Five Basic Exercises - 5BX

Need to get in shape? Cant spare much time? What you need is just Five Basic Exercises you can do in under 11 minutes per day!

The 5BX exercise system was developed by the Royal Canadian Air Force in the 1970s. The essence of the system is a set of charts that outline a very brief set of exercises you can do anywhere. The levels start out very easy but gradually get harder - first more reps, then harder versions of each exercise - until you achieve your age-appropriate fitness level.

Start on level one; do that for a few days (or longer, depending on your age - see table below), then swipe the display sideways to show the next exercise level. Dont advance unless you can do the current level comfortably within 11 minutes.

FEATURES AT A GLANCE

- creatively displays 48 levels of 5BX data

- swipe sideways to scroll to the next level

- cartoon-style prompts reinforce the fun, simple nature of the exercise system

- remembers what level you last viewed

- more detailed textual description of the exercises is available - tap the black text buttons at the top or bottom of the screen to show/hide this info

MISSING FEATURES I EXPECT TO ADD IN LATER UPDATES

- doesnt yet display the recommended maximum levels by age

- needs info on how to start versus maintain health

- needs some disclaimers and clarification on which exercises have been modified from their original versions.

- needs a way to "check off" that youve done the current level X times, so you know when its time to move up.

NOTES

- Future updates will add much more supporting info to make this app more of a full stand-alone exercise system

- Future updates will improve the iPhone-ness of the UI

- The 5BX system was designed primarily for men; I am also developing a similar version of XBX, the matching program for women, that uses a similar "graphic novel" display format.

Recommended rate of progression
20 years or younger at least one day at each level
20 - 29 yrs at least two days at each level
30 - 39 yrs at least four days at each level
40 - 49 yrs at least seven days at each level
50 - 59 yrs at least eight days at each level
60 yrs and over at least ten days at each level