Smart Exercise Equipment Is Making Gains In Competition With Traditional Gyms

The age of Bowflex ads is over, and many home workout equipment companies have since adapted with the times to create modern, subscription-based, smart exercise equipment that can be accessed from the comfort of anyone’s living room.

Notable in this emerging field is trailblazer Peloton, best known for its cycle equipment, which replicates the traditional spin-class experience. The company’s sleek equipment and luxury feel has drawn in a deluge of new customers, and its engaging subscription-based app keeps them coming back for more. As a result, Peloton has seen a 134% growth in subscriptions over the last year, proving just how fast this industry continues to expand.

Peloton, however, isn’t the only company jumping on the bandwagon. JaxJax, for instance, is a new home-gym system that comes with a 43” touchscreen and utilizes AI technology to specialize your workout, track your progress, and provide live, on-demand coaching—all for a monthly fee. Other full-workout smart technology like the personal trainer equipment, Mirror, and the fully equipped resistance machine created by Tonal, seek to hone in on the new market for at-home exercisers as well.

Companies like FightCamp, which makes interactive boxing equipment, and Tempo which specializes in weight-training, have also become quite popular by providing equipment which is more focused on specific areas of a standard workout regimen.

While pandemic-related gym closures certainly gave this industry a boost, it seems as though the accessibility of smart, home-gym equipment will only continue to increase in coming years. Having home-gym equipment may also serve as a motivator for many to work out more frequently and be more in-tune with their health, especially as AI technology continues to evolve. Since the majority of this technology remains subscription-based, the longer-term commitment from customers will increase revenue for the companies aiming to compete with traditional gym memberships.

While the brick-and-mortar gym industry is far from dying out altogether, the convenience of smart home exercise equipment has proven to be fierce competition, that has staying power even beyond the pandemic. As this technology expands, we may continue to see a complete shift in how the modern world exercises.