I was using the Fitify Phone App as a home exercise program for three years. 18 months ago, I stopped doing that in favour of going to a very well-equipped gym. That has worked well for me, particularly in developing an ability to shift heavier weights in safety. The gym also has social benefits, you don’t get at home.
However, you get what you train for. Last week I laid some new flooring and did some painting in my home. I was surprised how difficult it was to get up and down off the floor, something that was easy to do, two years ago when I was using the Fitify App. Hence my decision to start using Fitify again.
You don’t need any equipment, but over three years I accumulated some. A carpeted floor and a chair is a good start. Then some light weights, dumbbells 1kg, 2kg, 3kg, 5kg. Kettlebells, 5kg and 8kg. Those will take you a long way.
If you want something else, resistance bands are excellent. There are several types, sheets, loops, tubes, and some very strong ones. Handles are available, but mostly they are a nuisance. Depending on your exercise area you may be able to install three strong hooks very low, waist height, and head height or a bit higher. Working with resistance bands feels entirely different to shifting a weight like a dumbbell.
Fitify lets you choose a program and specify how long your daily exercise program should last. You also tell the App what equipment you have, (there are many options).
For instance, I’ve taken on a 5 week beginners “Muscle and Strength Starter”. I’ve chosen to do 6 days a week, 5 minutes warm-up, 25 minutes workout, 15 minutes stretching. I intend to use the program 3 times a week, the days I don’t go to the gym. So, it will take me 10 weeks to complete this program.
When you start a new program, the first week is used to test your present fitness level. As each exercise is suggested you choose to use some weight or not, and how much, so from the beginning you control how “hard” you choose to make it. After each session you tell the Fitify App how hard you found the suggested set of exercises. According to your responses the Fitify App will adjust to next session for you. Once the Fitify App becomes aware of your capability, you will find the exercises get “harder” very slowly, and you will probably increase the difficulty yourself, by choosing a heavier weight, or a stronger resistance band.
You can find Fitify App on Facebook or at gofitify.com
Or just go to the Play Store and download the App.
You can see that in day one “Reps” each of seven exercises were measured by counting the number of times the movement was done. I this case the whole set was repeated 3 times.
On day two “Intervals” the exercises are timed, usually 30 seconds.
On day five, “Tabata” the exercises are repeated for a time, 20 seconds in this case, a short rest and repeat, rest repeat, rest repeat. The idea is to exhaust the muscle group required for that exercise. (Giving the muscle a nasty shock, so that it will get stronger.)
In the final week of the program the Fitify App will test for improvement, and recommend a program to continue your training.
The Fitify App is free to download. It allows you to register and pay by credit card. It costs NZ$ 152.00 a year. (Twice what I paid 5 years ago, but I do get the impression that the product is improving too.) The first week is free if you choose to cancel your membership, within 7 days. The Homepage at Fitify.com says, “No matter your fitness level, Fitify will always adapt to your skills and expectations to get you the best results.” I think you can rely on that claim, the Fitify App is well designed by people in the USA and Europe, and they have a lot of experience,
I have tried several other phone Apps for training purposes. Most of them are very crude compared to the Fitify App.