digital fitness

A GUIDED AT-HOME WORKOUT JUST GOT EASIER THANKS TO SOME SMART PERSONAL TRAINER GADGETS

Whatever your goals, often the best results you’ll see when exercising come with the gentle (or not) encouragement of a personal trainer. Enlisting the help of one will keep you accountable, make sure you’re pushing yourself so that you can reach your goals and check your form is on point.

However, using a personal trainer has drawbacks, too. Unless you have a home gym, you’ll likely need to head out for a session and your workout schedule is at the whim of their availability.

Now, however, smart home workout equipment has evolved to the point where you can get a personal training experience at home. These systems offer the best of both worlds, melding the core aspects of working with a personal trainer with an enhanced home workout. You’ll undoubtedly have heard of Peloton and its bikes and treadmills, but these other clever gadgets work by either creating a live connection with a personal trainer, or using clever AI technology to monitor your form and your workout progress – the ultimate convenience.

MIRROR IMAGE

Ten years ago, today’s fitness mirrors might have seemed like science fiction inventions, but in 2023 there’s a growing number of brands offering these clever pieces of home gym equipment. A fitness mirror might look like an unassuming freestanding mirror from the outset, but as well as allowing you to see your form when working out, it’s also like a huge smart tablet where you can load up and view classes, too. It’s an idea that’s currently popular in the US, with brands like Lululemon offering one of the most popular, but Nordictrack’s Vault fitness mirror is the one to look out for in the UK, making use of the brand’s IFIT trainer-led workouts. Most fitness mirrors do, however, require an ongoing subscription to classes.

TURN A TV INTO A PT

While fitness mirrors might be the ideal choice for a home gym, we don’t all have that luxury. If you’re short on space, or the potentially eye-watering prices of the mirrors aren’t for you, there’s an introductory series of gadgets that can connect to your TV, or are integrated into them already.

These tend to be small cameras like the Peloton Guide, which allows you to see yourself on the TV during your workout and offers rep counting for accountability. All the while you get Peloton’s digital guidance on how to best construct an at-home workout routine. Others even have AI that can help suggest how to improve form for your workouts, giving you a personal training experience even though you’re not engaged with an actual person.

BREATHE BETTER

Now for something a little different. The Airofit is a gadget that’s been designed to help improve your breathing when exercising. Pop the trainer into your mouth and the app will measure your current lung function. Then you can set ‘resistance’ to help train your breathing muscles, just like any other muscle, while exercising. You’ll find benefits in your general fitness and improved sports performance, but it’s suggested it could also help with conditions like stress, sleep disorder and anxiety.