GYM READY?
WITH FITNESS CENTRES REOPENING ON MONDAY, LUCY HEDGES LOOKS AT THE BEST TECH TO EASE BACK IN SHAPE – OR POUND OUT THAT PB
WITH lockdown restrictions beginning to lift and the nation scoffing as much chocolate as is physically possible during the Easter bank holiday weekend, lots of us will now be turning our attention to ditching those half-arsed workouts and focusing on getting our gym-based fitness regimes back on track.
We think it’s fair to say that gym returners fall into two categories: the disciplined pavement pounders who don’t need to be asked twice to don lycra and have a personal trainer barking instructions at them, and those whose exercise has consisted of nothing more than multiple trips back and forth to the biscuit tin. Whichever one you fall into (we won’t judge), we’ve handpicked the top gold-medal gizmos that’ll help you gett the most out of your local gym workout.
THE DIET AND SLEEP PLANNER
Lumen
This metabolism-hacking device tracks your body’s s use of fuel via a connected breath analyser, providing personalised guidance on fitness, weight loss, sleep patterns and meal plans. By delivering metabolic information in real time, it guides you towards better dietary habits that enable your body to better use fat stores for energy. That makes it an incredibly useful tool for increasing sports performance.
£229, lumen.men.me
THE MUSCLE RELIEVER Recovapro
The ultimate ate portable power ower tool for silencing ncing aching muscles and reducing soreness, this percussive therapy tool equips you with everything you need to do professional-essional-grade DIY sports massage-age-style treatments. tre Its pummelling head offers five speed settings alongside five head attachments designed to work on different target areas from feet to your shoulders. Designed to precisely deliver 12mm of amplitude at a top speed of 55 percussions per second and at 60lb of force, it’s it more than a match for knots and tight spots.
£199, smartech.buzz
THE SUGAR MONITOR Supersapians
This stick-on skin bio-sensor (left) connects to your smartphone and taps into your vitals, offering live blood glucose level monitoring so you know exactly what and when to eat to best fuel your workouts. By logging ‘events’ in the dedicated app, users can also track how different food affects their glucose levels to better understand what their body needs. It’s a firm favourite among Ironman competitors so it’s definitely one for the grafters.
From £103.64, supersapiens.com
THE ADVANCED HEALTH MONITOR
FitBit Sense
If you want as much data as you can possibly get, FitBit’s stylish smartwatch does an excellent job of keeping tabs on your workouts and wellbeing. So expect temperature and resting heart rate, breathing rate, oxygen saturation and heart-rate variability, all accessible on one screen.
Alongside the usual fitness features, including GPS, water resistance and over 20 goal-based exercise modes, it helps you reach personalised target heart-rate zones, awarding you for time spent in fat burn, cardio or peak heartrate zones. The Sense comes in Lunar White (right) or Carbon (above). £269, fitbit.com
THE MUSCLE-MAKER Saga Fitness Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) cuffs
For those looking to elevate their ironpumping abilities, these auto-inflating wireless cuffs from Australian fitness firm Saga (right) wrap around your limbs during exercise to safely restrict venous blood flow from a working muscle to increase muscle hypertrophy, growth and strength – so you’ll be lifting those Atlas stones in no time. The BFR cuffs also happen to be the first of their kind to make this kind of tech affordable and accessible. £169, uk.saga.fitness
THE DIGITAL COACH Under Armour Flow Velociti Wind
Thes These clever, good-looking, rubber-free kicks are far from your yo bog-standard pair of runnin running shoes. Once auto-connected to UA’s My Run app, embedded sensors are always ready to track your routes and deliver metrics, including distance, stride length, ground contact and more, each time you run hell for leather. You’ll get real-time coaching fed into your ears for personalised tips on the move too. Loaded with innovative tech, these UA Flows (below) are lightweight trainers great for all levels of runners.
£140, under armour.co.uk