How to Choose a Home Workout Platform

I have mentioned and shown the stationary bike that I use at home in some of my past episodes and workout videos. It is a ProForm Pro 22 studio bike that features the iFit workout platform. It is pretty compact, easy to move around, and has a big tablet screen that connects to my Bluetooth headphones and heart rate monitor. Suffice to say, it does me well. 

In a time when virtual and online training is at an all-time high, I spent a lot of time looking into not only which device I wanted to have cluttering up my home but also which platform I would need a subscription for to make the most of the device. 

Beyond iFit, I have subscriptions (many of them given to me for free) to more than a few platforms (including JRNY and AloMoves). And because I am nearly 50-years-old, I have a long history with various fitness platforms, starting with workouts on VHS tape. 

When I was presented with the opportunity to chat with Colleen Logan, Vice President of Marketing at ICON Health & Fitness, I jumped at it. Colleen has been working in the industry for nearly 20 years and has seen many fads come and go. 

The Home Fitness Equipment Industry

ICON Health & Fitness, headquartered in Logan, Utah, is a company that designs, manufactures, and sells treadmills, stationary bikes, and ellipticals as well as owning the iFit brand which I mentioned earlier. 

During our conversation, I asked Colleen how she feels about booming the online fitness industry. I figured it would be a dicey and perhaps even cutthroat situation but Colleen assured me that it is not.  “That's the beautiful thing right now is that the fitness market is absolutely exploding. It's always been a growth industry but today it's an exploding growth industry. We love the competition because more competitors talking about fitness and the need for fitness and the convenience of home fitness is [good for everyone] -- a rising tide lifts all boats.”

Interactive vs. Passive Workouts

One of the reasons I chose iFit for my home was due to the fact that it is interactive, not just passive. By that, I mean that it’s not like someone just took one of my old VHS workouts and streamed it over the internet. It actually reacts and changes with and for you. 

iFit is not like someone just took one of my old VHS workouts and streamed it over the internet. It actually reacts and changes with and for you....

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