What Android app do you use to track your workouts?

[deadken]

I run and I have an android phone. I've been using my phone to track my distance / time / pace and listen to music while I run.

I started with Endomondo and used that app for a while, but it was just too buggy. It'd crash way too often, so I switched to Sports Tracker. A few less gimmicks than Endomondo (it doesn't show what song you were listening to for each portion of your run, doesn't show what your pace was while listening to a specific song, etc...), but it is more stable. I wish I could turn off the altitude tracking graph. It's useless, inaccurate, and a waste for my runs (I live on Long Island, and it shows that I go from 167 feet below sea level, to almost 100 feet above sea level even though I'm running along the coast and the actual terrain is more like 5 feet above to about 15 feet above). I'd love to be able to turn off the elevation graph and see if that eliminates the crashing. I'd also like to be able to set it to upload to a set group of places. Right now, after every run I have to manually select the 3 places to upload to. I select the same 3 every single time, and it will not store them / make them the default selections. Small gripes, but keeping me from buying the Sports tracker app and the sports tracker Bluetooth HRM at the moment.

That being said, it isn't perfect. Occasionally, it crashes. Of course, the longer the run, the higher the chance of a crash and the more interest I have in the data from the long run.

I'm also interested in hearing if you have a Bluetooth Heart Rate Monitor that you use along with the app. I'm ready to buy a Bluetooth HRM, but am not sure which one to get. I don't know if any particular brand only works with certain phones / apps. Please be sure to mention the brand of your Bluetooth HRM if you use one with the app and how well you like it.


TLDR: Tell me what app you use and how you like it. If you track your Heart Rate tell me what HRM you use and how you like it.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Elevation is hard for GPS to handle accurately. When satellites drop in and out of reception, things jump also.

There is little applications can do about the raw data that the hardware is providing. There are smoothing algorithms that some applications leverage to make things less jumpy.

Having said that, I use RunKeeper. I love it. All my runs are uploaded to their database so I can go online and look at my previous runs with an easy to use interface. They don't have a smoothing algorithm yet. I've actually spoken to developers about it and they are working on it so it should get better. I don't have a rate monitor but I am pretty sure that it can integrate with a bluetooth one from what I saw in options.

There is a free version and a pay version. I have the free one and I don't even known what a pay version would give me. Maybe that heart rate monitor doesn't integrate wit the free version. I think the more expensive version provides more coaching type stuff.

What I like. I have it programmed to tell me every 2 minutes what my distance and pace are. That's configurable to be 1/2/3/4/5 minutes or every 1/4, 1/2 mile, etc.

I find it to be a good tool for keeping pace which is all I care about other than distance.

 

[Bateluer]

I don't use any of them. Wish Daily Mile had a decent mobile app though, so I could post my runs without having to fandaggle with mobile Chrome or waiting until I get home to use the desktop/laptop.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Oh, sort of on topic. I have not found a good app for lifting weights yet.

 

[deadken]

Thanks for the information. I'll have to try some others out. I do like Sports Tracker, but it could be a bit better... I'll try the ones you suggested.

BTW: Endomondo used to tell me how long I've been running, what distance I've covered and what my average and last pace per mile was every mile. I didn't like when it did that. It might seem like useful information, but what Endomondo gave was so inaccurate it wasn't really worth having (5 miles completed, total time 40 minutes and 32 seconds, average pace 9:50... Ummm.... That can't be right?!?).

 

[Riparian]

Oh, sort of on topic. I have not found a good app for lifting weights yet.

This is probably the best weight lifting app I have found over the years:

http://www.jefit.com/

 

[AeroEngy]

I used to run with runkeeper. Their website is nice and has a lot of nice features with your uploaded runs. The audio feedback has a several options for announcing average pace, time, and distance at user selectable time or distance triggers. However, some of the options are useless like current pace since it takes an instantaneous measurement which can vary wildly from your actual current split average.

Recently I have been trying out Strava which has a lot less audio feedback options while running. However, it keeps track of your history and awards you trophies as you break various records( 1 mile, 5k, 10k pace etc.) One other cool thing it does is break up your run into segments if you run on popular hilly routes. It will rank you against anyone who has run that segment and award king of the hill. It can be a good motivator to pick up the pace. The only thing I don't like ... but understand is that they post process and clean up the noisy GPS signal post run. For example today I ran until it told me I completed 8 miles. I hit save and a minute later on the stats page it changed to 7.8 because it smoothed and filtered out some noisy points. So it was more accurate but now my run is a little shorter than what I planned.

 

[pauldun170]

I've been using Cardio trainer (free version)
Rock solid as far as I'm concerned. Only other app I've tried is runtastic.

 

[GamerDiehard]

I have seen many Android workout Apps, they are similar like iPhone workout Apps. They are great and really helpful the keep the track of your workouts which is very important.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

Only one I've tried is RunKeeper. I don't mind it, but I think the GPS is spotty at best. My main grief with these types of apps is that they seem to be battery hogs.

 

[will889]

My app is simply looking in the mirror. If i see hard fit muscle regularly improving then i know i'm doing it right. Don't ever worry about special apps or charts IMO. Rely on your own intuition and a mirror.

 

[Tencntraze]

After reading this thread I've used JeFit for a couple workouts. It's really simple to enter weight/sets while you're working out. The website isn't the best, but it's good enough to get the job done. I don't plan on using all of the crazy charting/etc, but it is nice to have details online to see my weight/rep progression.

 

[Plugers]

I'm still checking out the apps myself. I did buy the Zephyr HxM and it works great so far.