I winced and stumbled as a small white dot on the screen wandered beyond the boundaries of the tracking target in the center of my chest, turning red as soon as it stepped outside the circle. There are only a few seconds left in the balance portion of the health test, and every tendon in your ankle screams for relief. After what seems like an eternity, you can finally put your other foot back on the floor and rest.
I’m in London to take part in Technogym’s new comprehensive fitness assessment ‘Checkup’. My mobility, mental health, balance, strength, and body composition were rigorously analyzed. The good news? I got Wellness Age for the first time and it shows that I am 32 years old.
The bad news? I’m 29 years old.
Technogym, an Italian luxury sports and exercise equipment manufacturer, created Checkup to serve as a “pivotal touchpoint for the Technogym ecosystem.” Utilizing advanced measurement technology and AI, we diagnose the state of your mind and body.
(Image source: Technogym)
Checkup is powered by a physical machine that looks like a cross between a McDonald’s self-service kiosk and the robot K-2SO from the Star Wars movie Rogue One. It has a bunch of amazing sensors and cameras that can measure all of the aforementioned health metrics, and uses AI to converge the data into a single metric that Technogym calls Wellness Age.
The concept is very simple: the better your health, the more likely your health age will reflect your actual age, and even better, you’ll look and feel younger than you did when you traveled around the sun. It is more likely to reflect a polished body. The best Garmin Watch and Oura Ring 4 incorporate similar metrics, but these are done using wearables with limited sensors and are primarily focused on heart health. .
Unlike those wearables, with Technogym, a checkup is just the beginning of the process. Once you have your results, Technogym uses the app to identify your health needs and set specific, unique goals. With that data in hand, you can hit the gym and start on the path to a more youthful, wellness age.
Of course, Technogym’s Checkup and subsequent AI-powered workout programs are designed for optimal use within the Technogym ecosystem. Its gear is often a mainstay at hotels and high-end gyms, such as the Ritz-Carlton and Waldorf Astoria. But that doesn’t mean everyone can’t benefit from a proper Wellness Age test. In fact, I don’t even have a personal workout plan yet, but there are already a few things I’m incorporating into my routine right away based on my health score. Start here:
1. Further fitness tests
It may sound counterintuitive, but the first thing I decided after doing the checkup was that I wanted to incorporate more fitness testing into my workout routine. Doing the check-up was a great motivator, positive, and alarming at the same time. I was thrilled to score 100/100 for strength (thanks to my 157kg leg extension), but other metrics like shoulder mobility left a lot to be desired.
I really wish that more fitness testing would give me more regular and accurate guidance on whether what I’m doing is working and whether I’m leaving out any fitness aspects of my training. I’m here. If fitness testing can motivate you and help you see progress, why don’t you test it more often? I don’t plan on going to Technogym in Mayfair regularly, but my local gym does have fitness tests like VO2 max. There is a treadmill where you can perform an aerobic exercise test, and the flexibility “Mobility + Flexibility Test” is a great way to keep your joints healthy.
2. Moving work
(Image credit: Future)
Comparing my strength score of 100/100 to my mobility score of 54/100, it is clear that I have been neglecting my joints for far too long. Specifically, I was surprised to find that my shoulder mobility didn’t even deserve a “below average” mobility rating, instead scoring a disastrous “low.” After years of trying to gain muscle, you’ve taken a toll on just about everything else, so it’s time to put some strength into your joints. What’s the point of benching 235 pounds if you can’t put on socks in the morning?
There are several options for this. Things like Bowery Digital’s Stretching & Flexibility: Bend iPad app and the Pilates section of Apple Fitness Plus. But as it stands, the only stretching I do is exaggerate my max lift, so I hope something can be improved.
3.Bye-bye bilateral
For probably the past 10 years, I’ve been working out almost exclusively with bilateral movements, exercises that involve both arms or legs at the same time. Bilateral exercises include exercises such as chest presses, shoulder presses, and leg extensions using barbells, dumbbells, and machines. However, the Technogym medical examination revealed that there were some significant discrepancies in my mobility and make-up, which indicated significant imbalances in my body. For example, the range of motion in my neck, ankles, and hips is not symmetrical.
I’m going to introduce more unilateral movements, exercises that use only one arm or leg at a time, into my training. This helps me improve my strength, balance, and mobility in areas where I am particularly weak, such as balancing on my left ankle instead of my right ankle. Research shows that unilateral strength training can help address muscle imbalances, improve overall strength, and reduce the risk of injury.
More features coming soon
We hope to make more changes in the future. We can’t wait to see what Technogym’s app shows you once you’ve completed your tests and surveys, but until then, even the most rudimentary of fitness tests can have an impact on your health. My fitness and workout regime needs a reboot, and mine certainly has.
If you’re interested in Technogym’s Checkup, look for stations coming soon to your local Technogym-powered gym. If you don’t have that option, you may want to consider purchasing one of the best Garmin watches on the market, or another fitness wearable that offers Healthy Age features. While they may not be as accurate as dedicated stations, many of the best smartwatches on the market today offer at least some insight into your overall health and well-being, which is sometimes defined as an indicator of age. I will.
