The pandemic convinced me: fitness at home is the future. After the Grand Reopening, I will continue to train in my living room, because I love it.
Why? The convenience, affordability and quality of training. Whether I’m at home or traveling, exercising for 15 minutes or 45 minutes, this is definitely better than what I did before: fighting for a spot in a boot camp class and overpaying for the privilege.
I’ve already written about my favorite fitness apps and setting up an exercise bike myself. Recently, since in hybrid work, we still work from home – and exercise -: should I take my living room workouts to the next level with cutting-edge connected equipment?
In a quest to learn something about why people spend thousands of dollars on equipment and hundreds more per year on streamed workouts, I set up a smart gym: a SoulCycle At-Home bike ($ 2,500), a Mirror workout screen ($ 1,495 ) and an Echelon Stride treadmill ($ 1,300). Meanwhile, my colleague Joanna Stern has tested Peloton Interactive’s upcoming Tread ($ 2,495, on sale May 27).
Internet-connected hardware adds to the experience in a number of ways. Products typically have a large screen designed for streaming lessons. Personal training data, captured by sensors, is displayed on the screen. Many have a social component, such as the ability to compete on a live leaderboard. All models I tested require customers to sign up for a $ 40 per month membership.