Integrating Technology With Workouts

[TmcGSS]

Hi there,
I am new to this site, but I am doing some market research on health, fitness, and wellness applications regarding supplements, workouts, life tips, physical training, and all encompassing around factors involved in the bodybuilding world.
I am very interested in the health and fitness world as well as learning about how it has, and will in the future, become intertwined with technology.
I am very interested to learn what types of health and fitness applications or most widely used and favorites (including wearables, smartphone applications, etc)
What are the characteristics you enjoy about this technology?
What would you change, or make better if you had the power to?
And what is some area undiscovered yet that you personally believe would help you reach your health and fitness goals?

I hope to turn this into something that is very beneficial to this industry and the dedicated and hardworking people like yourselves involved in it.
Thank you and any feedback will be very much appreciated.

-TC

[TmcGSS]

Also, what kind of marketing speaks to the specific people within this industry, personal trainers, bodybuilders, average consumers?

Thank you.

[SuffolkPunch]

Honestly, I don't think there is very much I want to buy or need to buy. I spend money only on my gym fees, food, basic clothing, a bare minimum of basic supplements (protein powder, creatine monohydrate) and that's it. No technology is required - unless they actually make one of those wristbands work that can read how many calories and macros you have consumed. I am doubtful of that however.

The people who spend the money are the all-the-gear-and-no-idea types.

[ironwill2008]

Also, what kind of marketing speaks to the specific people within this industry, personal trainers, bodybuilders, average consumers?

Thank you.

The only 'marketing' I've ever seen to work (as far as making the advertisers a lot of $$$) is that of the supplement companies and their promises of gains in muscle and strength from the use of their products.


For myself, the last thing I need or want is some gizmo strapped to me, with wires, or whatever, while I'm training. The extent of my involvement with technology in regards to bodybuilding is the use of a $25 digital food scale to weigh my food portions, and the interwebz to log and track both my nutrition and workouts. Past that, it's just the same today as it was back in the days of Sandow---hard work and dedication; two things that technology can't provide.

[SXElifter]

Everything was pretty much covered in the above two posts.

You don't see any bodybuilders wasting their time with cool gadgets and overthinking. They grab the barbell, train their ass off, and eat. Enough thinking and planning; start doing.

[Cannar]

Honestly, I don't think there is very much I want to buy or need to buy. I spend money only on my gym fees, food, basic clothing, a bare minimum of basic supplements (protein powder, creatine monohydrate) and that's it. No technology is required - unless they actually make one of those wristbands work that can read how many calories and macros you have consumed. I am doubtful of that however.

The people who spend the money are the all-the-gear-and-no-idea types.

Check out the 'Healbe GoBe' theyve made a wristband that tracks your calories, many people are saying theyre a scam but theyve managed to raise a million bucks on indigogo

[jdfitlaw]

Technology while training? No. However, technology to help overall health? Sure. Things like myfitnesspal are great to track what I'm eating over the course of a day.

[krysix]

I only use excel to track my progress and workouts and a stopwatch. I dont even train with a smartphone because it distract me.

[TmcGSS]

Let me rephrase, if there was something that was both free and very conducive to your overall goals, what would this technology entail. Even if it was like an open market for supplements or training advice. What would be the optimal application that would could help you, what factors would it contain?

[SuffolkPunch]

Check out the 'Healbe GoBe' theyve made a wristband that tracks your calories, many people are saying theyre a scam but theyve managed to raise a million bucks on indigogo

I have seen it. I have also seen a detailed write up by a guy who has spent his career developing biometric sensors say that it's complete codswallop. I would expect to see an independent test to verify accuracy before considering such a thing.

[TmcGSS]

So hypothetically say there was some sort of product that you didn't have to touch whilst in the gym doing your workouts, however gave a good way to track everything you are doing, your metabolic intake, your calories burned, etc. as well as perhaps gave you ways to find new regiments and new products. So it was kind of taking the management as well as searching processes out of the equation so you could get back to what is most important, lifting extremely heavy things. Would this translate well with you guys and be something worth taking a shot at?

