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As technology continues to advance, so do home gyms. While you can still opt to build out your own iron paradise with individual pieces of equipment of your liking, many fitness companies have designed smart home gyms that come with weights, storage, and streaming platforms that will guide you and even help with adjustments throughout your workout. From mirrors to high-tech bikes, these smart gyms can save you space and keep your workouts versatile.
These pieces of equipment may seem expensive on the surface, but with many of them, you’re receiving a full set of weights and accessories, a bench, and/or a place to store your equipment. Smart home gyms vary widely in form, but with each different form, you’re sure to get some sort of virtual fitness classes (from strength classes to running, HIIT, biking, rowing, yoga and more) in addition to either weights, a cable machine, or a cardio machine.
If you’re looking for some at-home coaching, a gym for a small space, or just the latest in fitness technology, one of these products could be the solution you’ve been looking for. Here are our favorite smart home gyms on the market today.
Best Smart Home Gyms
Best Smart Home Gym
If you’re going to invest in a smart home gym, you’ll want to ensure it’s versatile and caters to the workouts you enjoy doing most. This home gym offers a lot of variety and resistance that adjusts up to 200 pounds.
Tonal
The Tonal offers up to 200 pounds of electromagnetic resistance using its two maneuverable pulleys (and handle attachments). This is a welcome standout to us as many smart home gyms only come with free weights. Since weights take up lots of space, there’s a limit on the poundage you’ll have room for in your home.
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Plus, as you progress, the Tonal adapts your resistance to keep your workouts challenging. All you have to do is set up your profile, enter your fitness goals, and the AI trainer can guide you through a workout in real-time while Tonal tracks your movements to adjust your weight. The Tonal retails for $2,995, offers a ton of programming options, and will consistently track your progress throughout, which means there’s no need to make note of the weights you’re using yourself.
Tonal
The Tonal is an interactive home gym that delivers up to 200 lbs of total electromagnetic resistance with the use of two maneuverable pulleys. What's most impressive is that it adapts as you progresses, which means you'll always be pushing closer to your fitness goals.
Who Should Buy The Tonal
Read our full review of Tonal here.
Best Smart Home Gym with Free Weights
If you’re searching for a smart home gym that emphasizes free weight training, Tempo has you covered — this machine uses free weights and AI technology to provide real-time feedback to correct your form.
Tempo
Since not everyone can afford to visit a personal trainer at a gym, Tempo helps make personal training more accessible. Throughout Tempo’s real-time workouts, the trainee’s results and form feedback are available to the trainer that leads the workout. Since proper form and movement are imperative for free weight workouts, this is a beneficial concept you don’t find with many home gym set-ups.
Tempo comes with a mirror screen, a storage cabinet, a mat, and 95 pounds in weight plates. The Tempo retails for $2,495 and requires a $39 monthly content subscription — a hefty price tag, but if it’s at-home personal training you’re after, it just might be worth it.
Tempo
Tempo Studio offers a complete home gym — weight plates, a barbell and dumbbell, and more — plus hundreds of classes led by AI trainers. These trainers can even offer trainees form feedback virtually.
Who Should Buy The Tempo
Read our full review of Tempo here.
Best Smart Home Gym for Small Spaces
This pick offers electromagnetic resistance training using a pulley system, which significantly reduces the amount of space you need for your smart home gym.
Tonal
This sleek studio gym provides up to 200 pounds of resistance training, which — in dumbbell or free weight form — would take up a large amount of storage space if you are trying to build out a home gym. Tonal’s two maneuverable pulleys and their handle attachments take up just 7’ by 7’ 10” by 7’, which means you could easily squeeze it into a corner of a garage.
The Tonal also adapts as you get stronger — it can sense your ease or struggle with the resistance and adjust accordingly. Plus, as you progress, Tonal records your progress, so you can ditch the notepad or the whiteboard you typically use to record your progress. Though it does cost $2,995, when you factor in how much dumbbells or free weights ranging up to 200 pounds would cost individually, this price tag, to us, seems very reasonable.
