Apps to help you flex and stretch
PLUS: Uncover your metabolic rate secrets, and how to get your heart pumping the virtual way
Spatial awareness
Big kit means a big commitment, both financially and in terms of the space in your home. For many of us, accommodating a large piece of gym equipment just isn’t a thing we can do without tossing out the sofa and the cat, but if you’re blessed with space there are a host of awesome smart fitness devices out there.
Take the NOHrD SprintBok, a manual treadmill (meaning it’s powered entirely by your legs) with a beautiful curved wooden frame which gives you the opportunity to create your own running workouts as well as following those delivered through its touch screen. A very attractive thing, as long as you have a spare 1.3 square metres of floor space free and don’t mind clonking your shins on it when attempting to manoeuvre around your lounge – oh, and if you happen to have somewhere in the region of £5,295 to spend.
So let’s consider some devices with a smaller footprint. The gym-quality TechnoGym MyRun (£3,250) is a slightly more reasonable size, can be inclined up to 12 degrees, and includes a stand for an iPad which lets you connect to the dedicated TechnoGym app or something like Zwyft to create yourself a custom run. You can fold it down too, but you’ll need to use the included tool to do so – if you really want compactness and don’t plan to go too fast, the WalkSlim 630 WalkingPad (£754) literally folds in half along the middle of its belt, and it’s small enough to easily slide under a bed for storage when you’re done sweating.
As long as you don’t have downstairs neighbours, Tangram’s Smart Rope, we suppose, has a footprint as large as yours; as you jump, it can track your hops on your phone, track your time trained and, if you opt for the £79.95 higher-end version, it ties persistence-of-vision (PoV) LEDs into the rope section itself. This displays your jump count in mid-air as you train, meaning you don’t have to lose focus looking over at your phone.
Mastering metrics
A note, now, about availability. A great many people have used their enforced home stays as an opportunity to purchase gym equipment. That’s understandable, but it does mean stock
levels have diminished greatly – there are a great many smart products we looked to recommend here but found entirely unavailable. Fitness gear also tends to be very bulky, meaning availability is often limited just to its own country. Apps don’t (generally) have any limits, so they’re not going anywhere – the key, we feel, is going to be motivating yourself to hit goals that don’t require spin bikes or cross trainers, and instead working on improving your own metrics. The key to this is measuring those metrics in the right way.
There really is no better monitor of overall personal health than the Apple Watch Series 6 (from £379). It took the well-honed brains of the previous generations and added blood oxygen and ECG measurements to the mix. As long as you bear in mind that the measurements should generally be used as baseline comparisons rather than ultra-accurate diagnoses (particularly of any topical breathing
difficulties), the Apple Watch is a perfect companion for fitness tracking. Its ring-closing mechanics act as a great motivator. Take it on a hike, jump up and down on the spot repeatedly, or do exercises like resistance training which movement-based trackers wouldn’t normally be able to get a handle on, and you’ll be able to see improvements and gains as you go.
It’s arguable, though, that although the Apple Watch is a superb personal fitness device, it’s still not enough for the hardcores. Committed runners tend to lean towards Garmin; the Forerunner 245 Music is a great option at £299.99, with a vast range of monitoring and the ability to store music on board, though the £499.99 Forerunner 945 is a far more advanced choice. But there’s no reason you even need to spend that. If a £25 no-name fitness tracker from Amazon will get you accurate enough stats that you’re happy, that could be the only investment you need to make. An Apple Watch is lovely for many more reasons, but your real investment in fitness should be one of commitment.
If you’re really interested in running, the best and most accurate heart rate monitors are those which go around your chest. The Wahoo Tickr X (£64.99) is one of the most highly regarded Bluetooth heart rate monitors out there, slimmer and less conspicuous than its predecessor. It doesn’t only keep tabs on your ticker; it’ll help you track runs or bike rides, and can even detect your reps if you’re doing a little weight training. Garmin’s HRM-Run (£79.99) is probably a better choice if you’re specifically into running above all other forms of exercise, but it has hit the pandemic curse, and stock (at press time) has been affected.