Artificial Intelligence can be a scary thing. We’re hearing about it more and more. It’s becoming more involved in everyday life, whether we always know it or not. AI is used in social media, internet searches, sending emails and so many other things. In fact, it was used to help transcribe the interviews for this story.
My interest was piqued when I received an email about AI being used in a gym.
I’ve spent a lot of time in gyms. I’m 30 years old and was a college football player what feels like a lifetime ago. Starting around the time I was 13 years old, lifting and working out has been a big part of my life. I played football in high school and college before a bevy of injuries ended that part of my life.
By no means am I in the best shape of my life. Once upon a time, I was a really good athlete. Now, I’m someone who is constantly trying to not let myself fall out of shape. Losing a couple of pounds couldn’t hurt either.
As I walked into the Avon location of The Exercise Coach that’s situated in a plaza I wasn’t sure what to expect. Was I going to walk in and see robots? Would this be a workout based on virtual reality where I would be wearing one of those headsets? What exactly is AI?
When I made it inside, I was taken aback by how small the space was. It was almost as if I walked into one of the personal training areas inside of a gym, rather than an actual gym. There were seven machines, and only two had any visible weights. It wasn’t filled with robots. I didn’t need to yell “Hey Alexa …” before each of my exercises. There were real people there with real intelligence.
Aside from the size of the space, the thing that it took some adjusting was that there weren’t weights in there. For me, it was also a new feeling to be working out in an environment that wasn’t crowded. Yes, the space wasn’t very big, with the workout area just more than 800 square feet, but at the time, I was working out it was just me and the trainer. Group classes are available for as many as four people, but there isn’t a time when more than six people are working out at once.
I’ve spent time in the big chain gyms as well as locally owned ones. I belong to two gyms in the area, BrownsFit and Cleveland Fitness Club. Those places are filled with weights — dumbbells, free weights, squat racks; all of it. None of those could be found here.
Instead, there are machines, which is far from uncommon, but what differentiates them is the computer screens that can be found directly in the line of sight. Normally, you sit down on a leg press, slide a pin into the weight stack and off you go.
This workout starts by testing just how strong you are. A trainer is there to help with the use of the machines and offer encouragement, as needed. In other settings, a personal trainer helps to determine how heavy things should be or how many repetitions need to be done. This is much different.
The first thing I try is the leg press. I place my feet on the platform, the trainer takes measurements to ensure that I don’t overextend my joints — one of the things I found beneficial during this experience — then I’m told to give it as much force as I can. The computer attached to the machine collects the data and then creates a simple eight-repetition workout for me.
My immediate thinking is that eight reps is nothing for me. That was not the case.
The exercise starts. The platform doesn’t move much — it’s not intended to — but the pressure I have to apply is relatively severe. I stare into the screen that tells me I have to keep my output within guidelines that raise and lower at certain points of the rep. Almost as if I’m finding my way out of a maze.
“The biggest adjustment is just kind of getting used to the movement. The fact that the machine is moving for you and you're applying force against it as opposed to you looking at a stack of weight and pushing the weight,” says owner Paul VanderEyk.
As I reach the sixth rep, my legs are feeling it. It like I’ve done two sets on a squat rack and am nearing the end of my workout. I push through the last two reps and am eager to take a break.
This is repeated with five other exercises, which is a bit more than my typical workout, but I’m done in just a half hour. It’s far more efficient than what I’m used to, that’s for sure.
Time spent in the gym is always a “you get out what you put in” activity. The more time spent working out doesn’t always mean better results. Here, your effort level directly correlates to what you get out of the workout in a noticeable way.
This isn’t for everybody. This workout program is certainly geared at a crowd that I might be in one day, but I’m not in yet. There is no substitute for me when it comes to certain lifts and movements I prefer to keep as part of my routine. But for the person who might only have an hour per week to spend working out, this can be seen as a terrific option.
The gym offers two free workouts and has various plans available that range between $25 and $50 per session.
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