Tonal
The Tonal is an interactive home gym that delivers up to 200 lbs of total electromagnetic resistance with the use of two maneuverable pulleys. What's most impressive is that it adapts as you progresses, which means you'll always be pushing closer to your fitness goals.
Who Should Buy The Tonal
Read our full review of Tonal here.
Best Smart Home Treadmill
One of the most versatile treadmills out there, this pick not only functions as a smart home gym, but it can also incline up to 40 percent and decline down to -6 percent.
NordicTrack Commercial X22i
Though you may not think of a treadmill as a “smart home gym” right off the bat, hear us out. The NordicTrack X22i comes with a 22-inch touchscreen display that provides iFit virtual training and displays all of your measurable stats. It inclines up to 40 percent, and declines down to -6 percent, and it also offers a sled push option.
If you have a couple sets of dumbbells and a mat, the iFit classes on this machine can turn it into a fully functional smart home gym — especially if you take a bootcamp class that alternates between the floor and the treadmill to incorporate both strength and cardio. If you’re a runner and already have a couple weights or bands on hand, this pick can act as both a treadmill and a virtual gym space.
NordicTrack X22i Treadmill
The NordicTrack Commercial X22i is built for those who want to climb. The machine inclines up to 40 percent and declines down to -6 percent. It features a Sled Push option where you can power the belt with your own leg drive, and it has a 22-inch touchscreen display where you can follow your workout and take iFit classes.
Who Should Buy The NordicTrack Commercial X22i
Read our full review of the NordicTrack X22i here.
Best Smart Home Bike
For those who love a studio spin class, this smart bike can bring that experience into your home.
NordicTrack Commercial S22i
If you like combining your cardio and strength training, you may be looking for more than just a set of free weights and a mirror with a coach. The NordicTrack Commercial S22i can help bring the studio cycling experience into your home — it’s compatible with iFit, which provides not only spin classes, but also strength, yoga, pilates, running, and more. This bike’s magnetic resistance also offers one of the smoothest rides out there.
If you have dumbbells and resistance bands available to you, adding this bike to your home gym can provide a boost of cardio. It has a 22” touchscreen display, plus 22 levels of resistance and incline and decline options that range from -10 to 20 percent, making it one of the more advanced bikes on the market.
NordicTrack Commercial S22i
The NordicTrack Commercial S22i is high-tech and high quality, featuring both advancements like a 22” touchscreen display and a free year of iFit, and solid specs like 22 levels of quiet magnetic resistance.
Who Should Buy The NordicTrack Commercial S22i
Read our full review of the NordicTrack Commercial S22i here.
Best Smart Home Rower
Rowers have hopped into the smart gym market too, and this one is one of the most advanced options available — plus, it will add a sleek look to your gym space.
Hydrow Rower
The Hydrow has a 22” pivoting touchscreen display, so you can take your workouts both on and off the rower. A monthly membership fee of $38 will provide you with access to the rower’s full library of coached virtual classes. As with any cardio machine that has a virtual class aspect, so long as you have some weights, a mat, and/or other accessories on hand, your machine can function as a full smart home gym for both cardio and strength training.
This machine, in particular, is a solid addition for rowers or anyone who favors a rowing machine (or “erg”) for their cardio work. Hydrow’s streaming service takes you around some of the world’s most beautiful waterways with professional rowing coaches as you follow along on your erg. Plus, Hydrow’s magnetic resistance is one of the quietest types of resistance on the market.
Hydrow Rower
The Hydrow is a high-tech rower with a library full of live and on-demand workouts, a smooth drive and electromagnetic resistance. It’s a quiet machine and provides a great full-body workout for both beginning and advanced rowers.
Who Should Buy The Hydrow Rower
Read our full review of the Hydrow Rower.
Best Mirror Gym
Mirror smart gyms are both functional and aesthetic, which is why many athletes turn to them when they use their living room or bedroom as a home gym space.
