In our modern digital age, technology is rapidly advancing. Recently, we’ve heard of robots taking part in marathons and high-tech multi-purpose home gym machines like the Speediance Gym Monster 2. You can accomplish a lot with a humble pair of dumbbells, but you definitely can’t determine your VO2 max, track your data, and more. Recently, an AI-powered gym opened its doors in Los Angeles, California. Fred Fitness incorporates artificial intelligence and advanced equipment to enhance the gym experience. Let’s see what this futuristic gym is all about.
Fred Fitness
Fred Fitness offers personalized training so members can track their data and progress. My initial thought was that it would be too complicated and maybe impersonal, and I don’t really enjoy trying to learn all the ins and outs of a bunch of new technology. With this new gym, you don’t miss out on the human aspect, and personal trainers are on hand to explain how to work the machines, improve your form, and more.
At this time of writing, the membership is $150 a month without a contract or annual fee, which is more than many other gyms out there.
Monitoring your fitness experience
At Fred Fitness, for example, the treadmill machine assesses your cardio abilities and VO2 max. The treadmill also checks in with you every 60 seconds to ask you to rate your fatigue and how well you can talk on a scale of one to 10.
The all-knowing machines have all the data, including your height, weight, hydration, cardio stamina, and body visceral fat percentage. Again, this is a lot like Marmite, where you either don’t like all of that or you love it. It’s definitely interesting information to know and many people are effectively using this info.
In this particular gym, it’s also gamified. For example, you pull the rowing machine handles faster or slower to move an on-screen avatar and a ball up or down in a maze. You also munch on the coins as you go, resembling many other video games out there. The gym tracks your scores if you want to participate, and that info is posted on an app and a wall-mounted monitor. This is especially appealing for the competitive types.
Concluding thoughts
On the plus side, if you don’t know where to start, the AI training guides you through, and you begin with a full-body assessment. For some people, that’s helpful and awesome, while for others, it’s unnecessary and they just prefer to get in and work out the old-fashioned way without the fancy trimmings. On the other hand, many people enjoy keeping up with emerging technology and exploring the ways tech can help us enhance our fitness. Either way, I’m sure we’ll see more AI-powered gyms popping up in the future.
