Tonal’s Digital Weight-Training System Looks To Revolutionize Home Workouts

Well, folks, it seems as though the Jetsonian age of at-home training is finally upon us with the inception of Tonal. This all-encompassing piece of modern tech is a Fitbit, flat screen TV, and personal trainer all rolled into one damn fine looking wall-mounted gym.

It may seem foreign, but Tonal—a device powered by an electromagnetic resistance engine—was designed by founder Aly Orady and his team to be incredibly user friendly. When you’re ready for a workout, turn it on and pull out the two extendable arms, which give you the ability to perform over 200 exercises. Then select a workout from one of Tonal’s eight trainers, all of whom specialize in a different type of training (think muscle building, strength, functional training), and get to work.

Tonal’s pièce de résistance: It tracks the quality of every rep you perform—measured by force output, your range of motion, volume, and time under tension—in real time. Say you’re struggling mid-workout, Tonal will adjust the weight you’re using on the spot. Or if you’re killing it, expect the load to increase. You can also opt for dynamic resistance by adding the feel of chains or hard eccentric reps to change things up and make the exercise even more challenging.

With all of those functions comes a hefty price tag—$2,995. When you add on the $250 installation fee, a $495 extension kit that includes a smart bar and bench, and a $49 monthly subscription service to Tonal’s training content, you’re looking at a total of about $3,800 (plus the monthly payments). There is a payment plan of $175 a month over the course of two years, which is about what a luxury gym membership would cost. Still, it isn’t cheap.

Whether you think Tonal is worth the cost when you could instead hop on YouTube and find an intense workout for free is up to you, but this sleek piece of fitness smart tech is undoubtedly a look at what’s to come as technology gets more advanced—and the future is looking bright (and jacked).