NordicTrack Vault
The Vault is a mirror that doubles as a gym. Its touchscreen display plays iFit fitness classes, and inside its “vault” (aka the cabinet behind the mirror) you can store all the workout equipment you need to follow along to these classes. You can buy the Vault with this equipment for a higher price (which will include a mat, a block, a towel, dumbbells, bands, and kettlebells), or just tuck your own already-purchased equipment inside.
The price for the Vault with all the equipment included is comparable to other smart home gyms, but if you opt for the empty Vault, you can pay almost $1,000 less. The NordicTrack Vault is just as functional as any other home gym — it’s biggest plus is that when you’re not using it, it just looks like a mirror, which is great to have in common spaces throughout the house.
NordicTrack Vault
The NordicTrack Vault is a high-tech smart gym that features iFit classes on a 6-foot mirror display. As you workout, you can watch your form and your trainer in the mirror and gauge your progress with on-screen stats. The Complete option comes with a closet full of dumbbells, kettlebells, bands and a yoga mat, so your gym equipment can all be stored inside the Vault.
Who Should Buy The NordicTrack Vault
Read our full review of the NordicTrack Vault here.
Before Buying a Smart Home Gym Consider
Since there are so many ways you can use a smart home gym and so many different varieties of this product, it’s important to consider how you plan to use it for your training before deciding which one to buy. For a more in-depth look at what we think are the most important considerations, peep our tips below.
Space
Home gyms can take up a small corner of your bedroom or an entire garage. It’s important to consider how much space you have to dedicate to working out before picking out your smart home gym — if you only have six feet of space, your purchase may look very different from someone’s who has a full room to fill.
Products like the Tonal (which doesn’t use additional weights) are made for small spaces, while the Nordictrack Commercial X22i or NordicTrack Vault will take up a bit more room. While none of these products take up a ton of room on their own, when combined with the floor space you need for your strength work and weights, they may end up taking over a bit more space. If you’re trying to squeeze a smart home gym into a corner, take the proper measurements prior to your search, so you know which products will fit.
Type of Workout
With such a variety of smart home gyms, you’ll want to make sure the one you choose caters to your most frequent workout. If you strength train more than you do cardio, opt for the Tonal, Tempo, or Vault, all of which come with either weights or resistance pulleys. If you do more cardio, but still like to incorporate strength work, pick your smart bike, tread, or rower of choice.
Smart home gyms can be pricey. It’s not necessary to purchase multiple different kinds of smart home gyms for each workout you’re doing. Decide which workout you do the most and invest in that variety of a smart home gym. Then, build the rest of your home gym out around that product.
Streaming Service
Most smart gyms come with their own fitness streaming service. If you already have a streaming service you prefer — such as Peloton or SWEAT onDemand — it may be more beneficial to buy a smart product that is compatible with that streaming service. If you’re willing to try a new service, your options are more open.
How We Decide the Best
With so many fitness brands creating their version of a smart gym, we had a lot of digging to do. From size to accessories, here are the aspects we weighed to help us pick out our favorites.
Versatility
It was important to us to pick out equipment that provides a variety of workout options. Most people don’t do the same workout over and over again every single day, so the more workouts you can do with one machine, the better.
All of the products we chose offer options for both cardio and strength training. Whether they include weights or cardio equipment varies, but rest assured that no matter the product you choose on this list, you’ll have a variety of virtual workouts to choose from.
Technology and Training
We wanted to select smart gyms that offered more than racks, or basic treadmills, bikes, or rowers would on their own. All of our picks here have a form of virtual training, as well as different variations of personal feedback, games, classes, workouts, inclines, resistance, adjustments, and more. Smart gyms can help take your home workouts to the next level via this technology and coaching.
Technology can offer options you won’t find with basic equipment. For example, some picks on this list have personal trainers that can adjust your form virtually, while others offer coached classes that are similar to those you may find at fitness studios. To make your smart gym purchase fully worthwhile, we only selected products with technological advancements and virtual training options.
