New fitness apps help women with strength training

(Net Pro News) – Going to the gym can be intimidating, especially the weight room. Experts say that can prompt women to skip strength training altogether and focus on cardio instead.

(Article by WBRC, republished from http://www.wbrc.com/story/31202496/new-fitness-apps-help-women-with-strength-training)

But now there is a batch of new apps specifically designed specifically to help women add some muscle to their workout both in and out of the gym.

After Leah Hendrick had her second child, she knew she wanted to get back in shape, but she was hesitant to walk into a gym because she saw almost all guys working out in the wright room.

“You’re going to feel like you don’t belong. Or that you’re going to get these looks like, ‘what is this girl doing here’” she said.

So she tried a new strength-training app called Spitfire Athlete created by two women who were unhappy with what was currently on the market when it came to fitness apps.

The co-founder of Spitfire Athlete said those apps were really bad.

“They take something that was designed for men, make it ping and make it slightly worse,” she said. “These apps would often feature a lot of athletic training, weight loss. They really wouldn’t mention anything about athletic goals or performance-related goals.”

Spitfire athlete and  strength apps designed for women feature actual female athletes demonstrating the movements instead of models. They teach everything from strength training basics to advanced techniques, allowing users to build a harder workout as they go.

Kulkarni said they wanted to infuse the app with a sense of female strength and power from the very beginning. The app is set up to let women know which exercises to do, how to do them, how to set up the equipment. That way, the app is a big confidence booster.

Fitness apps are popular with millenials – one study showed 24 percent download them to their phones.

A professor of health education at the University of Texas believes these apps can make a real difference in getting women to the weight room.

“For many women, resistance training is a key part of their health that is totally lacking,” Dixie Stanforth said. “And the apps can make a real difference in getting women in the weight room.”

It’s vital to a woman’s overall health – more than just outer appearance.

“I’m going to have a reduced risk of osteoporosis, diabetes, heart disease,” Stanforth said. “They become stronger … mentally, not just physically. They feel better to be able to handle everything that comes their way in their life.”

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