I have to confess, the Nike Training Club app has been my go-to for workout resources for a while. I use it in a pretty basic way, mainly for inspiration on exercises and workouts that I need for a specific focus during the course of my training programme. The fact that it’s free, enables me to have it permanently reside on my phone and delve into it as and when I need to.
But I’ve taken a deeper dive into the app, so I can share all the features that Nike Training Club has to offer.
What Is the Nike Training Club App?
The Nike Training Club (NTC) app is a free mobile fitness program that offers hundreds of workouts designed by world-class trainers and athletes. From bodyweight exercises to yoga classes, NTC has something for everyone. You can choose from over 400 classes ranging from 10 minutes to 45 minutes in length. As you’ve probably guessed, the app is developed by Nike, and they leverage their network of sports superstars for the app. I found myself selecting an ab workout being demonstrated by Cristiano Ronaldo. Although, I need to do a fair few more of his sessions before my abs are yet to look anything similar to his.
Who Should Use the Nike Training Club App?
NTC is perfect for anyone who wants to get fit—no matter your level of experience or skill level. Also, like many other fitness apps it’s like a personal trainer in your pocket. It is great for people who want an app they can bring to the gym, use at home or workout outdoors. The programs are suitable for all fitness levels and include beginner, intermediate, and advanced workouts. It also includes specialised plans such as yoga classes and HIIT sessions. Essentially, it’s for anyone who wants a simple app with a decent library of varied workouts without any bells and whistles. Also, with the app being free it’s ideal for anyone who doesn’t want to stretch their health and fitness budget any further.
How Does the Nike Training Club App Work?
Once you download the NTC app on your smartphone or tablet device, you will be follow a quick and easy set-up process. Essentially, 3 questions about you and how often you work out. This means that NTC doesn’t have a lot of personal information to offer personalised workouts. But it does provide recommendations based on your workout history and in-app use. Although, there are other fitness apps that offer more personalisation and customisation features than NTC. But the likelihood is that you’ll have to pay a subscription.
Once logged in, you can browse through hundreds of different workouts categorised by:
- the muscle group,
- workout focus (such as endurance, mobility, strength, yoga),
- equipment you can use,
- difficulty level.
Once you select your desired workout plan, the app will provide instructions on how to perform each exercise. Also, along with demonstration videos so that you can make sure you’re doing it correctly.
You need to download the workouts to your phone to view the workouts. This can sometimes be an issue if you are not connected to wifi and your location doesn’t have a great signal. Although, it doesn’t eat up too much of your data. But if you use the app regularly you may need to check it isn’t chewing up too much of your data allowance.
Try Out An NTC Workout
Here’s a youtube video of an instructor-led workout that you will find on NTC.
What Features Does the Nike Training Club App Include?
NTC main feature is that it’s a handy personal trainer in your pocket with a decent size and range of workouts. However, the workout section of the app provides the following types of workouts:
- Trainer-led Classes – these workouts are led by Nike’s specialist trainers. The trainer led workouts are great for receiving motivational instructions to keep you focused on the workout. It’s also helpful if you are trying a new type of workout and need instruction throughout the session. I tried one of the Vinyasa Flow workouts by Jonah Kest. Particularly, as I’m a Yoga novice I found that having an instructor take you through each move and exercise really helped to try and mimic the instructors technique and instruction. Also, there’s a good range of workout durations to select from, ranging from 5-60 minutes in length.
- Livestreams – since lockdown streaming virtual classes have become popular. So NTC, make sure you can stream live events and benefit from a virtual class atmosphere. Also, the livestream feature has Q&A and discussion with experts and sports stars.
- Whiteboard workouts – if you just want a plain and simple workout with each exercise planned out then Whiteboard workouts is the feature to turn to. They still provide instructions and video demonstrations for each exercise but the session doesn’t centre around an instructor.
- Short workouts – if you’re pushed for time and just feel a quick burst of energy or stretch then you can choose from these shorter workouts.
There is a feature for selecting pre-designed programmes which are limited compared to other leading fitness apps. It covers programmes such as as:
- Fitness basics
- Core workouts
- Yoga
- HIT
- Some specific sports conditioning such as strength and conditioning for runners.
There isn’t a comprehensive tracking of progress feature in the NTC app. Although, it does keep a track of your workout history and you are able to unlock achievements from various challenges. Also, you can connect NTC to Apple Health, where you can keep a track of your health and fitness progress from your NTC workouts.
Also, there isn’t much customisation for designing workout plans over time in NTC. But you can bookmark workouts that you want to try or co-ordinate with your training plans.
Finally, it connects to Apple Music so you can stream in your favourite music to workout with.
Nike Training Club App Pros?
- One of the best things about NTC is that it’s completely free!
- Over 400 workouts to choose from. This may not be as comprehensive as other fitness apps but I found it enough to cover most of my training bases.
- It’s simple and easy to navigate. In fact, the volume of workouts makes it easier to select workouts that suit you.
- Provides content and advice from experts under categories such as training, nutrition, recovery, mindset and sleep.
- Integrates with Apple Health
Nike Training Club App Cons?
- Some users may want an app with more advanced features for personalisation and customisation.
- Workouts need to be downloaded to your phone.
What are other Reviews and Users Saying About Nike Training Club App?
NTC has good review ratings on the Apple store (4.8 out of 5) and Google Play (4.3 out of 5). The main positive reviews have noted that it’s free, can view video demonstrations and can plan their training workouts using the app. The ability to select a workout based on what equipment access you have has also been mentioned frequently in reviews.
The main criticisms have been around the last two app updates from time of writing. The updates have removed some of the users saved workouts and also the ability to select certain programmes has been removed. Users would like the app to have more features around being able to create structured programmes from the library of workouts.
I agree with the above positive and negative feedback from the reviews. Although, the app being free I’m more lenient with the addition of new features. For full customisation, I have an expectation that such features would be premium and paid for.
Final Verdict on Nike Training Club App
Even after the last two updates (from the date of writing), NTC is still the app I most frequently use for workout and exercise inspiration. Particularly, for gym sessions, core workouts and trying out new things to focus on specific areas of my training.
A simple app, with no bells and whistles. But it’s the simplicity and the clean user interface that keeps enticing me back to the app. And of course, it’s free, so I can dip in and out of NTC as and when I require.
The app is available on the Apple Store and Google Play.
