While in gym class during elementary school, I was paired with an exercise buddy who would hold my feet and faithfully count as I huffed and puffed my way through dozens of sit ups (OK, it was more like a dozen total). Nowadays, there are several iPhone apps to compliment your workout routine.
The Repetitions app is not unlike my helpful classmate. The 99-cent app, simple to learn and even simpler to employ, allows you to create multiple categories of repetitive exercises and then keeps you company as you make your way through them.
Take leg lifts. You input the number of lifts you want to do (5) in the amount of time that you want to do then (10 seconds). You can input how many sets you want to do (3) and how much rest time you would like between sets (1 minute).
Touch the screen to start, and a blue ticker will begin scrolling around the circular face of a digital timer. Each time you hit the incremental time (10 seconds) the app makes a loud tick, similar to that of a metronome, to help you keep pace. At the top of the screen is a row of hollow dots. As you complete each set, the app fills in one dot, so you always know exactly how many sets you have left to go.
Repetitions doesn’t have fancy features, but it is perfect for getting through a series of reps on the living room floor.
