The fitness industry has been seriously shaken up by major tech developments in the last five years. There’s gym wear that speaks to your phone; wristbands that coach you through your workout; and monitors that bleep when you’re overweight.

According to a report by CCS Insight, the wearables market, which includes smartwatches, fitness trackers, augmented and virtual reality headsets, and wearable cameras, is set to treble over the next five years, from 84 million units in 2015, to 245 million in 2019.

With a raft of products designed to measure, track and share our athletic deeds, what products and trends can we expect to influence how we workout over the next five years?

Smart Gyms

Will our gyms look like something out of Star Trek in 2021? Probably, if Virgin Active has anything to do with it. As part of a £100m investment programme, Virgin has opened two ‘tech-centric’ smart gyms in London. The gyms feature contactless systems, which allow members to swipe in and out using a smart bracelet. And the bracelets also measure and track members’ workout progress.
Tech fanatics will be able to pair their fitness devices with Virgin Active’s equipment, creating a fuller picture of their progress by including exercise done outside the gym.

Plus members will also be able to access web services such as Skype, TED and YouTube from the gym floor. Virgin hope the wristbands will lure members away from other fitness trackers sold by the likes of Fitbit, Nike and Jawbone.

Online Personal Training

With a lot of us working more and commuting for longer, it often feels there is no time to exercise. So naturally we turn to the internet to find help and advice. We’re seeing a surge in popularity of online personal training in 2016. And it doesn’t take a genius to figure out why. Two words: convenient and cheap.

Rather than schedule an hour with a trainer, say, a week in advance, online personal training can slot into your lifestyle. You can log on and start a workout as and when you have time.

Online personal training is also great if you have an aversion to the gym. A personalised session in the comfort of your own home can offer you all the benefits of the gym, without the intimidation.

The other bonus is online trainers can afford to charge less for their services as their physical presence isn’t needed for the workout. This means you get their expertise for a fraction of the price.

Smart Clothing

Wearables are only going to get more advanced and popular, but it’s tech-enabled clothing that’s the future. What could be more convenient than having tech woven into the very clothes you’re wearing?
Smart clothes do way more than make you look good. Built-in sensors measure your heart rate, muscle effort and activity – all without you having to access an app or tap a smartwatch screen. The data is automatically sent to your smartphone via an app – giving you real-time information about how you’re progressing.

Tech and the community

Fitness is not only about improving your body and health, it’s about emotion, relationships and people. Fitness, in whatever form, brings people together and inspires relationships in a way that no other industry does.

As technology develops, it’s easy to lose our human connectedness, which is why platforms like Grokker are starting to pop up. Grokker is an online video network, focused on people’s passion for wellness. It offers exclusive, expert-led instructional videos in four wellness areas: yoga, meditation, fitness & exercise, and cooking.

Grokker members can interact with the expert teachers and like-minded health enthusiasts, and take part in organised, live group exercise classes. There are also chat forums and articles, blogs and health tips, written by members, for members.

Of course, these are just a few of the ways technology will influence the fitness industry over the next few years. There are many more. But one thing’s for sure: technological advancements have allowed more people to take advantage of exercise options. And that can only be a good thing.

After your workout session, why not unwind with a massage at Castle Thai Spa? Call us on 0131 629 0794 to book an appointment.