Keyboard Athletes

The UltraTrainer iPhone App

When my Gymboss bit the dust, my initial inclination was to just buy another one – it’s small, rugged, and very affordable. But then I realized that I was already using my iPhone as an integral part of client sessions – photos, video clips, and the stopwatch. It just made SENSE to also find a timer app.

After reading countless reviews, I finally settled on the UltraTrainer. I was convinced it could do everything the Gymboss could do – and more. And at $2.99, you couldn’t beat the price.

This nifty little app can do everything I could possibly want it to (except the actual workout). But, here are some of my absolute favorite features.

10 Favorite UltraTrainer Features

1. Lets you create timer groups. Say you have 3 different warm-ups, 5 different training sessions, and 3 different cool-downs all pre-programmed. You can mix and match them with the tap of a finger to create 45 different workouts.
2. Program your own sounds. It comes with over 70 pre-programmed sounds, from airhorns to buzzers to a voice calling out different martial arts and boxing moves. And, you can record your own sounds, right in the app. So, you can create a completely custom circuit routine that will actually TELL you what you should be doing. And, the sounds are plenty loud for group classes.
3. Visual cues. You can be as descriptive (or not) as yo want to be while setting up your timers. The name and description (as well as a background color/photo) will display during the workout so you know exactly what you should be doing when. Plus, it doesn’t allow the phone display to go to sleep, so you never have to wonder “am I done yet?” (See the photo below for what that can look like.)
4. Warning durations. Say you are in your rest period and not really paying attention, but once the next interval starts you want to start immediately. You can set a “warning duration” that can change the background color as well as sound a noise so you have plenty of time to pick up the jumprope, set yourself at the bar, etc. (See photo below for what that can look like.)
5. Random sequencing. The brain (nervous system) likes novelty, so you can put together your favorite exercises into a circuit, and set it to random so that your brain and body don’t get lulled into a repetitive pattern. Perfect for martial artists.
6. Background music. Don’t like training in silence, but worried you won’t be able to hear the timer? Start your favorite training music playing and then start the UltraTrainer. It will let your music play in the background, but give you on-screen controls AND  optionally fade/pause it when a pre-programmed sound needs to go off.
7. Timer library. Built into the app are dozens of timer sets PLUS a sharing feature so you can upload your timers to a shared library, and download new timers to your phone. (You can also apparently email your timers, but I haven’t figured out how exactly that works yet.)
8. Copy and paste. Have one workout that is almost what you want, but not quite? Duplicate and tweak, and you are off to the races. Because of the supplied and shared timer libraries you’ll never have to create a timer sequence from scratch!
9. Background processing. You can switch out of the app to something else and UltraTrainer will keep running in the background. Perfect for coaches that might want to video their clients while training (or that critically important text message).
10. Easy-to-read screen. The timer countdown numbers are easy enough to see even across the room!

Screen Shots

In "go" mode

Warning mode

Practical Application

As I’ve been talking about, I’m just slightly obsessed with Capoeira right now. So, I created a timer group that contains all of the Capoeira basic moves we learned, so I spend some time practicing them in rapid fashion – just like we do in class. I recorded the movement names so they are called out at the beginning of each interval, and then randomized the sequencing. It’s fantastic way for me to start putting it all together.

If you’re intrigued by the app, but interval training isn’t your thing, how about creating some timers to remind you to get up from your computer or do some visual hygiene? Movement, it does a body good.

Tell me your uses for a timer in the comments below? Or, what timer sequences do you wish were pre-made for you?