November 13th, 2020
“Connected fitness” has been growing in popularity for years. These fitness products involve streamed, on-demand virtual workouts and are branded to essentially handle everything a brick-and-mortar gym can. You’ve got Peloton, NordicTrack, and the Lululemon Mirror – just to name a few. Seriously, the industry has exploded!
But is it worth it?
Should you have one as part of your training regimen?
Can you get the same results as working one-on-one with personal training?
The Lululemon Mirror fitness device streams live and on-demand classes from a companion app via a two-way feed which puts a virtual instructor (along with your own reflection!) on a sleek screen that sits ever in your home. What a concept! The trainers at Driven Fit review the pros and cons of the Lululemon Mirror.
The Mirror measures 21” x 52” and looks and acts like an ordinary full-body mirror. When turned on, it turns into an embedded screen that steams hundreds of on-demand and live workouts claimed to rival those of high-end boutique studios like ours.
Yes, you can stream workouts on your phone, but with the Mirror, a virtual instructor appears alongside your on-screen reflection, as does a long list of performance-related data and heart-rate monitoring. The interactive, futuristic fitness experience offers tons of workouts, including:
While pricey to some, the Lululemon Mirror offers a lot of benefits for days you’re not in the gym. For starters, the ease-of-use is like no other. The Mirror offers over 20 different workout genres which range from 15 to 60 minutes in length with over 10,000 workouts to choose from!
The classes include solid programming and stream from a companion app to the reflective screen. Our personal trainers think the workouts are engaging, well-paced, and the exercises are logical and purposeful. The instructors also periodically address form and encourage users to use the mirror to check their technique.
Another great feature is that the app has the instructor’s profiles which also include their favorite songs, all of which can be played instantly with your Spotify account. The longer you use the Lululemon Mirror programming, the more familiar you will become with the instructors’ personalities, just as you would at any type of boutique-style fitness class.
Interested in an interactive workout experience, but don’t want to pay for pricey equipment? DrivenFit + SWS offers virtual training classes that you can take any time from anywhere. Our South Tampa personal training studio has offered private, semi-private, and virtual training classes paired with chiropractic care and massage therapy for years for a total body focus. Call or text (813) 440-3016 us to get started!
One negative is that even with the number of workouts available, the Mirror experience can become repetitive, even with the extensive class lineup and variety of instructors. Even though there is a “community”, it is a virtual one and you don’t have the benefit of social interaction or the motivation of a live class or from your trainer.
Though the Mirror is interactive, you may feel limited in the range of workouts you can do – especially when trying to work laterally. You also will be focused more on cardio and pilates style workouts but depending on your unique goals you may want to switch up your workouts, which is why you’ll still need to add other workouts to your regimen.
And for many, the Lululemon Mirror’s biggest drawback by far is the high-up front cost, ~$2,200. Here’s the cost breakdown:
If you’re using the Mirror several times a week, you’ll likely get your money’s worth. You’ll have to keep your enthusiasm for the Mirror workouts high and hold yourself accountable to working out to make sure you get real value.
Our thoughts, it’s cool and we like interactive fitness & virtual training. But, the Mirror is only a part of your exercise routine and not the only workouts you should be doing. Working with a trainer who knows your specific goals and can tweak your routine to suit it can’t be beat. That said, for days you’re not at the gym or working one-on-one with a trainer, the Lululemon Mirror may be a great addition to your routine.
Plus, the Mirror is still pretty new to the market. While it does come with a one-year warranty. You are investing a lot of money into a system that has yet to prove itself long-term.
At our South Tampa studio, we offer an intensive program – both virtually or in-person – that focuses on providing a client’s body transformation, rejuvenation, and restoration through personal training, massage therapy, and chiropractic care. Plus, we track it all with the Styku 3D body scanner to make sure you hit your goals. Call or text (813) 440-3016 Team Driven today!
*Photo Credit: The Mirror
Categories: Personal Training