The PumpUp Blog

We’ve made some awesome new updated to PumpUp! First and foremost, PumpUp is free — forever! In this update we’re launching PumpUp Pro with added features that you can subscribe to on a monthly, annual, or lifetime basis.

Okay, enough about being free… let’s show you what we’ve got in store!

Well… it’s kind of hard to show you when it’s Voice Coaching, but here’s a good idea of what it’s all about:

1. Know what to do and when to do it without looking at your phone! For example, in the picture above our voice coach would say something like “Dumbbell Squat — Grab 15-pound dumbbells. Do 12 reps.” It’s like having a personal trainer right by your side!
2. Not only will you know what to do, but you’ll be motivated to do it. You’ll get motivating remarks when you need them, like a “5-4-3-2-1” countdown or “Keep pushing it!” on those tough exercises.
3. If you like listening to music while pumping up, then you’ll love this — your music gets dimmed out whenever our voice coach has something to tell you.
4. Since you’re told what to do, you don’t even need to tap for the next exercise — it’s automatically started when the current exercise finishes! It’s that easy.

But wait! There’s more:

• Exercises are now saved directly to your phone, but only the ones you need. This makes the app much faster!
• There’s a progress bar showing you how many steps are left in creating your workout, and we’ve made the tips easier to read for a more enjoyable workout-building process.
• During your workout, you can now see how many calories you’ve burnt, your progress within the workout, and how long you’ve been working out!
• We enhanced the design of the login and workouts screens.
• We redesigned our header for a beautiful and cleaner look.

Because Voice Coaching is just the first of many PumpUp Pro features, we’ve decided to give you a FREE promo code that upgrades you to PumpUp Pro for 7 days. Simply use the promo code: PUMPUPVOICE

Give Voice Coaching a try and UPDATE TODAY!

P.S. If you’ve already subscribed for an annual or monthly subscription to PumpUp, no to worry, we’ve made sure you’ll already have access to PumpUp Pro when you update the app!

P.P.S. Tweet us your thoughts on the update — we can’t wait to hear what you think!

It’s beautiful outside and you know it’s the perfect day to work out… but you don’t want to miss out on the weather by being inside the gym. With just a pair of running shoes, a bottle of water, and PumpUp in your pocket, you can enjoy the weather and still get in a great workout! When the weather is beautiful, there’s no better way to spice up your workout then by taking it outside!

Since you can choose the equipment you have available, with PumpUp, creating a quality workout you can do outside is just a few taps away! Here are three great ways to get in some exercise outdoors:

1) Au natural.

With PumpUp, it’s easy to create a body-only workout for the park! If your park has a jungle gym, get creative! You can tell PumpUp you have a chin-up bar (monkey bar) available and it will incorporate chin-ups and other great exercise in your routine for the park! 

2) Using a resistance band!

Resistance bands are a low-cost, highly transportable piece of equipment that’s perfect to use outdoors! Resistance bands have a lot of great benefits that can make for an awesome workout! For example, the band gets tighter as you go through the exercise, making it extra challenging! With PumpUp, you can easily create a workout routine using a resistance band that’s perfect for the park or your backyard!

3) Simply run.

A huge benefit of getting active outdoors (besides getting a great tan) is being able to go for a run without being tied to the treadmill! Sure, it’s nice to go for a run while watching your favorite show indoors, but picture yourself running through a trail or on the beach. Running outdoors is not only great exercise, but it’s also a great way to experience the great outdoors! 

These are just 3 simple ways that you can get in some great exercise outside. Summer always seems to fly by, so make sure you get outside, get active, and enjoy the beautiful weather while improving your health!

Ps. Don’t forget to download PumpUp to create a great workout routine you can do in the park, your backyard, or pretty much anywhere you’d like!

At PumpUp, we’re proud to have members of different skill levels working out with our app!

Recently, we spoke with Yulia V. from Halifax, Nova Scotia about her experience working out with the PumpUp app. Here’s what she had to say:

For years I have tried to attend the gym regularly, kept buying gym passes and memberships, and ended up dropping out of gym after a month or two. I think there was a combination of factors contributing to it, such as lack of time, cost of gym membership, and the last but not the least being conscious of my body and not feeling comfortable around the “sportsy” types. When I was working out on my own, I often felt unwell after the workout, but I could not justify the expense of a personal trainer.

