Fitness: Want to train like Joseph Schooling? Check out the Olympic champ's fitness app

Joseph Schooling said his feat at the 2016 Olympic Games was partly the inspiration behind the app. PHOTO: ST FILE

SINGAPORE - Those who have always wondered what Joseph Schooling's training regimen is can now find out from Friday (Nov 27), and even choose to be coached by the Olympic champion with the launch of his fitness app Schooling Sport.

The app, which caters to all fitness levels, provides a smart biofeedback training system with real-time and interactive audio coaching based on users' VO2max (the maximum amount of oxygen a person can use during exercise) and heart rate.

Exercises and training plans range from running to yoga and Schooling, 25, told The Straits Times his history-making feat at the 2016 Olympic Games, where he won Singapore's first Olympic gold, was partly the inspiration behind the app.

"Fitness is an essential part of life... it's obviously huge in my career and my life. I was thinking about 2016 and we got fitter and stronger as we went on, and that was what pushed me to do what I did in Rio," said Schooling, who is now training in the United States.

"You don't really need a lot of gym equipment nowadays to train. I worked on this app with my trainer and we both came to the consensus that all you need is not a gym, (but) commitment, perseverance and effective training to get the best out of anyone's body.

"The whole fitness goal is to educate people about training especially with a very short amount of time and very little equipment - that's one of the reasons we started this app."

Schooling Sport is the latest fitness app to launch in Singapore in recent months. The others include LumiHealth and Kemtai.

LumiHealth is a free app that was developed by Apple and the Health Promotion Board. It was launched last month and is part of Singapore's national drive to promote a healthy lifestyle through the use of technology.

It can help users set fitness goals and healthy eating targets and also has wider functions such as serving up reminders for health screening or immunisation. Users can also take part in wellness challenges and those who complete these tasks will be able to earn rewards worth up to $380 in HPB eVouchers from stores like FairPrice, Sheng Siong and Tangs.

Kemtai is a web application that uses artificial intelligence to provide its users with real-time feedback and thus acts as a virtual personal trainer. It launched in June and its annual premium subscription is US$8 (S$10.75).

The programmes on the app are designed by trainers from all over the world. Kemtai uses computer vision on a laptop web browser to view and analyse users' exact movements and guide their form through verbal instructions and live graphic demonstrations. Users are also awarded scores based on how accurately they execute a particular exercise.

PHOTOS: APPLE APP STORE
PHOTOS: APPLE APP STORE

Schooling will work with health and fitness platform Pear Sports and his strength coach Clint Martin, who guided him in the lead-up to the Rio Olympics, to develop the exercises in the app.

All users who download Schooling Sport are eligible for a free two-week trial that provides access to all features in the app. After the two-week trial period, users will retain access to four premium workouts, including one led by the swimmer. These four workouts will remain accessible at no additional cost.

Subscriptions, which provide users with access to all workouts, are available from $5.99 a month and from $60 a year.

Schooling will feature in 15 of the workouts, of which three are programmes that he frequently does in the gym. The sessions last between 15 minutes and 35 minutes. Collaborations with other Olympians, world champions and fitness innovators are also in the works, though he declined to reveal more at the moment.

Schooling Sport can be downloaded from the App Store (Schooling Sport for iOS) and Google Play store (Schooling Sport for Android) on Nov 27. More information is available at this website.

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