OU Recreational Services has teamed with an independent college fitness organization to create a new online workout program.
Crimson Fitness, which became active in January, is designed to teach people about how to be fit and stay healthy, according to its Web site.
“Crimson Fitness is an extremely innovative tool that makes designing an effective workout routine easy to accomplish,” said Scott Miller, assistant director of Testing and Counseling. “That workout can be taken with you in your pocket to the gym.”
Users can access these programs online at www.crimsonfitness.com or on mobile devices.
The iPhone and iPod Touch offer a free Crimson Fitness application, said Brent Skoda, College Fitness spokesman. Other devices, such as the Blackberry and Android, should have one soon.
One of the main features of the interactive Web site is a workout generator that allows students to get a plan based on their goals and desired plans. After entering some information, the program gives students a schedule and how-to videos for each workout.
Certified trainers create each workout, so students should get the most benefits from each program, Skoda said. The videos also help students learn how to do the exercise and get better results.
College Fitness is in the process of obtaining a patent for its Workout Generator system, Skoda said.
He said the program also has a calorie counter where users can search a nutritional database for specific foods.
“[You] can even locate specific restaurants and meals near you to get a more accurate count,” Skoda said.
Crimson Fitness had more than 5,500 visitors to the Web site and 500 applications downloaded after the site had been active for two weeks, said Chris Manfredini, College Fitness spokesman.
Tuesday at the Huston Huffman Center, 10 students said they had not used Crimson Fitness, but seven of the 10 said they had heard of the program and expressed interest in using it.
“I am thinking about trying it,” said Diana Lucero, architectural engineering junior. “I would use the information on workout routines. Right now I just walk on the treadmill, but I would like to try something different.”
Caitlin Ronck, University College freshman, said she just likes to run but would use the calorie counter to know how many calories she burns during exercises.
To use Crimson Fitness, visitors must register with a valid e-mail address. The program is free and open to everyone.
