The best way in which to lose weight is to stick closely to a calorie reduced diet, and one’s chances of success are further increased when one adds an exercise routine to the mix, and follows this program regularly in conjunction with the diet.  Applications that help individuals design some sort of exercise routine are wonderful additions to any serious weight loss plan, and, ideally, one of these types of apps would contain a variety of different exercises along with pictures and explanations on how to do the more complicated exercises, along with video, as well as elements allowing users to build individualized programs with personal workouts along with suggested routines, and the ability to track one’s progress along the way.

iFitness HD does all this and more.  It is a comprehensive application simply packed with information, with more than 330 exercises inbuilt, as well as the space for customized routines should the user so desire.  Although there aren’t videos for each and every exercise, the ones that are included are a huge help, and it is packed with tracking capabilities also.  Users are able to monitor their training schedules by means of an inbuilt calender, and logs can be exported to your email in CSV (txt) format, or PDF.  It also comes with an inbuilt BMI calculator, and you can sync data between these if you own the iPhone version.  An inbuilt timer is available for a lot of the workouts as well, and this app really seems to have it all.

The one problem with it however, is the lack of audio: it would be nice if it were able to not only count repetitions as they are completed, but to make this apparent by means of audio too.  A video trainer would be great for some exercises as well, and, with the iPad’s big display being just perfect for following workouts, it would be nice if you were able to follow instructions by ear as well, with training being done both verbally and visually.  It’s also problematic that the app does not translate well to a landscape view, which is no huge problem, but is surprising, especially considering the capabilities of a propped up iPad in this regard.  However, beyond these 2 problem areas, the app has it all, and is definitely recommended for those trying to keep their waistlines in check.