Tune those tris with Tempo

Well, and any other number of muscle groups, we suppose. A few months back, we brought you word of a home setup rowing machine which seemed a fit for working out at home. While gyms are opening back up, maybe you’re not ready to actually go back – and I can’t blame you. Well, if you’re looking for some guided coaching and classes, perhaps Tempo could be of help.

At first blue, the Tempo looks like a big monolith fronted by a vertically-oriented screen. And, in many ways, it is. The stand is there to keep the 42″ touchscreen where you need it to follow along with their classes, as well as to house the speakers. Around back, you’ve got a spot to store the barbell and dumbell, and you can sneak the mat and foam roller in the open part of the easel arrangment. Below the screen, those doors open up, and that’s where you store the weight plates.

Now, if you’ve been doing serious weight training, you might be underwhelmed by the total weight you can stack up (100 lbs including the barbell). Odds are, this isn’t aimed at you anyways. From eyeballing it, though, they look to have standard-sized openings, so you could always get more – or heavier – plates (stack them 45s!) if you wanted to.

That said, I’ll repeat – the Tempo probably isn’t for those serious lifters. This feels more like something aimed at a person who is interested in getting into shape, or maybe has just drifted along with their gym routine, and wants a little more pushing via classes. Of course, classes aren’t going on these days. That’s where the AI-driven workouts are handy, and there are also both live and on-demand classes.

In reading through the materials, it seems like there’s a gamification aspect to it, where completing various classes or challenges can move you up the leaderboard. But it does also call out that bad form will cost you. That means they’re using the 3D sensor to track your movements, and that’s actually a good thing here. When it comes to exercise, and particularly ones involving weights, form is key. If your form isn’t right, well, bad things can happen. Best case scenario, you’re not actually getting the full benefit of your workout. Worst case? You can do some serious damage to yourself, and that’s not what anyone wants.

For those concerned about privacy (and we all should be) their vision system is just capturing your movements (at the 25 points it’s mapped) as a sort of digital skeleton – nothing of the interior of your workout space is actually captured or sent to Tempo.

To me, Tempo looks like a great way to get moving in your own home, and get introduced to the world of free weights. There’s a decent amount of equipment included here, to be honest. Sure, at some point you may feel like you’ll want more weights, but if you’re doing the weight training with their classes, it’ll no doubt stay in bounds of the provided gear. And hey, if you feel the weight is too light? Just toss some more reps in there, bucko.

If you want to bring the Tempo into your home, you’ll need to put down $1,995 (or you can finance at $55/month for 36 months), and then another $39 per month for their classes and training. The subscription might feel steep, but it’s pretty comparable to a monthly gym membership, in my experience. It’s the up-front cost that may give you pause, and I don’t blame you. If you’re not committed to working out regularly, two grand is a lot to pay for a towel rack. Come into with the right mindset, though? I think the Tempo could be a game changer for your fitness. tempofit.com