Accessories
All of the products we considered either come with accessories or have them built into the machine — you won’t find a product on here that’s just a screen without the actual “gym” aspect. For example, Tonal has pulleys that offer resistance training and the Vault comes with weights and accessories, while the NordicTrack S22i is a bike form of a smart gym. If you’re investing in a “gym,” it’s important to us that you are getting a full gym for your money.
Size
Since smart home gyms come in a variety of sizes, and people build home gyms in a variety of spaces, we wanted to ensure there was an equal size variety on this list. No matter the space you’re working with, we have an option for you here.
If you’re squeezing your smart home gym into the corner of your bedroom, a smaller product (like the Tonal) will have you covered. On the contrary, if you have a full room to fill, feel free to opt for a larger option on this list.
Quality
If you’re dropping a significant amount of money on a smart home gym, we wanted to ensure it will last long enough to make your purchase worthwhile. We’ve only selected products with reliable builds, solid manufacturing, and high quality designs. What that means is that these smart gyms won’t glitch a year into use, their touchscreens won’t scratch with every tap, and their workout programs and available resistance/training options will withstand the test of time.
Final Word
Smart Home Gyms are multifaceted pieces of workout equipment that you can tailor to a variety of workouts. Whether you prefer strength training, running, biking, rowing, yoga, or even pilates, these home gyms and their virtual training options can take your workout tech to the next level.
Some may have coaches that are able to help you adjust your form virtually while others may provide coaching with motivational pep talks. Smart home gyms may come with weights and accessories, or they may come in the form of a cardio machine.
Before you decide which smart home gym is right for you, make sure you know what space you’re working with and what type of workout you’re going to want to hit most in that space. No matter your intended use or level of expertise, we’ve included a pick for you on this list — with the versatility of these products, a smart home gym may just be the last piece of gym equipment you have to buy.
FAQs
What is a smart home gym?A smart home gym can come in many forms, but most smart home gyms at least include a large touchscreen with virtual coaching. Outside of that, these gyms could...
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These pieces of equipment may seem expensive on the surface, but with many of them, you’re receiving a full set of weights and accessories, a bench, and/or a place to store your equipment. Smart home gyms vary widely in form, but with each different form, you’re sure to get some sort of virtual fitness classes (from strength classes to running, HIIT, biking, rowing, yoga and more) in addition to either weights, a cable machine, or a cardio machine.
If you’re looking for some at-home coaching, a gym for a small space, or just the latest in fitness technology, one of these products could be the solution you’ve been looking for. Here are our favorite smart home gyms on the market today.
Best Smart Home Gyms
Best Smart Home Gym
If you’re going to invest in a smart home gym, you’ll want to ensure it’s versatile and caters to the workouts you enjoy doing most. This home gym offers a lot of variety and resistance that adjusts up to 200 pounds.
Tonal
The Tonal offers up to 200 pounds of electromagnetic resistance using its two maneuverable pulleys (and handle attachments). This is a welcome standout to us as many smart home gyms only come with free weights. Since weights take up lots of space, there’s a limit on the poundage you’ll have room for in your home.
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Plus, as you progress, the Tonal adapts your resistance to keep your workouts challenging. All you have to do is set up your profile, enter your fitness goals, and the AI trainer can guide you through a workout in real-time while Tonal tracks your movements to adjust your weight. The Tonal retails for $2,995, offers a ton of programming options, and will consistently track your progress throughout, which means there’s no need to make note of the weights you’re using yourself.
Tonal
The Tonal is an interactive home gym that delivers up to 200 lbs of total electromagnetic resistance with the use of two maneuverable pulleys. What's most impressive is that it adapts as you progresses, which means you'll always be pushing closer to your fitness goals.
Who Should Buy The Tonal
- If you’re short on space, Tonal is a great choice. It’s one of the smallest home gyms on the market as it uses weighted resistance instead of physical weights.
