Apple iPod Touch, the Ultimate Gadget for Excercise?

December 3rd, 2008 • Cycling/Fitness, Review

While many people view exercise as a dull, monotonous task, the truth is, that with the right entertainment, it can be quite fun. For most of my cycling and other work-outs, I listen to a 1st generation 8gb Apple iPod Touch. While riding my bike at the end of an 80 minute session on the rollers, I began thinking how perfect the iPod Touch is as an exercise tool.

Music

Good music can make or break a workout. The iPod is the perfect tool for providing you with great music for long, intense workouts. Current iPods have more than enough memory to hold sufficient music for days of exercise without replaying a song. My 8gb Touch model can hold 1,750 songs, more than I, and most other people, have in their entire music library. In addition, the playlist features in the newest versions on iTunes make designing a workout playlist easier than ever.

• Manual Playlists: Obviously the oldest and simplest form of playlist available in iTunes, they offer you the most control over which music occurs in your playlist. However, they require that you design the playlist ahead of time in iTunes (unless you use the On-The-Go feature).
• Smart Playlists: These are slightly more complex than manual playlists, but have been a part of iTunes for almost as long. Smart playlists allow you to set up a set of conditions that dictate which music will appear in your playlist. Because they can be based on play count, rating, last play date, etc., etc., the playlist is dynamic and changes every time you sync with iTunes.
• Genius Playlists: The newest type of playlist in iTunes, genius playlists are perhaps my favorite of the three choices. They allow you to choose a song in your library and it automatically designs a playlists with songs similar to that playlist. For exercise, I like to choose an intense, fast paced song, and then design a playlist around it.

The music features of the iPod Touch are its main feature, and its most used on mine, and many other devices. In addition, music is one of the biggest reasons why the iPod Touch may be the perfect gadget for exercise.

Clock

Although it is often looked upon as one of the most mundane applications to come on an iPod Touch, I find it endlessly useful for exercises. I use the stopwatch to time long road bicycle rides, and to keep tempo on my push-up and sit-up sessions. In addition, the timer is very useful to time the different sections of my daily roller rides. Without the clock application on my iPod Touch, my workouts would be much less consistent, and therefore much less effective.

Weather

Although weather is a relatively simple app on the iPod Touch, it is invaluable as an outdoor athlete. The weather app allows me to quickly and easily glance at the forecast to make sure that it is safe to go out for a ride or a run. In addition, the temperature data lets me know what type of layering I should wear on my ride to stay warm, dry, and comfortable. Because of Wi-Fi, I am able to check all of this while walking around my house. No need to sit down at a computer, bring up Noaa.gov, type in my zip code, and view the weather. The weather app on the iPod Touch is one I find myself checking almost every day.

3rd Party Apps

With the recent introduction of the App Store, the abilities of the iPod Touch as an exercise gadget have become nearly endless. 3rd party developers can know write apps to fit the needs of users, including athletes. Already, a number of great apps have been introduced which help to enhance the use of an iPod Touch as an exercise gadget.

• Cychosis: Although I mostly use velog to track my rides, Cychosis is a great option to log rides right on your iPod Touch while on the go. The app has a number of features including the ability to track your progress on your goals, and to dictate which ride was done on which bike and which routes. Very slick app. ($4.99)
• iMapMyRide: Similar to Cychosis, but free, and it looks much more functional. It features twitter inegration, synchronization with your MapMyRide.com, and the ability to track distance, time, and even pace and speed. It does this through the use of the iPhone’s GPS sensor. Unfortunately, due to its dependance on the GPS system, it is limited to iPhone only, no iPod Touch support. (Free)
• Weather Bug: Although the built in weather app is great, Weatherbug is even better. It offers way more stats, including, amount of rain, winds speed, wind chill, humidity, and dew point. It also offers a more advanced extended forecast, radar, and real time video. Definitely an awesome app for more weather data. I almost always use it to check the current and incoming weather before a long ride. (Free)
• Calorie Tracker: Calorie Tracker is a product of Livestrong.com, world-famous cyclist Lance Armstrong’s health and fitness website. It is a very simple and easy way to track which foods you eat throughout the day, and balance them with the type and duration of exercise which you do. It has a great database of food and exercise. I can’t attest to the accuracy of the calorie measurements, but it is a useful app nonetheless. (Free)
• View More: There is an entire Healthcare & Fitness section of the iTunes App store full of great exercise applications. Check it out for more exercise oriented iPod Touch applications.

Accessories

While the iPod Touch is a great exercise gadget alone, when paired with the tons of great accessories available, it becomes the perfect exercise gadget. There are hundreds of great exercise related products for the iPod Touch, here are a few of my favorites.

• Nike + iPod: Although I have not used Nike + iPod myself, I have heard great things about it. It is mainly based on running but can also be paired with compatible gym machines. The Nike + iPod kit includes a shoe sensor which sends data about your run including pace, distance, and time to your iPod. It also provides inspirational messages to tell you when your run is almost finished. This is definitely a great product for avid runners.
• Cases: Naked, the iPod touch is a pretty fragile device. however, when you place it in a case, its ability to be used during exercises increases exponentially. For runners, a number of arm band type cases are available that give you unrestricted access to your iPod controls. However, for cycling, I prefer the Incase Protective Cover. This is a thick silicon type case which makes the iPod Touch nearly perfect for cycling. It can still slip into a jersey pocket easily, but the silicon grip makes it way more secure to grab while flying down the road. In addition, the silicon makes it possible to sit the iPod on my stem for a few seconds while on the rollers. When compared to the slippery original texture of the iPod, using some form of grippy silicon case is a no brainer for cycling.

But is it Perfect ?

Alone, the iPod is an excellent tool for exercise. The great music and playlist options keep me pumped up throughout my workout, the clock keeps my exercise consistent from day to day, and the weather app lets me plan ahead for long bike rides. However, when paired with the wide range of 3rd party applications and accessories, the iPod Touch truly becomes the perfect gadget for cycling, running, and exercise in general.

What is your perfect gadget for exercise? If you use an iPod, which applications and accessories do you use to enhance the experience?

Tags: Apple, cycling, iPod Touch, Review, technology, training

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