In 2022, fitness tech made bold strides.
According to Strava’s 2022 Year in Sport data report, the share of athletes uploading activities outside their home country was up 101 percent over last year, finally sneaking up to pre-pandemic levels. We did more alpine skiing, snowboarding, and rock climbing than the year before, and racing returned, too: The share of runners on Strava who ran a marathon nearly doubled from 2021 to 2022.
Plenty of modern fitness is enjoyed the analog way, but in 2022 fitness tech took our workouts to the next level. Here are some of our favorites from this year.
Strava added video features, 3D maps on mobile, and nearly a dozen new sport types in 2022. It continues to be one of the best fitness tracking apps on the market.
The standard Apple Watch Series 8 looks good, has a variety of wrist straps and cases, and extensive fitness features, including sleep tracking and heart rate monitoring. It’s an excellent fitness tracker.
If you don’t want to grab a Peloton — the at-home bike that took over during COVID-19 lockdowns — the NordicTrack S22i is the way to go.
For when you’re done working out but your body needs some help, Theragun is one of the best massage guns out there.
The Tempo Move is a compact workout system with dumbbells, smart weight plates, weight collars, and a weight storage cabinet that connects to your iPhone and TV. It’s an excellent pick for folks working out at home.
For the people who really do not want to go to the gym, Tonal is basically an at-home personal trainer. It gives you recommendations for how much weight to lift, helps you fix your form, and tracks all your progress.
If you’re looking to fight like Rocky but you don’t actually want to go to Mighty Mick’s Gym, take a gander at Dribbleup’s Smart Boxing Gloves. They probably won’t turn you into a heavyweight champion, but they’ll definitely give you a killer cardio workout.
