Josh Hendrickson
Exercising in a group class is probably the most affordable way to get proper form instruction. But you’ll lose a lot of time traveling to and from the gym. Working out from home takes less time, but you’ll lose the trainer. The new Tempo exercise system wants to give you the best of both worlds—at home exercise with machine-learning driven suggestions to correct your form.
Tempo isn’t the first company to create a digital “at-home personal trainer” experience. You can look to Mirror and Tonal for similar products. But Tempo is different, both in look and how it accomplishes its goals.
https://youtu.be/Nitu-J-1tpw
First, you’ll notice that Tempo doesn’t mount to or lean against your walls like Mirror and Tonal. While that means it takes up more space, it also comes with an advantage the other systems lack, namely built-in storage space.
Tempo comes with dumbells, a barbell, weight plates, a workout matt, a heart monitor, and a recovery roller. You’ll need a spot to put all that, and Tempo has you covered; it has slots and storage for everything included.
But that’s not the only thing that sets Tempo apart; you’ll get real-time form correction while you exercise. Your fitness trainer will call out general advice based on what they see during the class, and that’s helpful. But Tempo also uses a camera and Azure to track your body and make specific suggestions to you to improve your form.
That’s especially helpful, because you can exercise with pre-recorded videos, and in that scenario, the fitness trainer can’t offer advice based on what’s happening now.
Tempo is, frankly, not cheap, but it’s also not the most expensive option either. You’ll pay $1,995 to get the equipment in your home, and another $39 a month in subscription access fees.
But compare that to the Mirror and Tonal, and the costs are in line. The Mirror will set you back $1,495 plus $39 a month for classes, and it doesn’t come with a full weight set—just resistance bands.
The Tonal goes for $2,995, and you’ll pay $49 a month for pre-recorded classes. It uses digital resistance bands and can adjust on the fly if you’re struggling. And while it comes “everything you need” the best equipment (like smart handles that let you adjust your exercise) will set you back another $500. And you won’t get form correction or live classes.
That puts Tempo firmly in the middle of the three offerings. You get live classes and form correction, like Mirror, and you get an authentic weight-lifting experience, similar to Tonal.
So it comes down to you and deciding, how much is at home training worth to you? Gyms are pricey anyways, and ultimately no matter what you choose, it’s only worth the cost if you use it. You can reserve a Tempo today with a $250 deposit, and it’ll ship sometime this summer.
