Can You Really Do Your Workout Routine From A Smart Home Gym!

Is It Possible to Ditch the Gym Membership and Instead Kickstart Your Fitness at Home With the Latest Workout Tech? Our Man Finds Out…
 

- Chris Barnes

Trouble is, my local gym is always rammed. Considering how it’s a bit spit-and-sawdust, the £40-per-month ) approx. ₹3,250) fee seems rather steep. On the walk back home, mulling over whether I really want to shell out hundreds of pounds a year to pump iron in a room that reeks of armpits, I remember something: I’m a tech journalist! Surely, there are umpteen gadgets to help me shape up at home?

So, with the help of T3, I’ve set myself a challenge: to feel leaner, stronger and healthier in one month using some of the latest home fitness tech. Cue the training montage music!

WEEK ONE: THE HURT LOCKER

My challenge begins with a full-body cardio workout aboard the enormous Concept2 Model D Rowing Machine. I strap on a Fitbit Charge 2 to take advantage of its Pure Pulse heart-rate monitoring, and dip my virtual paddle in the water. The Model D’s backlit Performance Monitor gives me workout options ranging from free rowing to targeted training. Feeling cautious, I opt for a 3km row. After 1km, I’m buzzing and can feel the rust flaking off my underused joints. A glance at the Fitbit reveals that my heart rate has jumped to 134bpm. Feeling saucy, I notch up another kilometre on this epic machine before crawling to the sofa in a sweaty heap.

It’s 8am on day two, and I’m running laps in the park, tracking pace, calories burned and distance covered with the Fitbit Charge 2. SmartTrack auto exercise recognition means that I didn’t have to fiddle around with modes beforehand. The OLED display is easy to read in daylight, too, and at the end of the run I’m rewarded with a personalised cardio score.