Getting into shape and my physical improving fitness is something I take a great interest in. I’ve tried a wide variety of training methods to get fitter and stronger; from powerlifting to HST (hyperbolic strength training), interval training, and currently, bodyweight training. The great thing about keeping in shape this way is that it’s virtually cost free, however, there isn’t necessarily an obvious way to start.
Adrian James Six Pack Abs Workout is an app that features a wide variety of exercises to work and develop your core strength. I hadn’t heard of the app until recently, when I stumbled across it gaining traction in the App Store’s Top Charts, with a lot of 5 star ratings and a reasonable price. This made me curious as to finding out what made this app so special for what appears to be a simple function. Let’s find out if it offers anything unique.
Like the article? You should subscribe and follow us on twitter.
Getting Started
Once you open the app, you are given the option immediately to subscribe to offers and news from Maximuscle. I personally didn’t choose this, as you can find more than enough fitness advice on forums and other sites. After that, you are presented with a relatively simple-looking menu with the shirtless Adrian James in the background for motivation. The menu options are Exercises, Workout, Challenge, Meal Plan and Social.
If you’re interested, there is a disclaimer at the bottom-right of the screen, as well as a link to the Maximuscle Twitter account at the bottom-left.
If you select the Exercises tab, you’ll be given another menu where you can select exercises ranging from easy to hard. There are a total of 30 exercises you can perform.
Exercises menu
Selecting an exercise will give you a detailed walkthrough on how to perform that routine along with a video demonstration. I found this especially helpful for exercises that I hadn’t seen before, such as the corkscrew below. This allows you to use the app as a reference tool when performing a routine
Guidance on performing an exercise
If you’d rather use the app to perform full workouts, select the workout option from the main menu. Here you’ll find four preset workouts ranging from beginner to elite difficulty. If you don’t fancy any of the preset routines, there is a “custom” option where you can select six or more exercises and turn them into your own personal workout. Unfortunately, I haven’t found a way to save these workouts other than dedicating them to memory.
The different difficulty classes
When you engage a workout, you will enter a rest period of 15 seconds before engaging the first workout in the session for 30 seconds, followed by a 15 second rest and so on. Adrian James will act as a guide throughout your session, indicating when the workout stops and starts.
The rest and workout periods can be adjusted through a gear icon at the top-right of the Workout menu.
Features
The app includes the useful feature of a diet plan, accessible from the main menu from the Meal Plan heading. You have two options: A weekly meal plan for size and strength, or one for getting lean and defined. The app then lists the meals for the Monday; other days are accessible by swiping horizontally.
Example meal plan.
One thing I like about this app that gives it a key selling point is the personal trainer function, indicating the next exercise to come with a little bit of instruction if you . If you can’t see the screen, the app will give a “3 … 2 … 1 …” countdown before the workout period, and a countdown from five as that period comes to a close. I found that this allows you to plug in your headphones, hit play and do the whole workout without looking at your iPhone, which is pretty handy.
The app has a medals system whereby every completed workout will award you a medal, and you have to presumably earn a medal each day. There are no rewards, however, it’s a good way to track your progress. You can view your weekly medals in the Challenge menu.
Functionality
Overall, the workouts contain a wide variety of exercises to work pretty much every muscle in your core, with a clear emphasis on the abdominals. The custom workout was one of my favorite features that I use pretty much every day.
Despite all the praise, I have a little problem with this app. The meal plan is all fine and well, but I resent the fact that Maximuscle have included their own products that appear frequently throughout the meals, around three times a day. To follow this meal plan to the T, users would have to fork out a whole lot of money that really isn’t necessary.
I personally recommending following a different meal plan, or at least substituting their products with alternative sources of protein. Serious bodybuilders will have a strict routine and diet set out by a trainer or a professional, and unless a similar routine is followed, protein shakes will have a negligible or minimal effect; natural sources of protein can get the job done just fine.
I use this app as a quick way to work my core when I’m stumped for ideas, and for that function, its brilliant. If you really want to achieve a beach body or anything remotely similar, I wouldn’t recommend solely using this app; it works well in conjunction with other fitness routines, but it isn’t enough to work your whole body.
Conclusion
The app is easy to use, a good reference tool and a great personal trainer. Regularly using this app is a solid method to build core strength over a period of time. Even if you’re a beginner, you just need to spend a little time getting used to the exercises, so start on the beginner options and work your way up.
For the current introductory price of $0.99, the app does its job well in a good value package that I recommend getting if you want to strengthen your core. Make sure you don’t rely on just this app, and don’t give up!