Nike has announced that it’s bringing its Nike Training Club app to the Apple Watch. Sure, you’re probably thinking – but isn’t it already available on my Apple Watch? Kind of. But now you’ll be able to see all 180 workouts directly from your Watch. Nike explains that the push to release Nike Training Club for the Apple Watch comes from growing calls from athletes who want to reduce their reliance on their smartphones during workouts. And I mean, this is kind of the way that we’re going now, isn’t it? Why should I have to use my smartphone all the time?
Nike is saying that this is coming from “the resounding feedback from athletes worldwide”. They wanted a way to train, and not have to carry their phone around with them. I can’t say that I blame them. Following along with the Nike Training Club app is great, and the only reason that I use it on my iPhone is because I can’t remember what the moves are. If I could master the moves, I wouldn’t necessarily need the iPhone. Presumably, my Watch would say Plank Jack and I would remember what that was and be able to physically execute the exercise. Instead, I’m scratching my head trying to remember what a Plank Jack is every time.
The downside about this? The workouts still have to be started from the iOS app on your iPhone. Come on, Nike! Athletes are saying that they didn’t want to have to use their phone at all, and now you’re making them start out that way? Nike says that the watchOS version is more of a way to check your progress than to actually initiate the workouts. Does that even make sense?
Let’s look at it this way though. The app itself is designed to give you short, but intense workouts. The watchOS app is designed to work as a companion, rather than to be the main app. While I understand what Nike is doing, I would argue that what athletes are looking for is something else. Something like what I mentioned above. If I’m going to the gym, I don’t necessarily want to lug my phone around with me when I’m doing the exercise. Especially if I know what the exercise is ahead of time. I want to be able to set it and forget it, essentially. But that’s not exactly what Nike has brought for us. It’s not a horrible addition, but perhaps they can upgrade it completely next time.
All that said, by bringing Nike Training Club to Apple Watch, athletes are able to monitor heart rate, calorie burn, and other statistics directly from their wrist, receive encouraging push notifications, and more:
- Focus more on your workout and less on your phone
- Monitor your heart rate, approximate calories, and other exercise statistics right from your wrist
- Achieve your exercise goals via weekly notifications encouraging you to close your Exercise ring