[pisarcik.k]

The only technology I use during training is my logbook... I feel most of the TRUE bodybuilders / athletes / competitors prefer to focus their time on the workout itself and optimizing performance and do not occupy gym time with an APP.

I do feel there is a strong population that LOVES their technology at the gym. These will likely be millennials who are obsessed with ******** and instagram and would rather play on their phone at the gym than actually train. Although there is a population for it, I do not feel they necessarily have the means to procure such a product (if it is has a hefty price tag).

Another population, as already mentioned are the "need-for-gear" types who track everything and have all of the gear but never make much progress....

Would it be cool, sure... for the right people...

[Edman316]

I started using a Fitbit Flex a few days ago. It tracks the number of steps I take per day. I got a great deal on it and thought I would see if I could get any use out of it. So far I feel it is great at motivating me to walk as much as possible during my work day. It also tracks my sleep patterns. In regards to training, I see no benefit wearing it in the gym but I was surprised to see how many steps I take during a typical training session. I take short rests and pace a lot.

I plan to keep using it because it promotes movement and the sleep tracking feature is interesting. It also links up with the myfitnesspal app on my phone.

[Mdenatale]

So hypothetically say there was some sort of product that you didn't have to touch whilst in the gym doing your workouts, however gave a good way to track everything you are doing, your metabolic intake, your calories burned, etc. as well as perhaps gave you ways to find new regiments and new products. So it was kind of taking the management as well as searching processes out of the equation so you could get back to what is most important, lifting extremely heavy things. Would this translate well with you guys and be something worth taking a shot at?

If there were a wearable, but non-intrusive device that could accurately track calories in and calories out with no input I would be interested. It would have to be scientifically proven to be accurate. Nothing like that ridiculous GoBe.

[TmcGSS]

So all in all something that takes the management and measurement processes and deals with that for you, so you can focus on whats really important at the gym (focusing on your work out and training as hard as possible) is what would be desirable to people in this industry?

What about supplements and workout regiments, what are your favorite ways to obtain these things? Do you come up with your own regiments? Do you just go to GNC and Vitamine Shopping for your Supplements? I can assume different websites offer different varieties and specific selections.

[ironwill2008]

So all in all something that takes the management and measurement processes and deals with that for you, so you can focus on whats really important at the gym (focusing on your work out and training as hard as possible) is what would be desirable to people in this industry?

What about supplements and workout regiments, what are your favorite ways to obtain these things? Do you come up with your own regiments? Do you just go to GNC and Vitamine Shopping for your Supplements? I can assume different websites offer different varieties and specific selections.

Beginners get their information on training, nutrition, and supplementation from the more-experienced members of this website. Through the workout journals, and day-to-day posting of information, other posters here will fairly quickly come to learn who knows what they're talking about and who doesn't. Sufficient technology already exists; we're using it right now.


The majority of supplement users who post on this website obtain their supplements from the Bodybuilding.com online store. Competitive pricing and excellent customer service always wins out over the overpriced merchandise and unknowledgeable sales clerks at the brick-and-mortar supplement stores.

[sharpieblet]

The only 'marketing' I've ever seen to work (as far as making the advertisers a lot of $$$) is that of the supplement companies and their promises of gains in muscle and strength from the use of their products.


For myself, the last thing I need or want is some gizmo strapped to me, with wires, or whatever, while I'm training. The extent of my involvement with technology in regards to bodybuilding is the use of a $25 digital food scale to weigh my food portions, and the interwebz to log and track both my nutrition and workouts. Past that, it's just the same today as it was back in the days of Sandow---hard work and dedication; two things that technology can't provide.

Pretty solid here. I'm at the point where I dint even like having my iPod earphones in...freaking wire gets caught on the barbells and crap. Now if only gyms would strictly play hard rock and metal...