Author’s Note: This question was posed on Formspring. Feel free to ask any questions to me at http://www.formspring.me/matteargle and perhaps I will answer it in a future post!
Zelzega asks: What’s the best free iphone app for tracking fitness? I currently have Electric Miles (dailymile), Kinetic Lite, and Runkeeper. I love that Kinetic Lite connects to both dailymile and runkeeper, but which is the best?
As far as iPhone goes, I have no real idea considering I don’t carry one. In general, though, I use RunKeeper and Fitocracy. I’m not into tracking everything I eat, but RK does fantastically for my cardio, and Fitocracy imports from it so I don’t have to reenter anything. Fitocracy hasn’t developed a native application yet, but their mobile site is fully-featured and quite accessible.
The best part about Fitocracy is that it gamifies exercise. The site was started by a couple of stereotypical nerds who wanted to appeal to other stereotypical nerds through the two most powerful words in our language: LEVEL UP! The concept is that one earns points by performing certain exercises, thus increasing your overall capabilities–all in traditional RPG fashion. I have to admit, the formula works, especially in keeping me focused on strength training (which has always been something I avoided).
In short, the best application out there is the one that works best for what you want to accomplish. I want to have fun, and I’m a data junkie, so RK and Fitocracy work best for me. Try some of the applications listed in the apps section of the RunKeeper website. You’ll likely find one you like.