Technology Works Its Way Into Your Workout

With the popularity of no-nonsense, high octane workouts like Crossfit picking up across the U.S., health clubs have reworked their offerings to cater to the rest of the population who are looking for a simple, no pressure environment to work out in.

In order to make their offerings more approachable, many health club chains are looking to incorporate technology.

Smart Machines

As biotracking grows more and more popular, health clubs are giving their members a better way to track their progress and improve their workouts by investing in “smart-machines." 

The machines are linked to software that will recognize individual users and tailor their workout to their goals, making the gym experience valuable to everyone from a professional athlete to a couch-potato looking to lose a few pounds.

At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, Zsolutionz unveiled one such software platform called Zofie, which is expected to evolve alongside bio-monitoring wearable technology.

The platform is capable of connecting to individual exercise machines at gym, and then transferring that data to a user’s wearable device or smartphone. The technology is even expected to expand to eventually send the workout information to healthcare providers.

Cardio Cinema

Some health clubs are appealing to people who want a distraction during their workout by offering cardio cinemas.

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Cardio machines like treadmills, stationary bikes and ellipticals are set up in front of a movie screen so users can burn some calories while watching their favorite films.

Companies like Gold’s Gym International, Inc. began offering cardio cinemas at some locations in order to make clients feel more comfortable coming to the club even if they weren’t experienced gym buffs.