If you're trying to get in shape for the holiday season, the Apple iTunes App store offers a whole range of solutions to fight that flab, and iFitness is certainly one of the best.

iFitness offers you the opportunity to design and monitor a complete health and fitness programme, and supports the training with your own mobile personal trainer.

iFitness caters for any level of fitness, from those who are starting out, to dedicated athletes. It's also extremely helpful because the iPhone’s portability integrates well with exercising on the move. With the iFitness application, you can carry your custom-made workout around with you.

The trainer guides you through various fitness programmes, and explains exercise movements. This is done in a clear and concise manner - using pictorial representations, supported by step by step instructions to ensure that the exercise will be performed correctly.

Every part of the body is covered if you're after a full-body workout. There are also separate sections for different body parts, for those who are looking to focus their workouts on particular muscles. This is exactly what you would hope for from a personal trainer.

Once you embark on your training programme, your improvements can be recorded, so that the health benefits are carefully monitored. We found it rewarding to document our gains, and found it handy that you can alter your programme as you use the app more and your training needs change.

This latest version has added 20 new exercises and an improved BMI calculator. Since the update, the navigation system has also improved with quicker and simpler data entry.

What sets iFitness apart from similar apps is its custom-made workouts that fit easily into your schedule. These can be tailored to specific needs, such as strength building, muscle definition and toning, business travel and 30 minute workout. Each of these sections have their own specific exercises, ensuring that you can achieve exactly what you want in your chosen timescale.

We also liked the email feature, as it meant we could forward our results to our computer to be examined in greater detail.

The downside is that, to get the most out of it, you have to be a member of a gym as most of the exercises require equipment. Having said that, it could be used to record running times, heart rates, or numbers of sit-ups and press-ups.

The iFitness App costs £1.19, which is a fair price for beginners. For more advanced trainers though, its shelf-life might be quite short. The value comes from the instructions and diagrams, whereas the logbook is a little basic for more advanced programmes.

iFitness info

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Platform: Apple iPhone

Price: £1.19

Developer: Medical Productions

Website/Demo: iFitness website

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