I am 45 years old and started putting on weight recently, which led to other things, including pain in my joints and shortness of breath. I decided to work towards improving my health, but was not quite sure where to begin. I started with changing my eating habits and switching to a healthier food. That brought some results - I lost about 10-12 pounds in 3 months. However, it did not improve my body to the extent I wanted, as there was no muscle building up.

I found an article about PumpUp in the Chronicle Herald and decided to give it a try. I downloaded the app and programmed in the simplest option - no equipment, 30 minutes’ exercise, aim at building muscle. (I was actually very surprised when the app produced a workout program for me!) I have been using PumpUp for a month and a half now, working out at home 3 times a week. The results are noticeable. I am not gaining weight, I feel lighter on my feet and can walk for longer periods of time, and my core muscles have improved.

I see PumpUp as a wonderful, easy to follow and affordable workout option - “a personal trainer in your pocket!” I really enjoy the fact that demonstrations are available for each exercise. I got myself a yearly subscription several days ago. Thank you very much for this great app!

As Yulia has experienced, PumpUp is the perfect alternative to a great personal trainer. You can use the app to create personalized workout routines for home, the gym, or on-the-go. We’re proud to hear that Yulia is feeling great and seeing awesome results from working out with the PumpUp app!

Do you have a story on how PumpUp has helped you? We’d love to hear it.

Ps. Don’t forget to download PumpUp to start living a more active and healthy life!

Here at PumpUp we love fitness technology. There’s been a lot of recent buzz around fitness tracking bands, like the Jawbone Up, Nike Fuel Band, and FitBit Flex, so our Director of Health & Fitness, Jonny, decided to give the Fuel Band a try!

Overview

For those hearing about Nike’s Fuel Band for the first time, it’s a fitness tracking band that has a built in accelerometer so it can measure your calories burned, steps taken, and of course, it tells you the time! A cool bonus is that you get Fuel Points for being active while wearing the Fuel Band. I like the Fuel Band and have definitely become more active since I started wearing it at the beginning of April.

Details

It’s been just over a month since I started wearing the Fuel Band. I set my goal to be 3000 Fuel Points a day. According to Nike, 3000 points is what you need to be considered an active person. I found that this really motivated me when the clock struck 6pm and I’d only reached 1000 of my 3000 points. On good days, I found that I reached my 3000 point goal very quickly, so I challenged myself to get as many fuel points as possible. So far, my best day is 5520 points!

While my experience was mostly positive, there are some downfalls with Nike’s Fuel Band. First and foremost, the price tag of $150 is fairly high. Second, I found that when I used leg machines at the gym or went on a long bike ride, I got 0 fuel points but burned tons of calories.

Overall

Overall, the Nike Fuel Band is a great tool to keep you motivated. It even comes with a sleek iPhone app lets you compete against your friends and receive achievements after completing certain goals.

You’re probably thinking: should I get one?

Well, here’s my opinion: this product isn’t for people who are looking for a way to count calories or even as a pedometer — you can find much cheaper step counters. However, if you are a person looking to get a little more active, or you’re interested in adding a little technology to your fitness regiment (that you built with PumpUp), the Fuel Band is perfect for you!

Ps. Try wearing your Fuel Band during your PumpUp workout to rack up more Fuel Points.

At PumpUp, we’re proud to have members working out with our app on almost every continent across the globe! 

Recently, we spoke with Swizec T. from Ljubljana, Slovenia about his experience working out with the PumpUp app. Here’s what he had to say:

I’ve been working out every morning for a few years now. It started as a quick way to wake up and evolved from there — pushups, situps, jump rope — the sort of things you can do at home without any equipment.

It was going great at first and I was seeing a lot of progress until I became complacent and was just doing the same thing every morning out of habit: not pushing myself, not progressing. It started getting really boring as well — imagine doing the exact same routine every morning for about a year. Same sequence of exercises, same number of repetitions. Meh!

