There was a time, not so many years ago when physical fitness and exercise involved nothing more technical than a heavy weight or a pair of running shoes. But, as the use of technology has expanded in virtually every aspect of our daily lives, the fitness industry has exploded with cool tech gadgets to help take your physical fitness to new levels.
Here are just a few fitness tech products you might want to consider when trying to enhance your workout routine.
Fitbit Versa
In a lot of ways, the basic fitness step tracker was the basis for the explosion in fitness gadgets in the past decade. Early step trackers did just that, tracked your steps during the day. But, this simple bit of data collection set the foundation for many more advanced fitness devices, all based on tracking activity. These days, a fitness tracker plays a big part in the daily fitness tracking routine for many people. Even if you’re not working out regularly, a step tracker gives you an idea of how much you are up and moving around during the day.
Fitbit has become a leader in the fitness tracker arena, with a variety of trackers offering varying bells and whistles. One of the more versatile is the Versa line of fitness smartwatches. With a Versa, you get access to all of the standard fitness tracking functions (steps, heart rate, sleep, and activity levels), along with more advanced fitness tracking tools. The Versa also adds a variety of apps for music, weather, and other functions you might find on a smartphone.
If you like wearing a watch, but want all of the functionality of an advanced fitness tracker, along with some of the apps from your phone, then a Versa might be up your alley.
Mirror
The Mirror is a newer and definitely more advanced product for the at home fitness industry. It combines aspects of a website, fitness tracking, and virtual personal training and classes into a sleek standing mirror interface. So, it replaces your TV screen as the platform for more traditional workout video content. It also looks to add some of the community aspects that you find by attending workout classes at a gym or other type of fitness studio.
It follows the model of the Peloton stationary bike, with it’s live and on-demand training classes brought into your own home. While I haven’t included a writeup on the Peloton in this article, in some ways it is the trendsetter when it comes to higher expense home workout equipment, with built-in instruction and class content.
The Mirror offers a wide range of workouts across cardio, pilates, barre, kickboxing, bootcamps, yoga, and weight training, just to name a few. All of this cool technology comes at a cost, as the Mirror is not inconsiderable ($1,495 as of this writing). But, if you want a versatile home gym content platform, it is definitely worth considering.
FightCamp Personal Boxing
Honestly, I had to write about this one because the ads kept popping up on my Facebook feed. This is another example of taking the Peloton model of fitness equipment plus streaming classes and training, plus a community aspect to form an engaging fitness regimen. In this case the focus is on boxing/kickboxing as the equipment includes a punching bag, boxing gloves, punch trackers, and some additional boxing accessories (available in some packages).
The concept is to bring your local kickboxing gym classes into your home through your TV screen and then the FightCamp equipment. As someone who enjoys a good kickboxing workout, the appeal of FightCamp is pretty obvious. It’s a killer calorie burning workout and a great stress reliever.
Much like the Mirror, you can expect a higher price tag for FightCamp (starting at over $1,200 for the basic equipment package).
Bowflex DumbBells
Dumbbells are a staple for any gym (home or professional). But, to make them as functional as possible, you need a LOT of dumbbells, since each is a set weight. Unlike a barbell with plates you can add or remove, dumbbells are what they are, and each set takes up space. It’s fine for a gym to have multiple sets of every weight from 2 -110 pounds, but for your home gym? Unless you have a large room dedicated to the gym, it probably isn’t feasible to have a complete set of dumbbells. But, worry not! One of the early pioneering companies in home gym equipment (Bowflex) came to the rescue years ago with a set of adjustable weight dumbbells, in an integrated system that takes up minimal space and provides a wide range of weights.
Other companies have come out with comparable products, but personally I’m a big fan of the Bowflex Dumbbells, having bought a set years ago that keeps on working, workout after workout. You can buy them in lighter (5-52 lbs) or heavier (10-90 lbs) ranges, making them extremely versatile and pretty much a staple in any weight lifting focused home gym.
Comparatively, Bowflex Dumbbells are not overly expensive - running from the mid $300s to the upper $600s, depending on which weight range you prefer. If you were to buy every set of weighted dumbbells that these replace, you might end up at a significantly higher cost.
There are a ton of fitness products and gadgets out there on the market today. There has probably never been a time when setting up a home gym was as easy as it is today.
