7 gadgets that will absolutely take your workout to the next level

If you thought TVs and phones were the only things that could be smart, it’s time to meet a new kind of tech: the smart scale. More than just a means of measuring your weight, the Nokia Body Cardio looks at your entire body composition, including your weight, BMI, your muscle mass, your water retention and your standing heart rate, and can use that info to help set targeted goals and programs through the Health Mate app.

Yep, even the humble skipping rope has had an upgrade. While the Tangram Factory Smart Rope PURE Jump Rope looks like your standard weighted rope, it actually features magnetic sensors that accurately count your jumps, and when paired with the Smart Gym app on your iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch, it can help monitor your calories burned and workout times. The app then offers its recommendations for interval training options to keep things interesting. And if you’re the competitive type, you might be into the awards you can unlock or the option to challenge your friends.

Who hasn’t gotten into counting their steps and aiming for 10k steps a day? And while the Versa™ can certainly help monitor your step count, it can do so much more to inspire workouts and track your progress. Featuring personalised on-screen workouts that can coach you through your next session, and 15 exercise modes to record and compare a variety of exercises (think: post-workout summaries after each run to monitor your progress), the stylish watch (and accompanying app) will help keep you motivated and on the straight and narrow. Plus, we challenge you to not get addicted to checking your heartrate mid-workout.

How annoying is it when the wires from your headphones get in the way of a strong set of burpees? Keep the momentum going by ditching the cords and replacing them with the Bose SoundSport Free wireless headphones. With buds that fit snugly in your ears and an easy-to-sync app, you’ll be pumping out your energy-boosting tunes and moving around with more ease than ever before. Oh and in case you’re wondering – no, you don’t have to use your phone to change songs: you can do this on the earpiece itself; and yes it comes with a handy little portable charging dock so you can be sure you won’t be left with dead headphones mid-jump squat. 

Okay so we know that foam rolling is more of a pre- and post-workout thing, but we feel like the Hyperice Vyper 2.0 will get so deep to increase circulation and relax muscles that it’s going to encourage you to work harder. The magic of this gadget? It features three speed settings and high-intensity vibrations to ensure your muscles are sufficiently stretched out. Why do a manual roll when this clever tool can do all the hard work for you?

If building muscle mass is your main goal, the handy (read: portable) Skulpt Scanner™ could well be worth the investment. There’s a lot of science behind how this device works, but in a nutshell you use the device to scan different areas of your body to assess fat percentage and to identify the relative strength of the muscles. Then, the Skulpt app can give you an in-depth analysis of your muscles and body fat, and give you targeted advice and programs on how to burn the fat and build your muscle strength in areas that need it. Science, right?

There’s wearable tech, and then there’s this. Unlike any other pair of socks you own, the Sensoria Fitness Socks are actually smart socks with an anklet that magnetically attaches to the top of your it. The two work together to get a super accurate read of your step count, speed, calories, altitude and distance, and can even track your cadence and foot landing technique as you do your thing – whether that’s walking or running. It also has a dedicated phone app that monitors your movement and will guide you through your workout with real-time audio cues. Just be careful not to lose one of these bad boys in the wash…

Need a bit more motivation in the exercise department? Here are six of the latest fitness trends that could help get you moving more

Main image credit: @stephclairesmith