Vitruvian Trainer+ is the ultimate home gym that delivers on its promises • TechCrunch

The connected-home gym equipment craze probably reached its peak during the COVID-19 pandemic. Peloton’s fortunes and other indicators point to a decline in interest as people return their gym memberships. This category still holds a lot of potential. Especially if the gear can combine smarts with key value propositions like a small footprint, which can fit into any home. Vitruvian + trainerIt does all of this and more.

Basics

The Vitruvian trainer+ is not cheap. The Vitruvian Trainer+ costs $2,990. This is approximately six years of gym membership at an average US price per month. It doesn’t include the $39 per month subscription fee for Vitruvian ALL Access, which gives you access to advanced workout features, including guided sessions.

It is difficult to believe that the frequent sub is more expensive than the average American pays for their monthly gym membership. Vitruvian is well aware of this fact because it is not easy to find the price on their website. It is common to ask about the cost of membership. You can pay a $990 one-time fee to subscribe to the service for the life of the device. This is an excellent deal if you intend to use the device often and continue to use it. You can also opt out of the subscription features. This will still give you a solid piece of equipment, provided you are good at planning your workouts.

Hardware aside, it’s easy to see why Vitruvian, despite a base price of almost $3k, must also charge recurring fees to its users. The Trainer+ suite of tools is impressive and has undoubtedly incurred high production and development costs.

The platform is compact and rigid. It has two clips that attach external accessories, such as handles, ropes and ropes to an active resistance system. The platform is small and compact, measuring approximately 46×20 inches by 80 pounds. The Trainer+’s impressive range of exercises and its ability to provide resistance up to 440 lbs makes it a small package.

The Trainer+ is very easy to set-up and pairs with your smartphone by using a QR code. Work out.

The app controls the resistance. Each time you start a workout, it requires three repetitions of the setup to determine the correct range of motion before moving on to the weight training. When it comes to the actual exercise, you have three options. There is a mode that adds 1 kilogram (2.2 lbs), once the weight decreases, and a static mode, where the weight remains the same.

Design

Trainer+’s design is quite simple. What stands out is the customizable LED lighting, which provides visual cues about whether you are hitting the reps properly. If you’re old enough, it looks like a Wii Balance Board, or an elevated stand. The Trainer+’s upper is made from a carbon fiber composite. It can be used with training shoes alone, but you can also get the extra soft and sticky mat included with the Entry and Pro accessory sets. In my sample package, I received a $500 Pro Kit.

The Trainer+ is approximately 80 pounds in weight and comes as a single, pre-assembled piece. The setup is much easier than other home gym equipment. However, you will need to get someone to help you move it up and down stairs. The underside of the machine can be moved around by turning one end up. This allows it to slide under couches or desks and make it easy to move around.

The Trainer+’s versatility is due to its two “quick connector system” receivers. These receivers are permanently attached to retractable cables and connect to the machine’s programmable active resistance. Quick connectors make it easy to use the ankle straps and inline handles. They can also be released via a neck push mechanism, which is easy to change between exercises and won’t run dry. This is a nice upgrade to the Trainer+ system that had a more complex carabiner.

The Trainer+ TCO also increases with the variety of attachments. The “basic” set includes a long bar, triceps and rope, as well as “premium” handles, an exercise mat, safety cables, and the aforementioned “pro” set. The “Pro” set I tested with Trainer+ includes all that and a strap, a short bar, and even a seat. Trainer+ can do so much more without these items, but it’s impossible to get the experience the way it should.

Trainer+ is a Vitruvian companion app which connects to your phone via Bluetooth. The best thing about the All-Access membership is that it is device-bound. This means that anyone in your home, or even visitors, can create their own profile on the app and pair with your phone to access all your coaching options and guided workouts. The app is excellent. It offers multi-week programs that you can follow, instructor-led classes and a wide variety of individual exercises that can be combined into your own customized workouts, if you are a subscriber. The app’s How-To video worked flawlessly on my Apple TV at home via AirPlay.

Credits: Vitruvian

Performance

If you haven’t used an active resistance machine before, the Trainer+ will feel very different to other workouts. It is different from weight-based, cable-integrated equipment or free weights. Vitruvian is right to credit for the fact that Trainer+ takes only a few sessions to feel second-nature.

The Vitruvian App provides everything you need for Trainer+ to be effective, regardless of whether you’re just starting or an experienced personal trainer looking for something to complement or match your existing routine. It can be as self-directed or directed as you wish, and everything in between.

Trainer+ can also be used to adjust your workouts based on your strength or performance level. To create suggested base weights, the app will first ask you to perform a strength assessment. You can then go back to that anytime to modify that calibration. This is very useful for those who are trying to improve their training.

The Trainer+ performed flawlessly over a month of testing and was used almost every day. After you’re done, you can simply let the attachments or handles fall off and the cables retract. This will not damage the durable carbon composite material. The clips slide in and out easily, and the platform can be cleaned with soap and water. The connection is solid and remembers your phone so long as that option is turned on in the app. The Trainer+ also sleeps, so you can leave it connected at all times if you wish.

One issue I had with the device was that the power cable seemed to be sitting quite lightly in the socket. Until I learned how to move it away from the device really well, it was easy to cut the power to Trainer+ by lightly brushing the cord. Although it wasn’t an issue as the problem was already identified, any contact with the cord was avoided. This was probably done as a safety precaution. However, I would have preferred a tighter fit between the cable & the device.

Minimum

Trainer+ is a wonderful piece of hardware for home exercise. It has a smart and user-friendly app that is both more accessible than Peloton and more flexible for those who take their training seriously and want to personalize it.

The real problem with Vitruvian’s offering is its price. With the Pro suite (which I recommend), you already have $3,500. And that’s before you add the ongoing cost for the app subscription. This can cover a decent gym membership and some personal training.

Trainer+ offers a range of products that are almost impossible to find elsewhere. This includes a portable solution that can be used anywhere in the home or apartment and also fits easily in your car. For a wild ride — or fit into #reallife if that’s what you want. This product is more versatile than similar active resistance products like Tonal.

The Trainer+ is an excellent choice for anyone who values flexibility, with almost no sacrifices in exchange for a complete set of weights, a more complex tower, or a full-sized gym. It’s clearly well-engineered and designed, with an eye toward delivering value to actual athletes and picky fitness buffs, yet it’s also a great place for people to start their home workout journeys—as long as they want to stick to the initial cost that comes with it.

Where to Buy: Vitruvian website