout progress without the need to repeatedly enter words like sets and reps. It's even possible to set up different workouts making it incredibly quick to use for those juggling different routines depending on the day.