PumpUp solved that magnificently.

The routine it created is just the right sort of grueling and it just keeps pushing and pushing. There is not a single day when I am not completely wasted by the end of a PumpUp routine. It’s awesome!

As Swizec has experienced, one of PumpUp’s greatest features is that it just keeps pushing you. As you work out, the app actually learns about you and intelligently changes your workout so you keep improving! We’re proud to hear that PumpUp is pushing Swizec to the next level and giving him great results!

Do you have a story on how PumpUp has helped you? We’d love to hear it.

Ps. Don’t forget to download PumpUp to start living a more active and healthy life!

At PumpUp, we’re proud to have some of the most passionate and dedicated users who care about their health and well being.

Recently, we spoke with Ronan L. from Toronto about his experience working out with the PumpUp app. Here’s what he had to say:

I have been using the Pump Up app for about three months now, can’t speak highly enough about it. 

 

For many years, I was an avid gym-goer. I would workout three to four times per week. As a relatively slim person, my ambition at the gym was to add weight and muscle and over the course of about 4 years, I had added about 15lbs in muscle. (Quite the achievement for me!) However, last year due to some personal circumstances, my attendance at the gym dropped off substantially and I ended up not working out for about 6 consecutive months. Over that period much of the muscle mass that I had worked hard to put on faded.

 

In December, my life circumstances changed again and I resumed my gym attendance. I had heard about Pump Up from a technology blog so decided to give it a shot. The first thing I noticed about it was how it forced me out of my normal routine. Even when I was going to the gym regularly, my workouts had become somewhat static; however, PumpUp introduced me to a number of new exercises that I hadn’t considered before and encouraged me to engage in types of training that I did not do regularly (i.e. cardio/core). This made my workouts much more engaging and interesting and got me working muscles that hadn’t been used in my workouts, if ever! 

 

I also find the workout summaries at the end of each workout to be effective at encouraging me to complete an entire workout (and not cheat). Even though the cues are subtle, the indications that I did not complete an exercise fully are encouraging enough to make sure that next time I do not cheat, or cut out early on a workout. 

 

Even though I have only been going back to the gym for about 4 months now, I have already put back on most of the muscle mass that I lost and I attribute that success primarily to PumpUp. The workouts are engaging, the instructional elements intuitive, and the tracking and feedback loops motivating which all keep me coming back to the gym, using the app and constantly pushing myself to put more into - and get more out of - my workouts. 

The folks at ALLMAX Nutrition were kind enough to send the team at PumpUp some ISOFLEX protein powder. Our Director of Health and Fitness, Jonathan Levy, gives it a try!

Disclaimer: The following review of ALLMAX Nutrition is my personal opinion. ALLMAX Nutrition has not compensated me or PumpUp Inc. financially for the review.

Nutrition

Details: Serving size is for ONE 30-gram scoop

The nutritional profile in ISOFLEX is great compared to other whey protein powders. One of the things some protein powders contain that I’m not a fan of are ‘fillers’. Fillers are calories added to the product that you don’t want. A big reason I like ISOFLEX is because it contains 90% pure protein powder. There are 27 grams of protein per scoop, 0.5 grams of carbohydrates and only 0.1 grams of fat. There are hardly any fillers! Overall, the nutritional profile of ISOFLEX is of high quality. I’d rate it 9/10.

Taste:

ISOFLEX sent me the Peanut Butter Chocolate flavour. Of the many protein powders I’ve tried, I found this was one of the better tasting supplements I’ve tried. Why? I found it mixed smoothly with water, so I wasn’t forced to use milk to enjoy the flavour (I prefer water vs. milk). Though the taste was great, I found the brownish color of the shake to be a bit unappetizing. However, like we all learned at school, “don’t judge a book by its cover!” I really enjoyed the shake both post-workout and as a snack between meals. The best part was the real chocolate chips, which are a nice treat. Overall, I’d rate the taste of ISOFLEX 9.5/10.

