I Tried an AI Gym So You Don’t Have To

Machine learning has twigged that humans respond more positively to praise instead of meh reactions or heaven help me, criticism. It's called "glazing," that is, when ChatGPT tells you you're a genius. I thought of this during a visit to Fred Fitness in Santa Monica, when a fitness AI evaluation set my bio age as being decades younger than I actually am. Computer, you had me at “your flexibility is that of a 36-year-old.” Why, we’ve only just met!

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Fred Fitness opened in January with an innovative concept: take the most popular parts of computer tech (gamifying tasks, setting goals using large data sets), and blend those with a bio-scan intake evaluation. Then let users follow a customized fitness regimen wherein machines customize weight and seat positioning when a client scans their wristband. Finally, throw in a bit of video game pizzazz, just for fun. I signed up for a free evaluation after a friend sang its praises, and I was frankly surprised at what I found.

Wrong again. Kai sat me on arm and then ab machines that were souped-up versions of familiar gym equipment, updated with large screens and activated by my trusty wristlet. Based on the biometrics and evaluation tests that I’d just performed, the machines automatically set resistance and positioned their seats to fit my workout. (No fiddling with seat positioning or lever adjustments!) Using these machines was, I daresay, fun, although kind of impossibly hard at the last few reps of each 80-second round.

The fun part was the gamification of the machines—as you press or lift the weights, you try to drag a cursor on the tablet over golden dots along a path. It sounds silly, but thanks to AI already knowing how much effort I have to give, I really needed to pay attention to steadying my lifts, presses and releases just so, in order to scoop up all the dots. Not easy! But super fun—it brought out the teen video game player in me.

After a short set, I had to be really mindful of my legs not giving way under me as I climbed the gym’s stairs. I spent a few minutes rolling out my legs and back in a stretching studio. I wanted to spend all afternoon in the gym, which wasn’t crowded thanks to its long hours (5 am to 10 pm) and the overall airiness of the space. Also, the gym is a great deal, with memberships as little as $100 per month.

The next day, I felt firm and a touch sore, but not strained or exhausted—the just-right Goldilocks fitness experience I’m always after. And so what if fitness AI might have been a little too generous when evaluating my bio-age—I feel confident there’s a lot tougher games ahead.