- Folks who want a product that’s easy to set up. Once the assembly team mounts your Tonal on the wall, you’re ready to go.
- Those who are interested in guided classes. Tonal offers virtual coaching from an AI trainer.
- Anyone who wants to track their stats and adjust the difficulty of your workouts accordingly will appreciate that this product can do that for you.
- Powerlifters, strongmen, and bodybuilders who need specific weights (or lots of weight) to succeed in their sport. This machine could be a great accessory for these folks, but probably wouldn’t be able to meet all of their needs.
- Buyers on a budget can find less expensive home gyms and/or equipment on the market to satisfy their needs.
Read our full review of Tonal here.
Best Smart Home Gym with Free Weights
If you’re searching for a smart home gym that emphasizes free weight training, Tempo has you covered — this machine uses free weights and AI technology to provide real-time feedback to correct your form.
Tempo
Since not everyone can afford to visit a personal trainer at a gym, Tempo helps make personal training more accessible. Throughout Tempo’s real-time workouts, the trainee’s results and form feedback are available to the trainer that leads the workout. Since proper form and movement are imperative for free weight workouts, this is a beneficial concept you don’t find with many home gym set-ups.
Tempo comes with a mirror screen, a storage cabinet, a mat, and 95 pounds in weight plates. The Tempo retails for $2,495 and requires a $39 monthly content subscription — a hefty price tag, but if it’s at-home personal training you’re after, it just might be worth it.
Tempo
Tempo Studio offers a complete home gym — weight plates, a barbell and dumbbell, and more — plus hundreds of classes led by AI trainers. These trainers can even offer trainees form feedback virtually.
Who Should Buy The Tempo
- Athletes who are looking for a personal training experience at home. The Tempo can sense your movements, and provides feedback to the real-time AI trainers that can help adjust your form.
- If you prefer to use free weights over pulley resistance or dumbbells, you’ll appreciate that the Tempo comes with weight plates.
- Buyers building their home gym from scratch. Since this product comes with weights, you won’t have to track down weights on your own to start building out your gym space.
- Anyone who is on a tight budget will be able to find less expensive free weight and virtual training options out there.
- Folks who prefer cardio machines or pulley resistance training will want to look for a smart home gym that doesn’t center around free weights.
Read our full review of Tempo here.
Best Smart Home Gym for Small Spaces
This pick offers electromagnetic resistance training using a pulley system, which significantly reduces the amount of space you need for your smart home gym.
Tonal
This sleek studio gym provides up to 200 pounds of resistance training, which — in dumbbell or free weight form — would take up a large amount of storage space if you are trying to build out a home gym. Tonal’s two maneuverable pulleys and their handle attachments take up just 7’ by 7’ 10” by 7’, which means you could easily squeeze it into a corner of a garage.
The Tonal also adapts as you get stronger — it can sense your ease or struggle with the resistance and adjust accordingly. Plus, as you progress, Tonal records your progress, so you can ditch the notepad or the whiteboard you typically use to record your progress. Though it does cost $2,995, when you factor in how much dumbbells or free weights ranging up to 200 pounds would cost individually, this price tag, to us, seems very reasonable.
Tonal
The Tonal is an interactive home gym that delivers up to 200 lbs of total electromagnetic resistance with the use of two maneuverable pulleys. What's most impressive is that it adapts as you progresses, which means you'll always be pushing closer to your fitness goals.
Who Should Buy The Tonal
- This smart home gym can save apartment dwellers a lot of space since it uses electromagnetic resistance via pulleys instead of free weights.
- Athletes who are looking for a challenge will appreciate that the Tonal automatically adjusts your resistance up as you get stronger.
- Anyone who likes to record their progress. The Tonal tracks all of your stats for you.
- Anyone training for a sport that may need heavier or more specific weights — powerlifters or weightlifters may want to steer clear.
- If you’re on a budget, this piece of equipment — though worthwhile and long-lasting — may not be the most financially-conscious purchase as it is quite expensive.
