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MP3 Will Shift Fitness Motivation and Coaching In 2006
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(12/19/05) First it was live classes, then videos, then DVDs…but the latest MP3 technology will not only put motivational music in your ear wherever you may go, but you can have your favorite motivational coach as well. Still want a DVD, no problem burn your own after you download your favorite from the numerous fitness websites that are cropping up.
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December 19, 2005 --
PCs, DVDs, and CDs, the very same devices that have made us more and more sedentary, may help to get us more fit. MP3 technology can not only motivate you via inspirational music, but have a personal trainer in your ear.
In the past we were limited to a walkman with perhaps our favorite motivational CD as we jog. But today, there is not only a wide selection of music to download but also you can download training programs and in particular, personalized training programs. You can literally subscribe to an entire series on Pilates, yoga, strength training, running, or most any exercise protocol.
" …it's almost like therapy in an iPod."."
Popular download websites are iAmplify.com, TrainRight.com and CardioCoach.com, recently cited by Time Magazine . These sites put personal trainers in your iPod or other portable digital music player.
Another website is GYMp3.com which offers workouts that give consumers a way to take Hollywood's top celebrity trainers with them when they workout, whether it's in the gym or outdoors. GYMp3 workouts include heart-pumping and motivating music from popular artists and DJs, produced with the trainers' voices for a more motivating workout experience. Each workout includes a companion guide which provides guidelines and pictures to help consumers get started.
The Arrival of MP3
All of this is possible today by the intersection of 3 major technologies: high speed internet, MP3 compression, and flash memory. Today's compression and memory is why so many songs, up to 15,000, can be stored on such a tiny device as an iPod.
Soon exercise DVDs will be a thing of the past. Why wait for the DVD to arrive in the mail when you can download an exercise program in minutes over the web for immediate enjoyment? If you really want the DVD, then burn your own on your PC, they come standard equipped on most new PCs. But the real plus is the ability to download to your iPod and take your music and your personal coach with you to the health club.
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Enter Podcasts
A podcast, the product of fusing "iPod" and "broadcast," is an Internet audio program that can be downloaded onto an iPod and an MP3 player, or listened to on a computer. It's one of the hottest new uses of the Internet, and as sales of portable players grows, so will podcasting.
What's interesting is that Podcasts don't require professional studios and staff to produce, merely a recording device, so the investment in production is minimal. This will cause a cascade of podcast on all topics, including fitness. Think of podcasting as a democratic way for anyone to publish and audio broadcast, kind of like audio blogging on any particular fitness topic.
We will soon have personal trainers doling out strength-training advice, physical therapists talking about sports injuries, interviews with top endurance athletes, numerous motivational messages — and audio workouts to up-tempo music.
In an recent interview with the LA Times, American Council on Exercise (ACE) chimed in on the topic. The best use of podcasts, said Gregory Florez, spokesman for the ACE, may be as "a way to connect with people for motivational purposes if you can't afford a personal trainer and you keep falling off the wagon. You can play it when you're feeling bad — it's almost like therapy in an iPod."
Neal Pire, a spokesman for the American College of Sports Medicine, told the LA Times that the potential for misinformation is troubling. "People will be able to walk around with one little pocket-size gizmo that gives them everything, from content to interaction, so God only knows where it'll end up," he says. "But it has legs."
Quality Will Vary
The value of any exercise download or coaching session will ultimately be related to the source, the qualifications of the person issuing the advice. The early adopters are the geeks more so than the accomplished, but that gap is soon filling in.
For example, Carmichael Training Systems (CTS) is run by Chris Carmichael. In addition to being Lance Armstrong's coach, he coaches and consults elite athletes including four-time Olympian George Hincapie, world record swimmer Ed Moses, and Indy Car driver Eliseo Salazar. He offers hard-core online regimens and personal coaching via phone and e-mail and price is commensurate with the quality of the advice given.
Source: LA Times
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