FitSync review

Damien McFerran

We review FitSync, a fitness app for Google Android

Published on Oct 30, 2009

Tyler Durden – one of the key characters in David Fincher’s cult 1999 film Fight Club – comments in one particular scene that he feels sorry for men who herd themselves into gyms to look the way society tells them they should look.

It’s easy for him to say that, because he’s played by the eternally buff Brad Pitt in the movie, but for us mere mortals keeping in shape is very serious – and often harrowing - business.

Thankfully for us desk-bound geeks, apps like FitSync allow us to keep that expanding waistline in check while still indulging the tech-savvy side of our personalities.

This app offers a snapshot of the countless fitness routines that are currently available on the full FitSync website (you’ll need to register in order to use this program) and follows the template that has already been so successful on other formats, such as the iPhone and Windows Mobile.

The idea is that you create your own fitness regimen by taking the routines listed on the site (there are over 1600, apparently) and putting them in an order you find suitable. You can then sync your routine with the main website and keep track of your progress.

FitSync has a thriving online community and the idea is that you post up your exercise plan for others to inspect; if you have friends who use the app as well, then it creates a friendly sense of challenge, which inspires all parties to outperform each other.

While we can see the benefits of such a system, we can’t help but think that overzealous individuals might end up taking things a little too seriously and either working themselves to death or destroying relationships with friends thanks to their intense rivalry.

Such negative predictions aren’t the only problem with FitSync, though. While the company’s database of exercises is unquestionably extensive, unless you’re particularly knowledgeable in this field there’s a chance it will all be too confusing.

Some routines have videos to accompany them, but the vast majority don’t. All you’re left with is fairly sparse descriptions that will probably mean more to fitness enthusiasts than rank amateurs.

The design of the application could do with some work, too. Although it’s backed by FitSync’s considerable clout, it feels cheap and half-finished. It’s also quite slow to use, and the interface is cumbersome and counter-intuitive.

If the developer can work to improve the way FitSync displays its information then it could become a valuable tool in your daily fitness arsenal, but at present it just feels like it needs a bit longer on the treadmill to get it into peak condition.