D
dmkatz
Guest
I am a one who regularly exercises, so I have been looking for a good application to organize my workouts since getting an Android phone in November of 2009. None, until now, have met my needs.
The interface for this application is clean and simple, which I think is required for a fitness application. By definition, you will be using the app when you are doing other activities, so the ability to quickly log progress is a must. I have found Droidfit to work well in this area. It takes you through the workout from exercise to exercise seamlessly and the ability to scroll through a list of repetitions and weight means that data entry does not disturb the workout. This is also very merciful on the developer?s part for those of us with only a soft keyboard for this purpose. I did have a bit of a learning curve with when to save the progress, however, and on the first go around accidentally saved data in the wrong exercise. This hiccup was minor, though, and I have been using it since without error
When not in the midst of a workout, the application provides a very simple way to create and customize workouts. Adding a workout is a simple push on a button. Adding exercises to the workouts is as simple, but this does require the user to click into the workout to customize the individual exercises. Users can even add exercises not in the included catalog, which makes for endless customization potential. While creating the workouts did feel like a bit burdensome at first, there is no other way to structure the interface with maximum customization and, once the workouts are created, this is no longer an issue. On the whole, I chalk it up to setup time, which is an issue with any application.
The only major challenge that I encountered was with respect to the different modes that the application uses for set up. To perform batch type operation, the developer has created delete and regular modes. This makes sense and is pretty easy to use once I got the hang of it, but I did not find it intuitive at the start.
One other aspect of the application that I have found extremely useful is the profile. Unlike many workout applications, Droidfit provides users a means to track aspects of their fitness beyond exercise progression such as weight, body measurements and body fat. These are items that I personally overlook in my workout programs and this feature provides a great reminder that I am working out for a reason. This part of the application is also where users compile their workout progress, which provides an easy dashboard type experience to see how I am progressing.
The only major shortcoming that I see to this application is integration and I have seen this as a weakness in all fitness applications. I would like to be able to connect my workout schedule with my overall life activities and an ability to tie into Google Calendar with reminders would be awesome. There is no substitute for a pesky reminder to get off my butt to workout and such a feature would be indispensable to providing such a motivation.
All in all, I give this application high marks. The interface is succinct and easy to use. Setup took some time, but that was more due to data entry and I accept that this is a necessary evil and I gladly accept this in exchange for the great customization potential. I would like to see better integration with calendar programs at a later point, but, until that point, I have definitely found my workout program of choice.
The interface for this application is clean and simple, which I think is required for a fitness application. By definition, you will be using the app when you are doing other activities, so the ability to quickly log progress is a must. I have found Droidfit to work well in this area. It takes you through the workout from exercise to exercise seamlessly and the ability to scroll through a list of repetitions and weight means that data entry does not disturb the workout. This is also very merciful on the developer?s part for those of us with only a soft keyboard for this purpose. I did have a bit of a learning curve with when to save the progress, however, and on the first go around accidentally saved data in the wrong exercise. This hiccup was minor, though, and I have been using it since without error
When not in the midst of a workout, the application provides a very simple way to create and customize workouts. Adding a workout is a simple push on a button. Adding exercises to the workouts is as simple, but this does require the user to click into the workout to customize the individual exercises. Users can even add exercises not in the included catalog, which makes for endless customization potential. While creating the workouts did feel like a bit burdensome at first, there is no other way to structure the interface with maximum customization and, once the workouts are created, this is no longer an issue. On the whole, I chalk it up to setup time, which is an issue with any application.
The only major challenge that I encountered was with respect to the different modes that the application uses for set up. To perform batch type operation, the developer has created delete and regular modes. This makes sense and is pretty easy to use once I got the hang of it, but I did not find it intuitive at the start.
One other aspect of the application that I have found extremely useful is the profile. Unlike many workout applications, Droidfit provides users a means to track aspects of their fitness beyond exercise progression such as weight, body measurements and body fat. These are items that I personally overlook in my workout programs and this feature provides a great reminder that I am working out for a reason. This part of the application is also where users compile their workout progress, which provides an easy dashboard type experience to see how I am progressing.
The only major shortcoming that I see to this application is integration and I have seen this as a weakness in all fitness applications. I would like to be able to connect my workout schedule with my overall life activities and an ability to tie into Google Calendar with reminders would be awesome. There is no substitute for a pesky reminder to get off my butt to workout and such a feature would be indispensable to providing such a motivation.
All in all, I give this application high marks. The interface is succinct and easy to use. Setup took some time, but that was more due to data entry and I accept that this is a necessary evil and I gladly accept this in exchange for the great customization potential. I would like to see better integration with calendar programs at a later point, but, until that point, I have definitely found my workout program of choice.