by Annie Vischer
It has never been easier to keep fit than it is now. With time-friendly routines, fashion forward workout gear and new gym classes galore, we have a whole world of fitness options at our fingertips. One of the fastest growing health and fitness sectors of 2013 has been app technology, and Nike have maintained their place at the forefront of these innovations throughout the year, alongside a whole host of fitness apps. Take a look at our list of the most popular fitness apps here.
The next app launch within the Nike Training Club comes just in time to kick start all our new year’s fitness resolutions. The new N+TC App comes with a new Nike+ pulse and a brand new set of features. The N+TC now amounts to nearly 11 million members and continues to grow. The app acts as a digital personal trainer, providing exercising prograpmmes, motivation and tracking progress.
The new features this year are aimed at increasing personalisation. N+TC members will be able to develop four-week long programs, customising each workout as they go. Nike Running and NikeFuel can also now be integrated into the app, so that workouts and the effectiveness of each workout can be measured in greater detail.
Maria Sharapova’s New Year’s Crush Workout coincides with the updated N+TC App. The workout is designed by Sharapova’s very own strength and conditioning coach Yutaka Nakamura and features exercises that the tennis star uses herself to mantain and improve her fitness. Only 15 minutes long, the workout slots in easily to any daily routine, whether you take yourself through it before your morning shower, use it to give you a boost at lunchtime or as an evening workout session.
The workout is made up of five drills, all designed to work each body area evenly and effectively. Maria Sharapova takes users through each move, taking the workout through a total body workout that looks in particular to build core strength and condition the legs. It’s definitely a girl-friendly workout. And if you get a little distracted and end up gazing enviously at some of the en trend workout gear Miss Sharapova is sporting throughout the clips, well you can use the app to shop those too! Any excuse right?
Here Nike describes the features that are on offer in the new N+TC App:
Four-Week Programs – A personal trainer serves to motivate and mix things up when an athlete’s workout is getting stale. The N+TC App accomplishes both by providing four-week programs that keep users committed to their goals of getting lean, toned or strong. These programs will push the female athlete to put in the time, even on those days when motivation is lacking.
Customizable Content – Users can now customize workouts by swapping out select drills for alternative ones. For instance, a female athlete preferring Russian Twists to kick downs can make the switch without sacrificing any time spent working the same muscle group.
Downloadable Content – The N+TC App will feature more than 100 workouts, all of which have been refreshed from the app’s previous version, six of which are entirely new. Fresh content will continue to populate the app in the coming months to keep athletes engaged and excited.
With all content included, the app is approximately 500 MB. However, users can now choose to start with the 50 MB shell of the app and download individual workouts one at a time. This enables athletes to personalize the app with only the content they want, while also keeping it lighter and faster.
Nike+ Running Integration – Running is a natural staple of training regimens. With this in mind, the N+TC App now offers running in its four-week programs. In doing so, it integrates with the Nike+ Running App, which helps athletes map their runs, track their distances and measure the calories they’ve burned. In addition, the minutes from each run will be added to the user’s N+TC minute total.
NikeFuel Enablement – The N+TC App estimates the NikeFuel that is earned and the calories that are burned for each workout. In addition, users with the Nike+ FuelBand SE will be able to tag their N+TC sessions in the Nike+ FuelBand App.
Athlete Workouts – Bonus athlete and reward content is now available to all users, no matter how many N+TC minutes they’ve earned. This content includes workouts inspired by world-class athletes such as Maria Sharapova, whose “New Year’s Crush” workout will launch in harmony with the new N+TC App.
Milestones and Sharing – All hard work deserves recognition. Once users finish a four-week program or eclipse a training minutes marker, they will be awarded with milestones. Athletes can share these milestones, as well as completed workouts and motivational messages, via social media.
Nike Training Club is a global proposition, with female athletes from around the world comprising its community. The new N+TC App will be available on both iOS and Android in English, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, French, German, Spanish and Italian-language versions.