After receiving a pre-diabetes diagnosis at my yearly physical, it was clear I needed to exercise more than just an occasional walk or monthly outdoor activity. I hadn’t been to a gym in a very long time and never went with much of a plan, so I had some hurdles to overcome. As a massive techie, I ended up on the track of researching smart gym equipment and decided to go with the Speediance Gym Monster ($3,049).
WHAT IS IT?
A smart gym is typically a compact cable exercise machine with a digital screen or app that lets you choose and track exercises. The Gym Monster comes with a vertical rack, a big touchscreen, and several adjustable vertical mounting points. The Speediance app (free) is great for scheduling your workouts and reviewing your statistics. Using the Gym Monster is a seamless experience as it mirrors the app, with the addition of the actual workout screens.
The Gym Monster lets you create profiles for anyone who uses it. My household is mixed Android and iPhone, and the app works equally well on both.
Programs have specific goals such as full-body exercises, beginner, and advanced plans. They contain individual workouts pre-scheduled over several weeks, depending on how long the program is, and your rest days are flexible. My go-to program has been the “For Beginners Series,” which focuses each day on a body part. It lasts for five weeks, five days per week. I’ve been sticking to this because the exercises feel good, and I can see the results. Consistency is key!
I’m excited about the option to create custom workouts, but the app is missing custom programs. If you have a custom workout, you have to select it manually every day.
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