Why Nike Training Club is Awesome: App Review

Happy Tuesday!  How is your week going so far?  Personally, I’m anxious to get to the weekend!  Bret and I will be celebrating 3 years together…incidentally our first date was just a couple of days before Valentine’s Day!

I am linking up with Tuesdays on the Run with April of Run the Great Wide Somewhere, Erika from MCM Mama Runs, and Patty of My No-Guilt Life.  Each week there is a cool theme about running that we all like to discuss.  This week’s theme is all about apps, and I couldn’t resist the opportunity to talk about one of my favorites:  Nike Training Club!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

[bctt tweet=”What’s your favorite fitness app? I’m all about Nike Training Club #totr via @Janelle_RWNR”]

Nike Training Club

It had to be about a year ago when I first learned about the Nike Training Club App.  I was just starting to get more serious about working out again after going through multiple injuries and was excited to see what types of workouts I could do.  Since I first downloaded the app, it has grown a LOT – there are loads more activities to do and tons of extra features.  Let me tell you all about it, and why it’s so awesome!

Disclaimer:  This post contains affiliate links.

Workouts

Nike Training Club is awesome because it is designed for women of ALL fitness levels.  There are beginner, intermediate and advanced levels, and specific workouts that fit in each category.  With each workout that you do, you’re given specific exercises that may last between 10 to 60 seconds, and audio cues to let you know when to move to the next step.  All you need to get started is a yoga mat, dumbbells, a resistance band, and if you have them, an exercise ball, stability ball, and jump rope!

Get Lean

If your goal is to get lean, this set of workouts features high interval cardio to help you slim down.  Between all levels, there are over 25 different workouts to choose from, lasting from 30 to 45 minutes.

Get Lean workouts feature exercises including: squat jumps, mountain climbers, scissor jumps, burpees

Get Toned

If you’re looking to get toned, this setting introduces light weights and intervals to add definition.  There are also exercises with a medicine ball.  Between all levels, there are over 30 different workouts to choose from, lasting from 30 to 45 minutes.

Get Toned workouts feature exercises including:  single lead deadlifts, bicycles, toe touches

Get Strong

Want to get strong?  Here is where you’ll use heavier weights and more reps to build your strength.  You can use 8-10 pound dumbbells, depending on the exercise.  Between all levels, there are 20 different workouts to choose from, lasting 30 to 45 minutes.

Get Strong workouts features exercises including:  squats, reverse crunches, plank walks

Get Focused

If you don’t have a lot of time but want to work on a specific area, Get Focused is great!   There are nearly 40 exercises to choose from and all last 15 minutes or less.

Some Get Focused workout programs include:  Tabata Toned Workout, Lengthen and Strengthen, Cardio Killer, and Butt Buster.

Programs

Programs are awesome because you can create a 4-week long fitness program based on your personal goals.  If you want to get lean, get toned, or get strong, you can select your preference, add your experience level, and Nike Training takes care of the rest by selecting a variety of workouts that fit!  You can also add running to your program, by syncing your running day with the Nike+ Running App on your phone.

Pros:

You will never get bored.

It’s amazing to see how much variety there is with this app!  You can do a workout lasting from 7 minutes to 45 minutes and cover all areas of your body.  I really enjoy doing the weight lifting exercises and ab work–it has really exposed my weaknesses!

There are photo descriptions and video demonstrations of every single workout by real athletes.

Before trying any workout, you can easily review each workout by selecting the specific exercise and see a photo of each step given with detailed instructions on how to perform the exercise.  And if that isn’t clear enough for you, you can actually watch video of a female athlete demonstrate the workout.  I’m talking Gabby Douglas, Allyson Felix, and Serena Williams, among others!

All workouts have some customizable options.

Nike Training provides alternative exercises for specific workouts, which may be useful if you struggle with a particular exercise.  For example, in the “Worth the Weight” workout, you can replace flutter kicks with V-ups if that is better for you.

Recovery and transition times are included in most workouts.

One of my favorite things about Nike Training is that there is time included in a workout to transition from one exercise to next (for example if you have to pick up weights for your next routine).   There are also short breaks included, usually no longer than a minute or two.

Time flies!

I have done several 45 minute workouts and I’m always amazed at how quickly the workout goes!  I always feel that I’ve gotten a great workout in. You can also easily pause a workout and go back to it if you need to.

You can share your accomplishments on Social Media.

When you complete a workout, you have the option to share on Facebook and Twitter, which is always nice.

Cons:

The yoga sessions are too fast.

I love yoga (another activity I really jumped into a year ago), but the workouts on Nike Training Club are simply too fast.  I like being able to take the time to work into a pose, and I feel that the format of Nike Training doesn’t work well for yoga.

You have to do a Program exactly on schedule or it won’t count.  

If you’re doing an intermediate Get Toned workout program and you have to do the workout on Tuesday, but you decide to do it on Wednesday instead, it won’t “count”.   There really isn’t any flexibility in this case.

The app can take up a lot of space on your phone if you download all of the workouts.

That’s why it’s best to download exercises only as you do them.  And Nike is constantly adding brand new workouts on a regular basis!

You have to download a workout before previewing the video.

This is just one of my pet peeves!

Regardless of some of the drawbacks, I highly recommend trying out the Nike Training Club App if you’re looking for variety in your workouts.  It is absolutely FREE and is easily downloadable on your iPhone or Android device.  Somehow with each update, the app just keeps getting better!

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Have you ever worked out with the Nike Training Club App?  What kind of workouts would you try?