Read our full review of Tonal here.
Best Smart Home Treadmill
One of the most versatile treadmills out there, this pick not only functions as a smart home gym, but it can also incline up to 40 percent and decline down to -6 percent.
NordicTrack Commercial X22i
Though you may not think of a treadmill as a “smart home gym” right off the bat, hear us out. The NordicTrack X22i comes with a 22-inch touchscreen display that provides iFit virtual training and displays all of your measurable stats. It inclines up to 40 percent, and declines down to -6 percent, and it also offers a sled push option.
If you have a couple sets of dumbbells and a mat, the iFit classes on this machine can turn it into a fully functional smart home gym — especially if you take a bootcamp class that alternates between the floor and the treadmill to incorporate both strength and cardio. If you’re a runner and already have a couple weights or bands on hand, this pick can act as both a treadmill and a virtual gym space.
NordicTrack X22i Treadmill
The NordicTrack Commercial X22i is built for those who want to climb. The machine inclines up to 40 percent and declines down to -6 percent. It features a Sled Push option where you can power the belt with your own leg drive, and it has a 22-inch touchscreen display where you can follow your workout and take iFit classes.
Who Should Buy The NordicTrack Commercial X22i
- Runners who prefer a combination of running and strength training. NordicTrack is compatible with iFit, which can provide running, strength, and combination classes.
- Anyone interested in intense incline or decline training will appreciate the range on this machine.
- Folks who already have a few weights and training accessories at home and are just looking for the virtual aspect and a cardio machine.
- Weightlifters who aren’t interested in having an advanced cardio machine at home, and would rather invest in free weights.
- Anyone on a strict budget, as this product retails for just under $3,000.
Read our full review of the NordicTrack X22i here.
Best Smart Home Bike
For those who love a studio spin class, this smart bike can bring that experience into your home.
NordicTrack Commercial S22i
If you like combining your cardio and strength training, you may be looking for more than just a set of free weights and a mirror with a coach. The NordicTrack Commercial S22i can help bring the studio cycling experience into your home — it’s compatible with iFit, which provides not only spin classes, but also strength, yoga, pilates, running, and more. This bike’s magnetic resistance also offers one of the smoothest rides out there.
If you have dumbbells and resistance bands available to you, adding this bike to your home gym can provide a boost of cardio. It has a 22” touchscreen display, plus 22 levels of resistance and incline and decline options that range from -10 to 20 percent, making it one of the more advanced bikes on the market.
NordicTrack Commercial S22i
The NordicTrack Commercial S22i is high-tech and high quality, featuring both advancements like a 22” touchscreen display and a free year of iFit, and solid specs like 22 levels of quiet magnetic resistance.
Who Should Buy The NordicTrack Commercial S22i
- Spin fanatics who are looking to expand their home gyms and bring the studio experience home with them.
- Users who want a large display screen they can use for virtual training via iFit.
- Bikers looking for a lot of resistance levels, as well as incline and decline options.
- Customers who prefer using free weights and want to invest in strength equipment more so than cardio equipment.
- Anyone who doesn’t already have weights or strength accessories at home — this product will not be a full home gym unless you already have the accessories to use with the non-biking virtual iFit classes.
Read our full review of the NordicTrack Commercial S22i here.
Best Smart Home Rower
Rowers have hopped into the smart gym market too, and this one is one of the most advanced options available — plus, it will add a sleek look to your gym space.
Hydrow Rower
The Hydrow has a 22” pivoting touchscreen display, so you can take your workouts both on and off the rower. A monthly membership fee of $38 will provide you with access to the rower’s full library of coached virtual classes. As with any cardio machine that has a virtual class aspect, so long as you have some weights, a mat, and/or other accessories on hand, your machine can function as a full smart home gym for both cardio and strength training.
This machine, in particular, is a solid addition for rowers or anyone who favors a rowing machine (or “erg”) for their cardio work. Hydrow’s streaming service takes you around some of the world’s most beautiful waterways with professional rowing coaches as you follow along on your erg. Plus, Hydrow’s magnetic resistance is one of the quietest types of resistance on the market.
