I don't prefer new products or companies billing their crowdfunding launch as "the Kickstarter of the Year" because the future is uncertain. Conversely I also have a perverse obsession with resistance bands, my favorite extendable piece of exercise equipment. So writing a quick note about the Kickstarter launch of Reebok backed Hyfit, an internet-of-things resistance band wasn't too much of a personal struggle. Please join me on this journey of ridiculous assertions paired with practical use.
If you look at Hyfit, it's pretty clear that it is a resistance band. That description is bland and worn out. Reebok wouldn't be backing something that is just a resistance band, and I wouldn't be writing about something unless it had some sort of technology element to it. Remember, we live in a culture that treats machines that squeeze juice bags as revolutionary tech, so if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, clearly it's an audio-enhanced bird creature that will revolutionize lakes and ponds.
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That all being said, the Hyfit is "the world's first wearable IoT gym that brings a new level of technology to fitness tracking and personal exercise training". Or it's a resistance band meshed with wearable tech to track your stats. Your call. The resistance band has a wearable fitness tracker integrated within, using accelerometer readings to track body tension, strength building, BMI, fat burn, calorie burn, heart rate and probably some other exercise related things like skipping the whole exercise thing and eating pizza instead. It doesn't actually do that. I think.
"Hyfit gives the user more insight and detailed information on how their workout affects their body — and what results they are achieving each day — than any other wearable exercise product to-date," said CEO and Founder Guy Bar. "Combining the most advanced fitness measurement technology with the convenience and versatility of tension cord training, we were able to create a truly portable and comprehensive personal gym experience that can be used anywhere, any time."
I haven't taken the time to scour the wearable fitness landscape to validate any of those comments. All I can tell you is that being a former gym rat and having worn through many a resistance band, I do look forward to a new resistance band that can track how quickly I destroy it with the friction caused by it being looped around the metal of the garage door tracks. The Hyfit does offer the whole IoT thing, which is appealing to a lot of fitness nerds who love to track and share their workout statistics. Because if there isn't a stat to track, are you even exercising?
The Hyfit, like most resistance bands, offers a full body workout. If you've never used resistance bands in your workout, then you are missing out. You can target almost every muscle group in your workout just with these rubber things you pull on. It's a great way to work out big in limited space and with limited time. The Hyfit app offers hundreds of workout programs including those added by professional trainers. There will also be sponsored content released, as well as collaborative video groups and virtual training classes.
The most appealing tech note about the Hyfit is the tension tracking. Resistance bands usually come with a certain tension rating and thickness, but the Hyfit is just itself. The tension can be adjusted, then it tracks strength impact and gauges the impact each exercise has on your body, warning against overexertion while allowing for an increase in resistance. The highlight here is that if you use resistance bands, you probably have several. With the Hyfit, you only need one. It also charges wirelessly, so that's cool.
So to sum up, if you like fitness tracking and you like pulling on stretchy things because going to the gym is like falling into the gorilla pit at the zoo, then the Hyfit is for you. Is it a wearable IoT gym? No, it's a freaking resistance band with wearable tech for fitness tracking. The vernacular doesn't really matter much, except for the marketing materials and slick website graphics. The Hyfit is a smart piece of workout equipment that is adapting to the hyper-connected world we live in. Resistance bands are a great way to create quick, healthy and motivating exercises. Hyfit appears to be that, with an IoT twist.
