Introduction and Background
In 2020, under the circumstances of stress, lockdown, and, as a result, limited mobility caused by a global pandemic people are turning to various applications for help. According to Visual Capitalist, the popularity of fitness mobile apps worldwide has grown by 46% since the beginning of the quarantine. I have been one of those people who decided to explore the opportunities offered by such applications.
Seeking means of enhancing my movement throughout the day in order to keep myself healthy and work on my own image, I found the app that I am going to evaluate. Daily Workouts is a mobile application developed by Daily Workout Apps, LLC. It offers a variety of exercise programs available in the free version as well as the pro version which requires to be purchased. I will be discussing the free version in terms of the features which it has to offer, the functions of the app, and its overall convenience.
The Features of the Free Version
Users of the Daily Workout mobile application have a variety of exercise programs at their disposal, both in the free and in the pro versions. The major difference between the two options is the number of workouts offered in each. Thus, the free version provides the user with ten types of targeted workout programs developed for certain purposes. Their length varies between 5 to 10 minutes.
Apart from that, the free version also offers randomized full body workout programs, not targeted at certain muscle groups, the length of which varies between 10 to 30 minutes. Overall, the free version of the Daily Workouts app has more than a hundred exercises to present to its users. The pro version, in comparison, offers about 400 exercise programs, its other advantages being additional stretch routines and a complete lack of in-app advertisements. However, despite the benefits of the pro version, I use the free version and consider it a great option for a daily home workout as the basis of the app’s functions are the same in both.
Available Functions
The Daily Workout mobile application has a variety of tools to offer to any user. Opening the app, users are presented with several options of targeted workouts from which they can choose. They include exercises designed for abs, arms, butt, legs, cardio, and full body. Moreover, there is a box entitled “streaming videos” which provides the user with YouTube workout videos.
Having chosen a targeted workout, we arrive at the customization page. It allows the user to choose the length of the program out of the three options, which are 5, 8, and 10 minutes. After that, there is an opportunity to choose one of the workouts out of the two suggested. Each of them has a unique set of exercises which can be previewed before engaging in physical activity.
The free version is rather customizable, as the user can also choose to turn the sound on or off, as well as have a signal which announces the beginning of each exercise. The options for rest time are 7, 13, and 19 seconds. Text instructions can be turned on and off, as the application provides the user with a video description. It is also possible to record your weight, gender, and age, and to set reminders.
Convenience
In my personal experience, the application proved to be quite convenient. As I have already mentioned, the user is able to decide whether they need text instructions or not, but the video instruction is always available. Thus, it is possible to follow a workout in accordance with the text and the video. However, there is something I consider a setback in the app’s work: although the text description is present, it is not available in audio format. Thus, the user needs to read it first to gain a better understanding of an exercise. But after that, it is easy to follow any program.
However, another great advantage of Daily Workouts is that most of the videos can be played even without an Internet connection. The app is simple and intuitive to use and navigate, it is mostly based on visual imagery and minimal textual cues and does not require additional clarifications. I believe that it makes the application suitable for social groups with different levels of acquaintance with mobile technologies, including teenagers, young adults, and senior people.
Conclusion and Final Thoughts
As someone new to workout and fitness apps, I found the Daily Workouts application suitable for my needs. It is not difficult to navigate it without specific knowledge of such apps. I consider it useful to have a video showing how an exercise is done as it is easier to comprehend and to follow than text instructions, especially with their availability offline. As I am not ready to pay for the pro version, I have been looking for free options. I believe that the variety of features offered in the free version is more than enough for a quality workout at home. Moreover, the app’s simple interface assures accessibility to people with different levels of experience with technology. Therefore, I would recommend the Daily Workouts application to anyone seeking a way to maintain one’s body healthy in these difficult times for free.