I have a confession to make: I don’t take my physical fitness seriously enough. When I lift weights at the gym, I simply work on as many muscles as I can until I either get tired or bored. Sound familiar? If so, it only takes one look at the toned individuals carrying around their regimen on an index card to make you wonder whether having a plan could help you reach your full potential. So for all the readers out there looking to get in shape, I’ve surfed the web and found a few resources where you can print out neat, customizable workout cards for free without spending hours designing them on your own.
Squeaky Zipper makes a program called Workout Printer that enables you to create and print out customized workouts on whatever size paper or cardstock you want. I downloaded the trial version and found it relatively intuitive to use. After opening the application, you choose different exercises from dropdown menus on the left side of the window. Your choices appear on your card template and you can specify the number of reps and sessions. If you don’t do (or even know) the exercises listed in Workout Printer, you can always substitute your own. The free trial enables you to print out 10 free workouts, after which watermarks will appear on your cards. The full version of Workout Printer costs $19.99.
For those seeking an even richer software package, try EvenFit from EvenStar Software. You get a lot of the basic features you find in Workout Printer plus graphs and a Wellness journal to chart your progress. Ever heard the saying that a picture is worth a thousand words? EvenFit enables you to upload and monitor photos of yourself over the course of a workout program. On the positive side, EvenFit costs nothing and gives you pretty much everything you’ll need if you’re serious about getting in shape. However, the long list of features probably means a longer learning curve for people who don’t need much more than an easy-to-print workout card.
Finally, exercise site ExRx.netprovides its own pre-designed workout cards in Excel and HTML. While not as flexible or comprehensive as Workout Printer or EvenFit, ExRx.net does have printable “Exercise Pages” that teach you about different exercises and how to do them properly. Using these quick reference cards in conjunction with Workout Printer or EvenFit could help ease a beginner’s transition into a serious fitness regimen.
In any case, the rich resources on the web prove that your printer can make a great workout partner. So get out there, have fun, and stay safe.