Hydrow Rower
The Hydrow is a high-tech rower with a library full of live and on-demand workouts, a smooth drive and electromagnetic resistance. It’s a quiet machine and provides a great full-body workout for both beginning and advanced rowers.
Who Should Buy The Hydrow Rower
- Rowers who want to have their own erg at home, and prefer to follow virtually coached classes on a large touchscreen display.
- Athletes who already have fitness accessories like weights, bands, or mats at home, and just need a cardio machine with virtual classes for a complete smart home gym.
- Anyone who prefers a workout with a mix of both cardio and strength training.
- Athletes who prefer to focus on just strength training and don’t need to spend their money on a piece of cardio equipment.
- Folks who just use a rowing machine occasionally for their cardio may be better off opting for a treadmill or bike if they use those pieces of equipment more frequently.
Read our full review of the Hydrow Rower.
Best Mirror Gym
Mirror smart gyms are both functional and aesthetic, which is why many athletes turn to them when they use their living room or bedroom as a home gym space.
NordicTrack Vault
The Vault is a mirror that doubles as a gym. Its touchscreen display plays iFit fitness classes, and inside its “vault” (aka the cabinet behind the mirror) you can store all the workout equipment you need to follow along to these classes. You can buy the Vault with this equipment for a higher price (which will include a mat, a block, a towel, dumbbells, bands, and kettlebells), or just tuck your own already-purchased equipment inside.
The price for the Vault with all the equipment included is comparable to other smart home gyms, but if you opt for the empty Vault, you can pay almost $1,000 less. The NordicTrack Vault is just as functional as any other home gym — it’s biggest plus is that when you’re not using it, it just looks like a mirror, which is great to have in common spaces throughout the house.
NordicTrack Vault
The NordicTrack Vault is a high-tech smart gym that features iFit classes on a 6-foot mirror display. As you workout, you can watch your form and your trainer in the mirror and gauge your progress with on-screen stats. The Complete option comes with a closet full of dumbbells, kettlebells, bands and a yoga mat, so your gym equipment can all be stored inside the Vault.
Who Should Buy The NordicTrack Vault
- Customers who want to put their smart home gym in their living room or bedroom, and need something that looks like a piece of furniture when it’s not in use.
- Athletes who are building their home gym from the ground up, and could benefit from buying a “vault” full of different kinds of fitness equipment.
- Anyone who prefers to follow along to virtual classes on a large screen instead of streaming them from a handheld device or laptop.
- Those who already have their own fitness equipment but may still benefit from the mirror smart gym will appreciate that you can buy the standalone Vault at a cheaper price point.
- Folks who are perfectly fine streaming iFit classes from their phone or tablet, and don’t need to spend money on a large mirror for streaming.
- Anyone who wants to take additional cardio iFit classes on a treadmill, bike, or rower may find it more beneficial to purchase a smart version of those machines instead. You can still stream strength classes on those machines, as well.
Read our full review of the NordicTrack Vault here.
Before Buying a Smart Home Gym Consider
Since there are so many ways you can use a smart home gym and so many different varieties of this product, it’s important to consider how you plan to use it for your training before deciding which one to buy. For a more in-depth look at what we think are the most important considerations, peep our tips below.
Space
Home gyms can take up a small corner of your bedroom or an entire garage. It’s important to consider how much space you have to dedicate to working out before picking out your smart home gym — if you only have six feet of space, your purchase may look very different from someone’s who has a full room to fill.
Products like the Tonal (which doesn’t use additional weights) are made for small spaces, while the Nordictrack Commercial X22i or NordicTrack Vault will take up a bit more room. While none of these products take up a ton of room on their own, when combined with the floor space you need for your strength work and weights, they may end up taking over a bit more space. If you’re trying to squeeze a smart home gym into a corner, take the proper measurements prior to your search, so you know which products will fit.
