Nike Training Club Week 3: Feeling the Burn + Giveaway!

As regular readers know, I'm on a 6-week mission to try, test and report on my adventures with the new Nike Training Club App for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. I'm giving the super customizable workout and training app a spin -- the Get Toned program is my program of choice -- and chronicling my progress and experiences here.

After a slow start last week, I was able to sneak in some quality time with my new little trainer-in-an-app this week. Really, my experience this week can be summed up in one word: sore. Ok, maybe I should expand a bit. As I mentioned last week, despite the fact that I'm deceptively thin, I am actually quite out of shape. I blame it on a bad case of Silicon Valley syndrome -- I spend 14 to 18 hours a day in front of a computer. No joke. The sedentary lifestyle has left me a little soft around the edges. Needless to say, my body isn't quite used to working out. So, back to the "sore"...

I spent the majority of the last week in varying levels of post-workout pain. As much as this sounds like an unhappy state of affairs, I think it is really a good turn of events for two reasons. First, it's proof that the Nike Training Club App workouts work. Despite the compact, efficient (i.e., often short) duration of the workouts, they are effective. The proof is in the pain. Second, the soreness is proof that my body is benefitting from said workouts. That is, the workouts in the program are targeting my personal soft spots. Sure, it's been long enough since I've worked out regularly that it wouldn't take a genius to pick some exercises that would give me a little trouble. But, it gives me extra confidence in the app that its customized workouts have really been able to target my weak areas, even without that whole flesh-and-blood personal trainer thing.

Bottom line, so far the workouts work and seem to be effective in providing an appropriate challenge for my individual needs. The big test for next week? Can the Nike Training Club App keep me motivated enough to work out two weeks in a row -- that's going to be a real challenge.

So, are any of you out there taking the Nike Training Club Challenge with me? Remember how I've been hinting about an upcoming contest? Here's your payoff for following the Challenge (and hopefully giving the free app a spin along with me)... the Nike Training Club Make Yourself Sweepstakes! Enter for a chance to win an iPad2 complete with the Nike Training Club app and COOL Nike gear including the Legend Pant, Victory Bra, and Free XT Motion Fit+!

The Nike Training Club App is a full-body functional training app designed for you to make yourself whatever you want to be. Whether you’re looking to get lean, toned, or strong, NTC takes every workout to the next level. Download it here.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Nike Womens via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Nike Womens.