Recovery Post-Workout:

After you work out, your muscle fibers get micro-tears due to the excessive load placed on your body. Your muscles go through a process called Protein Synthesis, where they get bigger. For this to happen, you need protein available in your body. I found that ISOFLEX gave me a good amount of protein for muscle growth. My recovery was great and I was ready to work out again a day or two later (please note: there are many other areas that you need to take care of in order to ensure full recovery. If you’d like more details, feel free to email me or comment on this post). Overall, with 27 grams of protein, ISOFLEX gives you a substantial amount of protein. I’d rate the post-workout recovery 8.5/10.

Final Notes:

ISOFLEX by ALLMAX Nutrition is a great Whey Isolate protein shake. I’d definitely recommend this product to most people who exercise. It’s excellent for post-workout or to use throughout your day. While I tried Peanut Butter, it also comes in 6 other flavours. Overall, I’d give ISOFLEX a solid 9/10.

If you have any questions on my experience with ISOFLEX by ALLMAX Nutrition, feel free to email me at jonathan@pumpup.co.

Ps. If you haven’t already, make sure you download PumpUp!

We took a fresh look at our app and decided it was time — time to step up our game and make it beautiful. We polished up our icon and loading screen, and redesigned the home, login, dashboard, workout review, workout results, and signup.

As you can see, we’ve also made it simple to share your workout to Facebook. Why? Because letting our friends know we’re staying active doesn’t just motivate us, it motivates them too.

But that’s not all — we decided to take it one step further. Our newcomers get to build a workout before signing up, and we’ve simplified the process.

And there you have it. PumpUp v1.1.0. Are we finished yet? Never. We have an even bigger surprise for our next update, so follow our blog and keep pumping up!

You’ve been so great at sticking to your workout routine, but all of a sudden you wake up feeling under the weather! WHAT TO DO?



Here are some general guidelines for when you SHOULD and SHOULDN’T work out.

You’ve got a cold?

Moderate intensity workouts are fine when you have a common cold. A general guide to follow is the “Neck Check”:

• If the signs and symptoms are above your neck (eg. runny nose, nasal congestion or minor sore throat) you’re okay!
• If the signs and symptoms are below your neck (eg. chest congestion or a hacking cough) steer clear of the gym.

If you choose to venture to the gym when you’re sick, be courteous to your fellow fitness pals — use hand wipes and sanitizer to wipe surfaces you have touched so you don’t spread it around.

You’ve got a fever?

Fever is a limiting factor. Since a fever means the immune system is fighting an infection, you know your body is already under stress. You don’t want to add more stress to it by exercising.

You’re feeling sleep deprived?

Get yourself out of bed and get moving. A morning workout, such as light cardio or a circuit, could be just what the doctor ordered after a restless night. It might even help boost your energy levels and get you ready to push through the day!

You’re muscles are sore?

Get over it! If only certain muscle groups are sore, try working different muscle groups or do some cardio. If you’re feeling super sore (or just lazy), try stretching it out!

You recently suffered a severe injury?

The body needs time to heal. Do not exercise or participate in any physical activity unless cleared by your doctor.

LISTEN to your body. If your body says something’s wrong, be cautious about pushing it too far. On the other hand, when you do choose to work out, be sure to use PumpUp to make the most of it :)

Push Reminders

Yeah, we all say we’ll work out, but how often do we actually work out? PumpUp now gives you a push that will surely get you moving more.

Better Breaks

There’s a lot you can do when you’re taking a break after a tough set — grab some water, chat with your friends — but what if you’re a keener and you want to get ready for what’s next? Well, as it turns out, we have lots of keeners, so we’ve made it easier to get ready for the next exercise during your breaks!

Other Things

Some would argue that it’s the small things that count, so we made sure to include lots of them:

• Swipe to delete workouts!
• Know where you are in your workout with the new workout progress bar!
• Voice your requests in our new feedback section!
• No more typing in your Facebook email/password — we now use iOS6’s Facebook Single Sign-On!
• Get even better workouts, especially when you add in some cardio!
• Enjoy improved performance and fixes to minor bugs that you may have experienced.

Thanks for working out with PumpUp! We’re gearing up for a big update, so stay tuned and keep pumping up!