There are a lot of excuses and reasons that people come up with as to why they cannot seem to stick with a routine of physical activity. One way to stay on track, focused and creative is to work out with a partner—someone who shares similar fitness goals and someone that you actually like to hang out with and have things in common with socially. Working out with a partner is super beneficial to a consistent workout schedule because of the accountability factor. You are much more likely to get up and go workout if you know that someone is waiting at the gym, park, track, stairs, or trail for you.

Life can get really busy, but, because of how essential a workout is, it should definitely be a priority. Workout out with a friend is a great way to give your body some love as well as catch up with your friend when time doesn’t always permit both. Perhaps you really like to run, but your friend likes to hike or bike. What a great way to explore new activities and challenge yourself in a new way. This is good for the body and the mind, don’t want to get bored of a workout program.

Pick out two songs each that are roughly 4-6 minutes in length. Choose these songs wisely and make them highly motivational in order to complete these exercises. Use an interval timer to make the timing easier and feel free to wear your heart rate monitor to monitor how many calories you are torching away.

Song1 Steve Aoki/Wynter Gordon- Ladi Dadi: 30 seconds jumping jacks, 30 seconds hops squats, 30 second plank, rest 30 seconds

Song2 Pretty Lights- Kanye West All Of The Lights Remix: 30 seconds mountain climbers, 30 seconds push-ups, 30 seconds high knees, rest 30 seconds

Song3 B.o.B. ft. Lil Wayne- Strange Clouds : 20 jump lunges (each leg), 20 burpees, rest 15 seconds

Song4 Usher- Lemme See (feat. Rick Ross): 20 seconds of bicycle crunches, 10 seconds rest (aka Tabata interval)

Here are a few exercises to do with a partner:

1. Plank with hand slap

*You can even have a thumb war with your partner in a plank and the loser has to do push-ups!

2. Resistance band running pull

3. Wheel barrow

 

A workout partner that is closer to your fitness level and shares similar fitness goals can be of benefit especially if you have a competitive edge. My really good friend, who I run, swim and workout with a couple times a week, and I always have different competitions and contests in order to test our own improvement and, of course, see who actually wins between the two of us. Faster mile, push-up contest, plank contest, stair race and sand sprint races are something that we do extremely often. If things get busy, and one of us is unable to make it to work out, we can record our runs, count our pushups and time our planks and send them to each other to compare, compete and congratulate.

Lack of motivation, lack of creativity and lack of accountability can hinder a workout program, and having a workout partner can eliminate all three of those excuses.  Find a friend that wants to get fit together and start making a plan of action so that being active can be a part of who you are.

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Are you stuck in a workout rut? Biking the same route four times a week but not getting any faster? Worried your recurring hip pain will slow you down in that 10K next month?

If you’re like most fitness enthusiasts, your goals include getting stronger and faster, improving your athletic performance and avoiding injuries. And these goals are easy to achieve – if you vary your workout regimen. Here are four major benefits of cross-training to get you in gear:

Recovery

Sprained ankles, pulled hamstrings, shin splints, sore quadriceps – the list goes on. Aches, pains and injuries are a reality when it comes to exercise, and frequently stem from overuse. For many injuries, continuing your normal exercise regimen can make matters worse. So if you’re forced to hang up your running shoes for a few weeks? Try something new! With your doctor’s consent, cross-training can be an ideal way to stay active as you heal. Depending on the type and severity of your injury, biking, swimming and yoga or Pilates are great low-impact options that will keep you in shape throughout your recovery. Cross-training can actually speed up recovery time by increasing blood flow to damaged muscle tissue.

Injury Prevention

The most commonly-cited reason to cross-train is to reduce your risk of getting hurt. Completing the same physical action over and over puts tremendous strain on your joints, ligaments, muscles and tendons, so it’s helpful to give them a break now and then. Runners, for example, put major stress on their legs through repeated motions. Mixing in other forms of exercise can help your body recover between runs, which is especially important when training for a race, or running long distances. Yoga and Pilates are especially complementary to running as they build core strength and improve flexibility – a major benefit as runners often suffer from tight hamstrings, calves, and hips.

Improved All-Around Fitness

If you always work the same muscle groups in the same ways, your body will get used to the routine and your results will reach a plateau. But if you mix in different types of exercise, your body will be kept guessing, and will continue to improve. Changing up your routine is also a chance to activate under-used muscles. Runners and bikers can use swimming, boxing, or weight training to cross-train their upper body muscles, allowing them to catch-up to their more-developed leg muscles. By increasing total-body strength, flexibility and stamina, cross-training can enhance your overall fitness and help you thrive at your primary sport.

More Fun!

Doing the same exercise over and over is not only an easy way to get hurt; it’s also an easy way to get bored. Workouts should be challenging but also enjoyable, so choose cross-training activities that you genuinely like doing, not just those that target your neglected muscle groups. How about Zumba, salsa lessons, geocaching (with runtastic’s Altimeter app!), rock climbing, or playing tennis with a friend?

With runtastic, you can still keep track of workouts that don’t require GPS tracking. Don’t forget to log your cross-training activities upon completion. They’ll be stored in your activity history so you’ll know when you’re due for a break.

What are your favorite cross-training activities and how has cross-training helped you? Let us know on our US Twitter handle @runtasticUS or our international handle @runtastic.

In spring you can’t go online or open a magazine without seeing all sorts of articles and advertisements promising to help you shed pounds and get ready for bathing-suit season. We hear all about how to get in shape for summer, but what about how to get (and stay) fit during summer?

