Introduction: Many people will be familiar with previous versions of Crosstrainer. These programs seamlessly integrated fitness, nutrition and strength training into one program and were leaders in fitness software since the mid 1990s. However, this new Crosstrainer release is a complete re-write of these programs. Innovative Logic has incorporated years of customer feedback and ideas and the result is an easy to use, complete lifestyle management program. Crosstrainer 5 still combines comprehensive fitness, strength and nutrition modules, but has now been significantly expanded in many areas - most notable being the expanded Foods database, the improved Athlete Weigh In area and the new Wellness tracking features. The makers have also completely redesigned the program's interface to be much more intuitive and user-friendly. Crosstrainer is now entirely calendar/schedule driven so all of your meals, workouts and weigh ins are represented by icons on the main calendar and can be viewed at a glance. It also makes planning and viewing future workouts and meals a breeze. The Core: Crosstrainer is a complete fitness and nutrition program designed to get you in shape using any combination of weight training, aerobic activity and nutrition. The program adapts to each athlete and their training style and goals. You start by entering your personal statistics (weight, height, gender etc.), then current workout level, diet preferences, weight and body measurement goals etc., customizing as few or as many details as you care to. Then the program will help you to set up the best workout and meal schedule for your goals and lifestyle. The Strength Training area includes a complete list of weight training exercise and workouts targeting all muscle groups; arms, chest, legs, shoulders, back & waist etc. You decide the sets, reps, and weight for these. Or you may add your own exercises to the program and combine them to assemble your own workouts. As for the nutrition side, Crosstrainer allows you to customize the meals you eat in the day whether you eat 3 square meals or 10 mini meals. You can then monitor food intake with very convenient graphical representations, such as a calorie meter, pie charts and comparison reports. The large food database includes areas for recipes, fast food menus and assembled meals etc (Over 10,000 items!) and is fully editable by the user. For tracking aerobic activities, Crosstrainer includes two full databases for sports and cardio workouts. From tai chi to treadmill, each exercise shows how many calories you have burned at your perceived intensity level. There are also excellent charts and graphs that show your goals vs. actual activity including a psychological tracking feature if you care to see how your performance has been affected by mood, stress or sleep patterns. No matter what your level of fitness, beginner to professional, this program will help you develop a workout routine right for you and will help you track of your results in a straightforward and understandable way. At only $49.95 we feel that Crosstrainer is very good value for the money. At AtoZ Fitness we strongly recommend it.What is New In Crosstrainer 5? Wellness tracking and reporting How did you feel, what is your blood sugar level, how many hours of sleep did you get? These are some wellness tracking and reporting examples. At any given time Crosstrainer can show you a graphical representation of your wellness reports. Felt good last month but not this month? Compare your Wellness readings to such factors as your workout schedule, food intake or water consumption and determine exactly what the problem is. This allows you to analyze you achievements from a different angle. % RDA and RDA Percent or amount of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals that should be included in the daily diet as recommended by the United States Government and compare them to your daily goals. If you don’t follow the RDA or if your government sets its own standards, you can manually enter your daily goals to use this feature to it maximum. 10.000 food items in the database!!! Crosstrainer has more than doubled its previous food and fast food database items and has expanded its recipe and meal adding features. The makers have also allowed the user much more flexibility to reorganize the way the foods are displayed so that they reflect the way that you eat. All food items, meals and recipes include nutritional information such as Protein, Fats, Carbs, Calories and micro-nutrient content information such as Iron, Cholesterol, Vitamins etc. New and improved Weight In Need that positive reinforcement? The Crosstrainer Weigh In screen will provide it for you immediately. Regularly enter your weight, body measurements and skin fold readings. Compare these with your goals and watch your body improve month by month. You can even include a picture with your weigh in and graphically view your history. Other weigh in features that can be tracked and monitored include: vO2max, overall condition, % of body fat and changing BMR and BMI numbers. Calendar View All major functionality is at the users' fingertips. When you schedule a workout, an icon appears on the Calendar to represent the activity. There are icons for strength workouts, individual aerobic activities, appointments, tests, etc. The calendar view can also be changed to reflect 1 month, 6 months etc, much like the calendar in other desktop programs and the Schedule tab to the left of the calendar allows you to view your day at a glance. Some Other Highlights: Heart Rate Monitor: Crosstrainer is capable of importing heart rate monitor readings. If your heart rate monitor doesn’t have digital export functionality, you can manually enter the results of your workouts in the program. Charts and Graphing: Visualizing achievements is a great motivational factor. Crosstrainer allows you to graph and compare countless aspects of your fitness lifestyle. Examine food intake or workout results in a chart. Graph your heart rate fluctuation or the weight you lifted. Shopping List: Automatically generate a shopping list of foods you have consumed over a period of time, or manually add items to your list. Calculator: convert equations simply: Centimetres to Inches, Kilograms to Grams, Celsius to Fahrenheit, Litres to Gallons etc.Ease of Use and Support The program was set up in a matter of minutes. Because the new Crosstrainer is based on the regular Windows Screen layout it is very intuitive. Although Crosstrainer very extensive, it allows you to use as little or as many of the features as you care to. Some of the more advanced features will become more apparent as time goes on and you become accustomed to the program (and perhaps as some of you gain more knowledge of your body and training preferences). But basic functionality is easily picked up on the first try. For support, the Crosstrainer website is very useful. A lively community is always discussing the latest and greatest, and it is easy to ask questions through on-line support forms. Also a full-featured on-line help file is available.Company Information: Innovative Logic Corporation ignited the fitness software industry in 1992 with Crosstrainer and has since maintained its reputation as a respected player in the field. Innovative Logic is committed to bringing the best fitness software experience to athletes, exercise enthusiasts, educators and consumers around the world through its innovative software and internet holdings. For additional information visit: www.crosstrainer.ca