The following is an article I contributed for www.retrevo.com. This consumer electronics website will feature articles and electronic reviews when it relaunches in late February 2009. I will be writing articles about electronics used for fitness, from the personal trainer’s point of view.
Ever wonder what life was like before the Ipod? It seems hard to believe that this ubiquitous MP3 player has only been around since 2001-less than 10 years. I remember life before the Ipod. Days of lugging a bulky Walkman CD player to the gym for cardio, a steady supply of AA batteries in my gym bag in case of emergency (if you’ve ever had the music die in the middle of an intense cardio workout, you know what I’m talking about!) Some of my most spectacularly embarrassing moments at the gym occurred thanks to that CD player. During one of my more strenuous workouts on a Life Fitness elliptical, the long cord of my headphones that were attached to the player became tangled in the moving arms. You can imagine my horror as my CD player went flying across the room, breaking open and spilling batteries and CD onto the floor. Needless to say, there is no way humanly possible to look cool and recover from this situation. After collecting the remains of the damaged player, I shuffled off to the locker room and performed last rites for the Walkman. If only I had known that something better was coming…
Today there are a variety of MP3 players on the market, and each seems to have a fierce band of loyalists. There are advantages to each brand, but I believe that the Ipod is the best all around player.
I recommend it to my clients based on ease of use (simple user interface and navigation), sleek and lightweight design (our gym accessories have to look good, after all) and variety of programming and accessories. This fits with my philosophy regarding electronics-keep it simple, easy, convenient, and fun to use.
The Ipod can perform many functions in the gym, from entertainment and distraction to workout instruction and motivation. I have found some great free music mixes for cardio workouts in the free pod casts section of Itunes, as well as workout and exercise video clips. There are many websites that offer programming for the gym. A Google search for “ipod fitness” returned thousands of results (although, honestly, have you ever done a Google search that didn’t return thousands of results?) Here are just a few of the sites I came across:
www.next fitness.com -customized audio workouts using your own uploaded music
www.fitmusic.com-free – free workout music mixes
www.corefitnessenhancement.com-workout and exercise videos for your ipod
http://www.pumpone.com-video -audio and image workout instructions
As for entertainment, I have put together many high-energy cardio mixes from songs I have uploaded to my Ipod, guaranteed to get me through a tough workout. Audio books can also be a great option for those wanting to escape or enrich their minds as they run on the treadmill or pound away at the Stairmaster.
Now the big question: which Ipod is right for you?
For affordability, the Ipod Shuffle can’t be beat. It can hold music, audio books, and pod casts. This model has a 2GB and 4GB version, capable of holding 240 or 500 songs respectively. The downside is that it has no screen. This means no video, and if you are having a problem with the player, it can be hard to diagnose since there is no menu to view.
The next step up is the Ipod Nano. The new generation of Ipod Nanos come with all the features of the larger Ipod Classic, but with less storage space. It supports music, movies, TV shows, videos, audio books, podcasts, photo slideshows, and games. The 8GB model holds up to 2000 songs and up to 8 hours of video, and the 16GB model holds up to 4000 songs and up to 16 hours of video. The battery in the Nano will last twice as long between charges (24 hours for audio playback vs. 12hours) as the Ipod Shuffle, and has a 2inch video screen. At $149 and $199, the Nano will give you a lot of capabilities in a small and lightweight package. For the style conscious, it comes in 9 different colors. The downside? If you have a lot of video and music, the storage capacity may not be enough to hold everything you want.
For those wanting more storage space, the Ipod Classic is the clear choice at 120GB. It will hold up to 30,000 songs or up to 150 hours of video. The screen is larger than the Nano, at 2.5 inches, and battery life for audio playback is extended to 36 hours. This is ideal for someone who watches a lot of video, or wants to fit their entire music collection on one player for maximum listening variety. It lists at $249.
The newest members of the Ipod family, the Ipod Touch, are the first to use the touch screen technology made so popular by the Iphone. At this level, you get wireless capability and the ability to download applications, as well as all the features supported on the Nano. Battery life is 36 hours for audio, just like the Ipod Classic. The screen is much larger, at 3.5 inches, which is much better for watching video and playing games. It comes in 3 different models:
8GB-up to 1750 songs and up to 10 hours of video at $229
16GB-up to 3500 songs and 20 hours of video at $299
32GB-up to 7000 songs and 40 hours of video at $399
One thing to keep in mind-all of the estimates for the amount of songs the players can hold are based on a smaller file size, typically 128-329kbps (kilobytes per second). These are compressed audio files. The more kbps, the better the sound quality. If you are an audio purist like myself, and want to hear the music in full CD quality, files will be more in the 500-900kbps range. Itunes has a setting called “Apple Lossless” wich will hold the maximum kbps when you upload songs from one of your CD’s or download a song. This means your player will hold less songs than the average persons, but the difference in sound quality is quite noticeable.
What about the Iphone? This is the ultimate convenience, combining your phone with your MP3 player. It comes in an 8GB version ($199) and 16GB ($299). If you want a device to surf the internet, make calls, and full feature MP3 player, this is the one for you. The downside: less storage space than the Ipod Touch or Ipod Classic. There have also been some glitches in the phone’s software, some of which have been addressed in software updates. From what my clients have told me, they are very pleased with the phone overall. Just keep in mind that, as with any newer technology, there may be a few bugs to be worked out along the way.
So what do I recommend to my clients to optimize their workouts, given all theses choices? There are several factors to consider.
1. What capabilities do you want your player to have? Will you be watching any video for instruction, motivation, or entertainment? Or do you just need a good quality music player to energize your workouts?
2. How much are you willing to spend? With a price range from $49 to $399, there is an Ipod that will fit into your budget.
3. Most importantly of all-how clumsy are you? Now this may seem like a rude question, but it is one you’ll want to carefully consider. Ever dropped your cellphone? (I defy anyone to answer “no” to that question!)
The reason I ask is that it should factor into your decision. The Ipod Shuffle and Nano have flash memory, and if dropped, should still work without a problem. However, the Ipod Classic and Touch have a hard drive memory. Drop one of these and you’re done-your Ipod will require last rites, just like my doomed Sony Walkman CD player.
Doug Murphy, ACE Certified Personal Trainer
Owner, Fitness Training and Consulting
www.dcpersonaltrainer.com
www.dougmurphy.com
Had any embarrassing mishaps with electronics at your gym, involving an MP3 player, heart rate monitor, or other electronic equipment? Email me at dougmurphy@dougmurphy.com and I may include your experience in an upcoming column or on my blog at www.dcpersonaltrainer.com.