With scorching temperatures and endless distractions, summer can be one of the hardest times to stay motivated. (It takes real dedication to hit the gym when you could be lounging by a pool.) But the benefits of exercise – weight loss, increased energy, improved immune system, better health, the list goes on – are the same in every season, so a little heat is no excuse to abandon your workouts. In fact, summer presents a multitude of great exercise options. Here are our top five ways to make the most of summer exercise:

1. Get Outside

Gyms are great when it’s cold and rainy out, but in the summer heat they can become stuffy and just plain gross. Instead, take your exercise routine outside where you can enjoy the sunshine and fresh air (which will smell a lot better than the stale sweat in your gym, we promise). To beat the heat, pick a shady route and restrict your workouts to cooler parts of the day, like early morning and evening. Bring along our Altimeter app to check weather and wind information, as well as sunrise and sunset times.

2. Have a Ball

To keep your workout from feeling like work, make it a game. Grab some friends and a basketball, soccer ball, football, volleyball – whichever you like – and arrange a scrimmage, or just play pass. Just like when you were a kid, you’ll be exercising, but it’ll just feel like a fun summer afternoon.

3. Dive In

Heading to a pool is the obvious choice for escaping summer heat, but it can also be a great decision when it comes to fitness. If you’ve been watching the Olympics, you’ve no doubt noticed how great the swimmers look. In addition to keeping you cool, swimming can help you burn fat and build muscle for that perfectly toned “swimmer’s body.” It is also a great option if you’re injured – or for cross training so you don’t get injured. Not a big fan of swimming laps? You can still keep cool and use water resistance in your favor. Check out these non-swimming abdominal pool exercises from Livestrong.

4. Vacation with Caution

Taking time off work doesn’t have to mean taking time off exercise.  Whether you’re vacationing on a tropical island or in a big city, there are always ways to work in exercise. Run on the beach; rent a bike for site seeing instead of taking a bus; use your runtastic Pedometer app to make sure you’re walking your goal distance each day; or try an entirely new fitness activity like standup paddle boarding. Staying active will keep you in a better mood for your travels, help offset the extra calories you’re sure to consume and make it much easier for you to jump back into your normal fitness routine when you return home.

5. Drink Up

Stay hydrated! Drinking plenty of water (most guidelines recommend 8-10 glasses a day) is important year-round, but in summer it becomes even more important as we need to replenish the water we lose through sweat. Many problems generally associated with heat, including headaches, lethargy and irritability, are actually signs of dehydration. Water is even more essential when you are physically active as dehydration can lead to muscle cramps and fatigue.

How are you staying fit this summer? Let us know in the comments or send a tweet to our US Twitter handle @runtasticUS or our international handle @runtastic.

Since the official debut of runtastic in Japan in March 2012, we have seen amazing support from our Japanese users. According to the App Store Rankings, runtastic is the most downloaded running app in Japan!

One of our most enthusiastic fans in Japan is Kazu, a famous Japanese Blogger and You Tuber from Kazu Channel (http://kazuch.com/). On July 9th, he visited runtastic headquarters in Austria to learn more about us and shoot some video for his You Tube Channel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During the last two years, Kazu has posted over 100 video clips, testing a great variety of products from fitness apps to foldable bikes and digital cameras. Some of the secrets of his success is his enthusiasm, friendly manner, and his ability to clearly share the products he is testing.

When Kazu was at runtastic, a competition of push-ups and bench press was held between Kazu andFlorian Gschwandtner (runtastic CEO). This competition took place in the downstairs gym and both competed to see just how strong they really were. To see how this competition went, view the clips below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kazu visiting runtastic

Kazu thank you for all of your interest in runtastic and helping introduce our apps in Japan! We look forward to seeing you again, maybe next time in Japan!

What an amazing experience! Before running with the Olympic torch, I thought it might be a nice event with a few memories. I was wrong! This was the best event I´ve ever attended and there were many special moments for me that I will remember forever. Thank you to all the people who were responsible for this and a big thank you to SAMSUNG for the awesome organization.

I was able to take one guest with me to London. My parents never had the chance to travel because they are farmers and did not have time for vacation, so I chose my father to attend. He had never been to London before and was very excited.

Key highlights from the weekend:

-          Picked up at the airport with a lot of motivated people

-          Arrived at the amazing “Royal Horeseguard Hotel” with some of the best surroundings in London

-          Sunday 4am (yes am) – wake up – and I was one of the first torchbearers on my great day

-          Got the number 18 and had to run in Redbridge – Gants Hill Underground Station

-          During the bus ride to Redbridge there were already thousands of people cheering – what an amazing feeling

-          Time to get on the road, together with the torch *proud*

-          ‘WOW effect’ (I read about the wow effect a couple of month ago in the book “Delivering Happiness”) – now I know it exactly what the ‘wow effect’ is

-          Children ran to me, took pictures and the crowd was amazed to see the torch

-          The Olympic flame from the previous torchbearer was getting closer and finally we did the Olympic torch pass

-          Now it was my time – run, but not too fast – enjoy every single second – it’s your moment to shine! And it definitely was my moment!

-          What an unbelievable feeling – I can´t tell you, but it was the best I´ve ever had!

-          Crying, cheering, laughing, … everybody was looking at the torch, the Olympic flame and the torchbearer (in this case me)

-          After the event I spent time with the other torchbearers – exchanged stories and experiences

-          In the evening there was a special Samsung dinner – second ‘wow effect’

-          We visited the London Eye – perfect view and 25°C weather (yes that’s possible in London)

-          Monday we visited Stamford bridge and I got a jersey with the same number I wore in the relay

 

Thank you London! Thank you Olympics! And thank you Samsung for making all this possible!

I received the torch and it will get a special place in my flat and in my memory, as this is an event I will remember forever!

Today the torch is in the runtastic headquarters and it is providing us with extra motivation to keep creating great products for athletes, beginners and every body to get fit and enjoy sports.

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