ASICS Studio App Review

Now that the Fairy Tale Challenge is behind us, I’ve been having issues with motivation. I don’t want to get on the treadmill.  Not even a little bit.  I had been lifting weights twice a week, pre-Princess weekend, and I don’t want to do that either.  Not doing anything is not a viable option as Raymond has registered us for a 60-mile cycling event in May and I need to be ready.  Plus, I’m certain I’ll have another runDisney event in my future…just have to decide on one.

Enter the ASICS Studio App

I’m pretty sure it was an ad in my Facebook feed that sent me to the app store to check out ASICS Studio. I knew ASICS owned the Runkeeper app I’ve been using to track my outdoor runs for years, so I figured I might like this new offering.  What I wasn’t expecting was that I’d like it enough to pay the subscription price for access the entire contents.

What does the app offer?

Audio Workout Coaching.  Choose from Strength Training, Treadmill, Fusion (strength + cardio), Outdoor Running, Indoor Cycling, and Elliptical workouts.  Within the Strength Training and Fusion categories, you can choose what (if any) equipment you’d like to use.

What I love

The trainers are very motivational.  So far, I’ve completed ten workouts:  Seven running, two strength-training and one indoor cycling workout.  I feel the trainers do an outstanding job of helping me stay focused, use good form, and push harder than I would if left to my own devices.  For example – I rarely run on an incline on my treadmill because my outdoor runs are almost always on hilly terrain.  I completed (barely) a 40-minute treadmill workout called “Hill Yes” with Coach Erin and it was brutal!  It made me realize that I can (and should) get an awesome hill run in on my treadmill from time to time.

If you need a new challenge or motivation to push harder to improve speed or endurance (or both), these workouts may be just the ticket.  As an added bonus, you can tell the app what you’re trying to accomplish (run faster, lose weight, build muscle, etc.) and it will recommend workouts to you, making the ASICS Studio experience more personalized.

What I’d change

While there are currently 26 classes available for treadmill workouts, there are only 8 classes for indoor cycling.  The longest cycling workout is 24 minutes.  I’d like to see more and longer options for indoor cycling. (I do see new classes added all the time.)

There are (today) 61 classes for strength training of all different lengths.  Some use only body weight and some require simple equipment like dumbbells, bench, yoga mat and/or kettle bells.  While I’ve only tried a couple short strength classes after running, I wish the trainers would allow about 5 seconds to change positions between exercises.  I’m no spring chicken, so for example, getting from laying on the ground to standing up and grabbing weights for the next exercise sometimes uses up a chunk of the time I’m supposed to be doing that next exercise.

Final Thoughts

From what I can tell, subscription prices vary depending on the length of time purchased.  I went for the one-year plan which ends up being about $8/month.  This is way less than a gym membership would be and I can exercise anywhere with this app, including when I travel.  Post-workout, those encouraging emails from ASICS Studios are great and help keep me motivated. So far, the app has exceeded my expectations and is not only getting me back on track with my workouts, I’m quickly improving both my running speed and endurance.  Now, if it’ll just stop raining every weekend, I can get those much-needed cycling miles in!

What’s your favorite workout app?