The Pumatrac training app offers workouts that are short but efficient. It’s an excellent option for time-starved individuals looking to burn more calories in less time.

The Pumatrac app gives you access to over 2,400 minutes of athlete-led workout videos for free

Pumatrac offered by sportswear brand Puma is not exactly new in the market. We hadn’t tried Pumatrac when it was first launched as a running app, but we’re glad to discover it in its most recent reincarnation following an update in May 2018.

If you download Pumatrac today, not only can you use it to track runs, you’ll also have access to instructor-led workout videos that span boxing, pilates, running, dancing, yoga and strength training. The best part? It’s free.

Downloading the app is easy; it’s available on App Store and Google Play, so you’re pretty much covered as long as you own a mobile phone. Upon launching the app, you’ll have to register your account. You’ll be asked for your name, email, country of residence, date of birth, gender, height and weight – fairly standard stuff for most workout apps.

Like most workout apps, the Pumatrac promises personalization. You’ll be asked to input your fitness goal broadly categorized into four groups: 1) strong & ripped; 2) speed & endurance; 3) flexibility & balance; 4) lean & fit. For further customization, you’ll also be asked to select a minimum of two favorite activities from a list of seven. For the best variety, go ahead and select them all. Further, you can indicate the number of times a week you exercise, what time the exercising occurs, and how long you exercise for. Pumatrac’s coaching voice comes in English, German, Polish and Spanish.

Input your fitness goals for greater personalization of the app

Once you’re set, you’ll be taken to your first daily inspiration page – swipe through to pick your workout for the day. These workouts are recommended to you based on your profile and preferences. Not feeling any of these recommended workouts? Hit the “browse all” function on the top right to access all the workouts on Pumatrac suitable for you. Maybe you feel like a run? Hit “go running” on the top left corner of the app to track your indoor or outdoor run.

The workouts you’ll see on “browse all” are filtered by the profile you created earlier (you can tweak this anytime). We indicated we only intend to work out for 45 minutes per session so the shortest workout offered is 6 minutes and the longest workout is about 42 minutes.

Pumatrac filters workouts that fit your fitness goal

What we like

1. Pumatrac offers more unique workout types such as ballet, dance and pilates. This comes as no surprise considering ballet and its offshoot, barre, are part of Puma’s training DNA, having previously collaborated with the New York City Ballet. Ballet-inspired workouts are great way to work muscles you never knew existed and add diversity to your workout routine.

2. Each workout is short but impactful. A fair number of workouts incorporate a 10 to 15 minute run. So, for example, a 30-minute session could include a 5-minute warm-up, 10-minute run, 10-minute circuit and 5-minute cool-down. An icon of a running man denotes workouts that incorporate runs, so you’ll know what to expect. Nothing could be worse than a surprise run when you least feel up to it – nice to know that Puma has thought that through.

3. The app allows you to build on your workouts. On the app, you’ll find some workouts are part of a series, e.g., Leg Day #1, which is 15 minutes, and Leg Day #2, which is 28 minutes. This allows you to start slow and go for the longer Leg Day workout when you’re ready to tackle it. The variations also allow you to combine Leg Day #1 with another short 15-minute workout targeting a different muscle group.

4. Gain access to workouts by leading athletes. Pumatrac workouts are led by a host of Puma trainers and ambassadors such as Emily Cook Harris and F1 champion Lewis Hamilton. Also, how often do you get to say you have Adriana Lima in your pocket? According to Puma, the app offers more than 2,400 minutes of workouts. We haven’t checked just how true this is, but there’s plenty to choose from at a glance.

5. The interface is efficient. Pumatrac is designed to look modern and sleek. Most importantly, it’s easy to use.

Pumatrac app features workouts by Puma ambassadors such as Adriana Lima

The bottomline

Pumatrac is a free training app that offers diverse workouts such as HIIT, strength training, ballet and pilates led by Puma trainers and ambassadors. It also functions as a run tracker. Where it comes to run tracking, however, we find that the Nike Run Club app is more complete as it is also more established. Overall, though, the Pumatrac works well as a one-stop app for tracking the progress of your training and running, if you’re looking to cut down the number of apps on your phone.

If you’re new to circuit training, it might take a while getting used to moves like “Mountain Climbers” and “Russian Twists” – both are as horrible as they sound. If you need a minute to catch your breath, go ahead and pause the workout. Jump right back into it whenever you’re ready.

Pumatrac is a solid enough free workout app to switch to from paid apps like the Sweat app (membership is approximately S$28 per month). Trust us, nothing feels better than a stronger body and a heavier wallet.

We like workout apps in general as they motivate you to exercise anytime, anywhere. That you can get some of these apps for free is a bonus. For a long time the Nike Training Club has been a forerunner where it came to such apps, but we think the updated Pumatrac gives NTC a pretty good run for its money.

Pumatrac is available for free worldwide in the App Store and Google Play.

What training app would you like to read a review on next? Leave a comment below.

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