VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – A new, high-tech gym in Virginia Beach is using artificial intelligence to help you get a good workout.
It’s called “The Exercise Coach.”
The AI technology helps detect the strength of the person using it, then adds resistance to help build muscle.
And even though you’d think it would attract a younger crowd with all the high-tech machines, the gym is actually seeing more and more seniors walk through their doors.
Slow and controlled movements are helping to build muscle, one rep at a time, through the power of technology.
And there’s lots of positive reinforcement along the way
“Good job popping up in the green,” said Virginia Beach-Pembroke exercise coach/owner Bryan Bach to one of his clients.
Burcu Alman-Hutchinson, 55, said she’s had health issues and has tried other gyms, but hasn’t experienced anything like this before.
“I see the results, I feel the results, even though its been such a short amount of time,” Alman-Hutchinson said.
The Exercise Coach, using AI to help people get the most out of their workouts, starts with a simple strength test.
“That will identify your strength profile and then the machine will dial up a workout that’s the right intensity for you,” Bach said.
The training room is smaller than your normal box gyms, and a lot quieter too.
Two, 20-minute sessions are recommended – and there’s no more than four people in the gym at a time.
Bach said the machines also control for range of motion.
“We’re not putting a lot of pressure on the joints,” Bach said. “We’re really focusing on working the muscles.”
Bach said this gym is geared toward a variety of people.
“Our demographic is busy folks, busy professionals who don’t have five to seven days a week to workout,” Bach said, “people over the age of 40, people that don’t like the big box gym environment, a lot of folks that haven’t worked out or just don’t know where to start.”
He said this also gives people another option who might be intimidated by bigger gyms.
“I just think there’s a lot of people out there that the big box gym has failed,” Bach said. “It’s not the environment that they’re comfortable in, it’s not the environment where they know what to do when they get there, and so, for us to provide a workout plan that’s laid out for them, that maximizes their efficiency, optimizes their workout and gets them the results they want, it’s just been a great fit in the area.”
Ivan Schiff, 77, said he feels a lot stronger after his first few weeks at The Exercise Coach.
“I feel better about myself,” Schiff said. “I feel healthier, I feel like I can stand taller, walk taller, it’s been a great experience.”
Schiff said the AI technology is impressive.
“I think the technology, first off, has just amazed me in what I can get out of a 20-minute session,” Schiff said. “I really feel like I’ve done a total workout when I leave here.”
You must be at least 16-years-old to use the equipment at The Exercise Coach.
For more information on how to sign up for The Exercise Coach, click here.