High Tech Gym Equipment That's Already Making Its Way Into Gyms

When it comes to gyms there are generally two different types you can choose from: there's the preposterously expensive 'health spa' that has every piece of equipment you can imagine and a built spa, and then there's the 'basic' gym which is essentially just a few weights in a dingy room for a tenner a month.

Now both gyms have their merit, and which one is right for you is going to depend mostly on your goals and the way you like to train (not to mention your budget). One of the best features you'll benefit from if you go the expensive route though, is the inclusion of high tech equipment and gadgets that can help to make getting into shape more fun and potentially easier.

And some of the stuff you get in the top-end gyms these days is practically Jetson-esque in its futuristic appearance and function…

VR Treadmills
True VR treadmills don't quite exist yet, but what you can already find is the next best thing: treadmills that utilise huge curved displays that fill your field of vision with images of rolling hills or calm sands so that you can feel like you're running somewhere other than at the gym and enjoy more freedom and excitement as a result.

You can also get treadmills and stationary bikes that take this one step further – turning your exercise into a game. In one high tech gym I attended you could play computer games that challenged you to cycle in order to propel a spaceship. The aim was to collect asteroids and carry them back to base in a tractor beam, but the more you had the tougher the bike became to peddle. It was a lot of fun and you'd almost forget you were getting a workout!

Image Licensed Under Attribution

Feedback and Tracking
At another gym I once used, every user had a 'profile' that they could use to login and then track their performance and progress. This would allow you to see how often you'd attended the gym, but also how much your strength had improved on the chest press and how well you'd stuck to your routine.

For me of course as an amateur bodybuilder it was a shame that it didn't also record my performance using the free weights, but unfortunately I don't see this as being likely until they introduce powerful motion-tracking to the gym – which won't be easy to say the least!

Image Licensed Under Attribution

The Jumpless Rope
Not every piece of high-tech gym equipment needs to be a huge machine – sometimes it's the smaller gadgets that make all the difference. One example is the 'Jumpless Rope' that is finding its way into some gyms. This skipping rope helps you to burn calories and tone muscle as you would by skipping with any other rope, but makes the process less of a hassle by using a wireless rope to avoid tangling and help take up less space.

Image Licensed Under Attribution

Retractable Roofs
Going for a swim in the pool is a great way to exercise that's also fun and relaxing. On a sunny day then, the best gyms these days will have retractable roofs so that they can open up and let you enjoy working on your tan at the same time. Some even generate a current for users to swim against thus burning more calories and building more muscle power.

Image Licensed Under Attribution

Adaptive Motion Trainer
The Adaptive Motion Trainer is a resistance machine that 'learns' about the user and adjusts to help support any muscular imbalances and to further lessen impact. It will optimally coordinate the workouts of anyone who uses it to reduce injury and enhance effectiveness.

Image Licensed Under Attribution

Adjustable Dumbbells
Most gyms are packed full of dumbbells to provide the full range of weights for different exercises and levels, but of course this takes up a lot of space and can be awkward for people gym goers who have to keep travelling backwards and forwards while carrying heavy weights.

Image Licensed Under Attribution

Adjustable dumbbells though change all that by using an ingenious mechanism to allow you to adjust the g-force of the weights by simply twisting a dial. That's so high tech it's almost magic…

Ron Richards

About the Author:

This article is authored by Ron Richards, a business development executive at OpenAire, installers of retractable patio enclosures. Ron is passionate about gardening and maintains the garden at his home whenever he gets time.