Type of Workout
With such a variety of smart home gyms, you’ll want to make sure the one you choose caters to your most frequent workout. If you strength train more than you do cardio, opt for the Tonal, Tempo, or Vault, all of which come with either weights or resistance pulleys. If you do more cardio, but still like to incorporate strength work, pick your smart bike, tread, or rower of choice.
Smart home gyms can be pricey. It’s not necessary to purchase multiple different kinds of smart home gyms for each workout you’re doing. Decide which workout you do the most and invest in that variety of a smart home gym. Then, build the rest of your home gym out around that product.
Streaming Service
Most smart gyms come with their own fitness streaming service. If you already have a streaming service you prefer — such as Peloton or SWEAT onDemand — it may be more beneficial to buy a smart product that is compatible with that streaming service. If you’re willing to try a new service, your options are more open.
How We Decide the Best
With so many fitness brands creating their version of a smart gym, we had a lot of digging to do. From size to accessories, here are the aspects we weighed to help us pick out our favorites.
Versatility
It was important to us to pick out equipment that provides a variety of workout options. Most people don’t do the same workout over and over again every single day, so the more workouts you can do with one machine, the better.
All of the products we chose offer options for both cardio and strength training. Whether they include weights or cardio equipment varies, but rest assured that no matter the product you choose on this list, you’ll have a variety of virtual workouts to choose from.
Technology and Training
We wanted to select smart gyms that offered more than racks, or basic treadmills, bikes, or rowers would on their own. All of our picks here have a form of virtual training, as well as different variations of personal feedback, games, classes, workouts, inclines, resistance, adjustments, and more. Smart gyms can help take your home workouts to the next level via this technology and coaching.
Technology can offer options you won’t find with basic equipment. For example, some picks on this list have personal trainers that can adjust your form virtually, while others offer coached classes that are similar to those you may find at fitness studios. To make your smart gym purchase fully worthwhile, we only selected products with technological advancements and virtual training options.
Accessories
All of the products we considered either come with accessories or have them built into the machine — you won’t find a product on here that’s just a screen without the actual “gym” aspect. For example, Tonal has pulleys that offer resistance training and the Vault comes with weights and accessories, while the NordicTrack S22i is a bike form of a smart gym. If you’re investing in a “gym,” it’s important to us that you are getting a full gym for your money.
Size
Since smart home gyms come in a variety of sizes, and people build home gyms in a variety of spaces, we wanted to ensure there was an equal size variety on this list. No matter the space you’re working with, we have an option for you here.
If you’re squeezing your smart home gym into the corner of your bedroom, a smaller product (like the Tonal) will have you covered. On the contrary, if you have a full room to fill, feel free to opt for a larger option on this list.
Quality
If you’re dropping a significant amount of money on a smart home gym, we wanted to ensure it will last long enough to make your purchase worthwhile. We’ve only selected products with reliable builds, solid manufacturing, and high quality designs. What that means is that these smart gyms won’t glitch a year into use, their touchscreens won’t scratch with every tap, and their workout programs and available resistance/training options will withstand the test of time.
Final Word
Smart Home Gyms are multifaceted pieces of workout equipment that you can tailor to a variety of workouts. Whether you prefer strength training, running, biking, rowing, yoga, or even pilates, these home gyms and their virtual training options can take your workout tech to the next level.
Some may have coaches that are able to help you adjust your form virtually while others may provide coaching with motivational pep talks. Smart home gyms may come with weights and accessories, or they may come in the form of a cardio machine.
Before you decide which smart home gym is right for you, make sure you know what space you’re working with and what type of workout you’re going to want to hit most in that space. No matter your intended use or level of expertise, we’ve included a pick for you on this list — with the versatility of these products, a smart home gym may just be the last piece of gym equipment you have to buy.
FAQs
What is a smart home gym?A smart home gym can come in many forms, but most smart home gyms at least include a large touchscreen with virtual coaching. Outside of that, these gyms could...
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