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iTRAIN Review
Membership Costs: Three bewilderingly complicated packages to choose from:
Features:
Editor's Verdict: A strong competitor in the burgeoning downloadable MP3 workouts market, iTrain is definitely worth a look if you lack the funds to hire your own trainer and lack the motivation to actually enter a gym or spend any time there on a regular basis without major motivational assistance. The iTrain homepage is slick, professional and very information-rich, if a little busy. It is also well laid out, so everything you could wish to know about iTrain (except possibly the pricing structure) is accessible via links from this one page – which is how a homepage for a fitness site should be, acting as both an accessible and attractive introduction to first timers as well as a portal for existing members. The language used on this website is subtly but significantly different to that found on many other MP3-based fitness websites in that it emphasizes selling a fitness product rather than encouraging membership of a fitness community. The products in question are workouts recorded by top celebrity personal trainers set to music and available on downloadable video, PDF and MP3s for your iPod or otherly branded MP3 player. There are workouts available in almost every sporting discipline you an imagine, all of them mixed in with specially chosen motivational music. These workouts are grouped into handily themed categories, the names of which tell you exactly what “i” will end up doing, such as “iSwim”, “iRow” and “iStretch” (for yoga and Pilates). There is even “iDo”, a special program for brides who want to be able to cram themselves into their dream wedding dress (iKid you not!) and a custom set of exercises for golfers called “i’Ve wasted my life” (okay, iLied about that one). The system works out cheaper if you buy customized bundles or albums of workouts comprising popular combinations, each of which is tailored to a specific need. Workouts and music are both updated and added to monthly, so they’ll never feel staid or repetitive, and the ever-expanding range encompasses everything from spinning to dance and climbing to weight training. This means that whether your goal is fighting flab or building muscle there should be an activity that suits both your health needs and your exercise preferences. The iTrain pricing system seems unnecessarily complicated, especially with the “Monthly Motivator” and “Unlimited Resolutions” packages, the latter name sounding less like a personal fitness program than it does a military operation seeking UN approval. Each plan also has its own unique small print, bonuses and exclusions, all of which should be weighed up for themselves before you can compare the whole lot and make up your mind. Which doesn’t exactly make choosing the right one very straightforward. There could be several reasons for this confusing pricing structure. Sometimes this sort of thing happens because the system wasn’t well thought through from the beginning, sometimes because it started off as simple but then got expanded and amended and became progressively less simple as the service evolved, and sometimes it is made that way deliberately in the hope that confusing customers with different plans that are difficult to compare might make them give up and plump for the one that sounds the best value without really thinking it through. Which of these is the case here is hard to say, but either way its not good news for the first-time customer wanting to know their options and be able to compare them at a glance. In terms of value for money, taken on the service’s own merits iTrain’s prices are fairly reasonable and more than justified by the possible health benefits. However, if you look a little further up our top 10 list you will see that there are companies that offer more features than iTrain, for less cost than iTrain– and with fewer provisos and small print regarding what you are, and are not, entitled to. One thing in particular the very best paid-subscription sites do offer which iTrain doesn’t is an individual personal trainer who is available 24/7 via email to spur you on and offer advice and encouragement throughout your fitness program. This element of personal support and attention is something many subscribers find vital to their motivation and continuing determination to see their new fitness regime through. Other sites do not offer personal trainers to provide you with this extra motivation but compensate by having a strong online community, allowing other members to perform some of the same roles for each other informally, which is another area where iTrain is a little lacking (having said that, if you like what iTrain has to offer, there's nothing to stop you signing up with them AND one of the many free - and often very good - online fitness community websites available, many of them listed and reviewed by No1Reviews). Then again, everyone is different in what kinds of motivation they find most useful, and it is entirely possible this need for personal support may not apply to you. By all reports the workouts you can buy from iTrain.com are of a very high standard – the music is well synced to the exercises and the tone is just the right side of pushy – motivating without being annoying. The expertise behind the website draws on both the fitness and entertainment communities to give you not just a professional-standard workout but also ensure you don’t get bored before the end. The technical aspects also seem to work really well – easy to download even if you have a slow connection and simple to print or sync to your MP3 Player. Ultimately, any ranking of fitness websites can’t take into account the fact that you, and only you, can say which features and approaches will best help motivate you to get fit. So if the iTrain package appeals to you then this is certainly a solid choice. If you want to get fit online you could do far worse than hop aboard the iTrain. Click on the button below to check out iTrain.com for yourself...
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