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    Tonal Launches Live, a New Interactive Workout Feature

    If you’re not familiar with the magic workout machine that is Tonal, let this announcement of its new interactive feature be your overdue intro. The home gym marvel—which uses a digital weight management system as opposed to bulky steel weights to get you jacked— also boasts personalized strength training workouts managed through A.I. Able to bring forth 200 pounds of resistance, the machine uses its silicon brain and advanced software to  “dynamically adjust the weights for each exercise in real-time for your most effective workout.”

    Now though, the workout wizards have added in the must-have home gym feature of the pandemic—a live studio component—with its aptly named Tonal Live feature. Launching October 20, this new workout format will build on the existing personalized coaching experience with real-time classes adjusted specifically for each member, helping to bridge the gap between the social element of working out in a class with the solitude of a home gym.
    Stand out features include a reworked Tonal Homescreen and mobile app that helps users find and schedule Live workouts, access to an on-demand library of former Live workouts, and the ability to check out the movements in a workout before you get started. There’s also a Social Zone where you can interact with other members and check out their PRs and milestones, and real-time coaching that includes pacing cues, form feedback, and encouragement from the coaches.

    “Tonal has always been unique in the way that we’ve approached our workout content with adaptive weights, individualized pacing, and form feedback that are customized to our members in real-time,” says Aly Orady, founder and CEO of Tonal. “As our community has grown over the past few years, we’ve been encouraged by the organic social engagement, the craving for more interaction with our coaches, and the excitement that comes from reaching new milestones; Tonal Live will allow us to connect these elements through a studio experience while retaining the foundation of what differentiates our workouts: personalization, guidance, and feedback.”
    Courtesy ImageTo ramp up the new feature, Tonal has brought on four new coaches: Brendon, Nikki, Trace, and Woody. Once Tonal Live debuts in October, Live classes will be added to their on-demand library (24 hours later), which includes thousands of workouts ranging from strength training to HIIT, yoga to barre.

    “The team has done a tremendous job of creating a product and content experience that is unparalleled in the market, especially with the launch of Tonal Live,” said Werner Brell, chief experience officer. “I’m excited to expand upon what’s already been built while creating a new vision of the many ways the Tonal product and content experience can excite new audiences and bring added value and increased motivation into our member’s lives.”

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    Fitbit Charge 5 Is Better Than Expected

    The new Fitibit Charge 5 builds on the advanced features of the previous model, offering a sleeker, more rounded body, and new bands. A more efficient (but also brighter) AMOLED color screen has been added, to, which helps it get up to seven days of battery life.

    The Fitbit Charge 5 also has some celebrity chutzpah behind it with Will Smith saying it helped him lose his “dad bod” (he took to Instagram earlier this year to confess he was in the worst shape of this life). The new Fitbit model isn’t just a regular tracker. Along with the normal health metrics that most trackers assess, like steps, fitness, sleep, and overall well-being, buyers will get a free six-month trial of Fitbit Premium, a new service that gives you health and fitness guidance plus access to more than 500 workouts, mindfulness and nutrition sessions.
    Courtesy ImageWith the Daily Readiness feature, the Charge 5 will tell you every morning whether your body is ready to sweat or if a recovery session is needed instead. Upon awaking, you’ll get a score based on your fitness fatigue (previous activity), heart rate variability, and quality of sleep. An analysis of how you got that score will also be on hand, along with health and fitness suggestions like a recommended target goal for being active, and workouts or sessions that can help you make the on-target decisions for your body that day.

    The updated device will also track stress, breathing rate, skin temperature variation, and oxygen saturation in your blood. And the Charge 5 includes GPS, 20 exercise modes, auto exercise identification and a V02 max estimation, and have accessibility to their ECG app while monitoring heart health 24/7 and pushing notifications to you if your heart rate goes above or below personal ranges.

    Courtesy ImageThe free trial of Fitbit Premium will also include an exclusive content series developed with, and featuring, Will Smith, which drops on September 27. It’ll have video sessions featuring Smith and his training team, as well as other health and wellness programs designed specifically to focus on both physical and mental strength.

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    Smart Home Gym Equipment to Level Up Your Fitness

    We want you to turn your living room into a hotbox. (No, we don’t mean the smoke-filled Camaro from your high school days.) We mean we want you to transform any spare space into your sweat gauntlet in lieu of a gym. As such, we’re putting the spotlight on five pieces of smart home gym equipment that provide personalized attention from virtual trainers, progressive challenges via artificial intelligence and detailed insight thanks to sensors. Best of all, no one will know if (read: when) you drag your dog-tired body into the bathroom and sit in the shower for 45 minutes post-workout. It’s your world. 1. Use AI for Gains: TonalSometimes lifting is all about quality, not quantity. Tonal has two extendable arms that generate up to 200 pounds of resistance, plus a motion-sensor camera hidden in its 42-inch screen to analyze form and offer cues to boost performance. An initial fitness assessment determines your baseline, then AI algorithms take over. “Spotter” mode drops weight if you struggle in the bottom of a chest press, while “Burnout” mode reduces weight one pound at a time at the end of a set of curls, so you can work your biceps to failure.[$2,995 plus $49/month membership; tonal.com]Get it Courtesy Image2. Hire a Personal Trainer: MirrorThe full-length reflective surface of Mirror hides an LCD screen controlled by an iOS app. Try a class in morethan 50 disciplines, or connect with a personal trainer on-demand. Using the built-in two-way audio and video, your trainer provides expert feedback, form corrections, and encouragement in real time for $40 a pop—a fraction of what you’d pay for a trainer at the gym. You can even sweat to your own workout playlists via Apple Music.[$1,495 plus $39/month membership, mirror.co]Get itCourtesy Image3. Buy One Weight That Does It All: JaxJoxA true total-body strength workout usually requires multiple sets of weights or a pricey squat rack. Notso with the space-saving JaxJox connected kettlebell. It adjusts from 12 to 42 pounds in seconds. While you’re swinging, motion sensors track reps, sets, weight, and power, so you can review your “Fitness IQ”—which measures strength progression—in the app. Users can also subscribe to on-demand workouts.[$229 plus optional $13/month membership, jaxjox.com]Get itCourtesy Image4. Make Any Room a Weight Room: ArenaArena houses a multidirectional cable system and specialty attachments capable of more than 300 exercises, from hamstring curls to woodchops. The portable device uses opposing electro-magnetic fields to generate hundreds of pounds of resistance (same tech that powers electric cars). Motorized resistance technology safely recruits more muscle fibers than traditional strength training, so you get better results in less time.[$1,995 plus optional $20/month membership, goarena.co]Get itCourtesy Image5. Get Real-Time Biofeedback: NurvvSolo neighborhood jogs. Treadmill intervals. All-out track sprints. With 32 sensors, Nurvv smart insoles capture all your running idiosyncrasies including cadence, step length, footstrike, pronation and balance. That might not mean much to you, but they indicate efficiency. The app provides tailored training tips and exercises to help fine-tune your technique and avoid injury. Looking to hit sub 7-minute miles? The Pace Coach feature provides target zones for your cadence and step length, with in-run alerts synced to your headphones like “shorten your stride” or “increase your cadence.”[$299.95; nurvv.com]Get itFor access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube! More