Description: Circuit Training Assistant is an Android app that aims to help you get fit or stay in shape by giving you all the info you need to tackle intense circuit workouts from home. If you think you don’t have time to exercise, then you’ll want to keep reading, as circuit training is all about short, very intense exercises that help build core strength and help shed pounds. There are over 20 circuits – with over 50 available in the pro version – built-in to Circuit Training Assistant with 75 exercises with animations to teach you how to do the exercises. With Circuit Training Assistant, you can track how many calories are being burned by your exercising, track your weight loss and more and even create your own circuits. You can learn more about the app from their website.
How it Works: In order to get started with Circuit Training Assistant, you’ll need to download to the app from the Play Store and then you’ll have to input some information about yourself. This is so the app can effectively work out how many calories are burned, data you need to fill out ranges from height to weight as well as age.
You can then take a look at exercises from the Tabata regime, perfect 4 minute or so circuits for those that feel like they don’t have time to exercise.
When you choose a circuit here, you’ll be taken through it on your device, included videos on how to perform each exercise if you aren’t familiar with it.
It’s not just cardio exercises that are included here though, as there is also the Original Strength system developed by Tim Anderson and Geoff Neupert.
As well as this, there are HIIT (high interval intensive training) circuits included as well, further expanding on the choices included in the app.
Opinion: Circuit Training Assistant is just what a lot of people need in order to get them started with fitness. However, the ramp up might be too intensive for some. We often tell ourselves that we don’t have time to exercise, but with five minutes a day these intensive workouts can really help build core fitness and change your attitude towards exercise for good. The app itself is easy enough to use and has all of the right boxes ticked for a fitness app on Android, including video animations of how to perform specific exercises. One thing that might bother users is having to have your smartphone nearby or even in your hand, but you’ll get used to that if you stick with the program.
Ratings
- Speed (4/5) – To say that there’s a lot of content for the app to load Circuit Training Assistant is a speedy app and I had no issues with it.
- Features (5/5) – The pro version is the one you want with almost twice the amount of content, but the free version has enough on offer to get beginners believing they can get fit without the need to spend hours in the gym.
- Theme (4/5) – An easy to use app, Circuit Training Assistant looks the part and the videos really help to quickly educate users on how to perform a specific exercise.
- Overall (4/5) – A good app for those that are looking to get fit or improve on their fitness without spending huge amounts of time each day, Circuit Training Assistant is a great introduction to intensive workouts.
Pros
- Lots of circuits on offer, with the pro version featuring over 50 of them.
- Animated videos help complete beginners get quick instruction on how to do a certain exercise.
- Varied approach thanks to the inclusion of the Original Strength side of the app.
- Takes your information like weight, age and height to work out calories and such.
Cons
- Free version’s ads can be quite intrusive at times.
- An introduction to a lot of the exercises used in the circuits would be of great help to complete novices.
Conclusion: Circuit Training Assistant is definitely something those looking to regain the level of fitness that they used to have, or build a new level of fitness up from the ground. For both types of users, there’s a lot on offer here and the pro version has even more to offer. The videos and detailed circuit descriptions help those new to intensive training figure out how to approach things and with this, there really isn’t any way to claim that you don’t have time to exercise, it’s on your smartphone and ready when you are.