MiCoach, Adidas’ easy-to-use training system that first debuted at CES in January, is now available for your iPhone and BlackBerry. (Here’s the iTunes link. I have no idea how the BlackBerry App World works, so I’m of no help there.) With the App, which is free, you’re able to exercise (run or jog, primarily) more efficiently than you might otherwise be able to. Used in conjunction with the MiCoach Web site, you can plan a safe exercise regimen to lose weight, build stamina, or help train for the upcoming baseball/football/soccer/tennis season. All of this, right on your phone. It’s quite neat.
The App uses GPS to track your movement, calculating speed, mile pace, and making sure you’re not pushing yourself too hard (or not pushing yourself hard enough).
So, let’s say you want to lose a couple of pounds while there’s still some summer left, or maybe get a head start on next summer. Nothing wrong with that. Your first bit of business is to set your training zones. MiCoach divides physical activity into four discrete zones: blue, green, yellow, and red. Blue is basically you at standstill and red is you pushing yourself 100 percent. An initial “figure out your zones” pre-exercise figures out your zones.
Each program has you run in different zones for different amounts of time. Losing weight will be yellow zone heavy: you burn more calories at a faster rate when running fast than you would when jogging at a leisurely pace.
Go! The GPS will keep track of your current speed, which is to say it keeps track of what your current zone is. It eases you into the exercise—jog in the green zone for a few minutes.
(I probably should mention that the App “talks” to you: a voice will tell you to run faster when you need to go from the blue zone to the green zone, or to slow down from the red zone to the yellow zone.)
You run in the green zone for a bit, then the App tells you, “Speed up to yellow zone.” Again, the GPS measures your speed and pace, so you speed up your jog till you reach your yellow zone. Then the App will tell you to maintain your speed.
Workout complete! The App will sync your exercise data with the MiCoach Web site, or you can view all the post-game analysis right there on your phone. Fancy charts and stats are there for you to study, should you choose to do so.
It is fun to chart your improvement as you exercise.
Sounds familiar? That’s because Adidas ran commercials during the World Cup featuring David Villa and Co. running about with the MiCoach App. Yes, that’s it up there.
Again, the App is completely free, so if you own either an iPhone or BlackBerry and are even remotely interested in getting in shape, well, it costs you nothing to give it a try.