Rating:

Review Conditions

I used gym Technik on a Nokia 5800 XPressMusic, an s60 5th edition mobile device running Symbian version OS 9.4.

Installation

There is no installation file, either in the native .sisx format or a .jar file for using Gym Technik on your mobile. Just go to Gym Technik mobile on your web browser to access your account.

First View

GymTechnik is a free innovative online tool allowing you to use your smartphone as your workout journal when you are at your gym. Read on.

Main Review

Gym Technik maintains a log of all your workout routines on the web which can be updated, viewed and edited from a mobile device using just a browser.

Not surprisingly, you need to create an account to store all your workout information on the web.

The login page prominently displays today’s date and the two main actions you can do on the website, namely Start a Workout, Enter Body Stats or Upload Photos. The settings lets you configure more options that help you customize you login to your convenience.

When you select Start Workout, you are presented with a large list of workouts, which is a subset of pre-built workouts from the Gym Technik Library.

For each workout, there is an image and detailed instructions on how to perform the exercise. In the specific exercise, the number of sets and the weights you will use in that set and be set. You can also enter notes to yourself about each workout in the Workout Notes.

You can also add a new workout to your list by selecting one of the many exercise types that are made available through the web browser. The workout list pops up in a user-friendly menu where you can select the workout for the desired part of the body. After you select a workout, you can also enter the number of sets and can choose to have this workout only for the specific day or permanently in your library.

After the workout is over you can choose to select Save / Back to Workout or End / Workout Summary buttons. Once the workout is completed, a tick appears on the right of the workout to let you know your progress.

When you select End Workout / Summary,  you get a summary of work out.  Notes can be added to the workout that are saved to the workout data on the web.

How do you handle a situation where you cannot do all the sets of a workout at one stretch, or do the workouts in the order you want? A nice feature of GymTechnik is the Start Tracking feature which takes you to the View All Exercises page that has advanced capabilities. This page auto-saves data as the exercises are completed. This page lists all the exercises in a single page and keeps saving the workouts as you enter the data. This is particularly useful when you switch between exercises in a busy gym or need to complete circuit-type workouts.

Handling

All operations on GymTechnik can be accomplished using a mobile device – adding new workouts, logging workouts, update body stats, etc. The desktop website of GymTechnik gives a richer flash based experience to the user.

It is important to remember that the mobile web site is not a dumb HTML page.  It runs scripts to keep track of your entire workout session after you login in. Navigation from one workout to another, entering body stats, etc are all captured as Javascript forms and are linked to your session information. Therefore, you MUST only use the links given in the website for navigation. Every page has a SAVE or CANCEL button and on the top of every page you can see the ‘crumbs’ link with which you can use to navigate across pages. Do not use the BACK button of the mobile browser.

For e.g., when you want to quite a workout, you are asked for confirmation on discarding the script.

Weaknesses

GymTechnik does what it sets out to do very well. Its a sophisticated workout logger, giving the user a plethora of information on workouts, instructions and guides and helps to track the progress on a calendar.

Naturally, there will be a comparison to the Nokia Sports Tracker. But that’s a native Symbian application whereas GymTechnik is a web based application and there are certain limitations that can only be fulfilled by a native application, e.g. GPS.  So these comparisons are not fully justified.

Conclusion

GymTechnik lets you access your workouts at home or at the gym using a full featured website online or using the web browser. The website provides fitness advice, nutrition ideas and health tips in addition to managing your workouts. GymTechnik has also partnered with Oxygenfit to offer workouts for women. The mobile version of Gym Technik, has been well optimized for the mobile’s browser and it is a pleasure to use. Its worth a look and I’ll give it 3 of 5.

Tagged as: GymTechnik, S60 5th, Sports Tracker, Workout