Couch-to-5K is an app created by The Active Network, Inc. It costs $1.99 and is available on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
Functionality:
Couch to 5K is your own virtual trainer. It comes with a workout plan that gets you from little to no physical activity, into being able to run a 5K. The workout plan takes 9 weeks to complete, with only working out three out of seven days a week.
You can get an idea of the workout plan below where I’ve included some of the exercises:
• Week 1 Day 1: Brisk 5-minute warmup walk. Alternate 1 minute of jogging and 1 ½ minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
• Week 3 Day 2: Brisk 5-minute warmup walk. Two repetitions of the following: Jog for 1 ½ minutes, walk for 1 ½ minutes, jog for 3 minutes, walk for three minutes.
• Week 7 Day 3: Brisk 5-minute warmup walk. Jog for 25 minutes.
Seems simple enough right? Here’s where it gets interesting though. Each day has a “Go to workout” button which starts the training program.
Once you hit start you’ll hear instructions for what you need to do through your headphones. It starts out with “Okay let’s get warmed up. Brisk walk.” Then after five minutes you’re told to jog, after a minute you’re told to walk, then jog, etc and so forth.
This app’s workout plan is simple enough that it can be followed by anyone. In addition to these features, Couch to 5K also tracks the distance which you ran, your pace, and GPS information.
The Good:
If you just want to go for a run without having to follow a plan for a specific day, you can also track a “Free Run.” Couch to 5K also has a log which keeps track of your runs; as well as a 5K Events tracker, which finds 5K races nearby.
The Bad:
While using this app I was not able to find any glitches or shortcomings. However, it would be nice if you could take photos within the app while running. I know a competitor app called MapMyRun has this feature, so it would make sense to put it into Couch to 5K as well.
Conclusion:
If you want to go from being unfit to being able to run a 5K, then this app is going to get you there. I haven’t used Couch to 5K to train, but I’ve looked through the program and nothing stands out about it that would indicate it doesn’t work.
The recent reviews on iTunes aren’t too promising. But Couch to 5K has an average of 3 ½ stars from over 450 users, and an average of 4 stars on the current version.
Whereas MapMyRun just maps your run, Couch to 5K gives you an easy plan to follow. If you’re a beginner giving it a try wouldn’t hurt.