The results are in for our first ever Men’s Fitness Home Workout Awards, featuring 49 expert-tested winning products…
The past few years served as a reminder that you don’t need a gym full of kit to stay in shape. With a few smart equipment choices, you can build muscle, burn fat, even run a marathon if that’s your bag, from the comfort of your own home.
But in a saturated market, with every fitness brand telling you theirs is the invaluable bit of kit you can’t do without, picking the products right for you can be a daunting task. Which is where the Men’s Fitness Home Workout Awards come in.
The testing process
The Men’s Fitness team and a few expert independent reviewers have been busy working up a sweat for your buying benefit. All the products shortlisted – plus the dozens that didn’t quite make the cut – were tested for a minimum of two months. The categories are as follows:
- Fixed dumbbells
- Adjustable dumbbells
- Kettlebells
- Cardio machines
- Wearable tech
- Recovery tools
The results listed here are authentic endorsements of first-class products, based not on snap decisions or unqualified opinion, but a comprehensive review process. The kit that comes out on top has done so because it can make a genuine difference to your fitness, and greatly improve the home workout experience.
MEN’S FITNESS HOME WORKOUT AWARDS 2023
FIXED DUMBBELLS
If you could only own one item of fitness kit for the rest of your life, you’d do well to pick the humble dumbbell. Even the heaviest are small enough to fit in the corner of a room, and you can perform virtually every strength training exercise with the following sets.
BEST VALUE
BLK Box Rubber Hex Dumbbells
BUY IT NOW:
$13-$162 / £12-£154 each / blkboxfitness.com
These heavy-duty fixed hex dumbbells go all the way up to 60kg, making them one of the best options for anyone who wants serious weight to hand. The cast iron frame is covered in rubber to protect floors, and there are chrome-plated knurled handles to get a good hold of. That hex-style design means they’re not going to roll around, and makes them well suited to floor-based exercises, such as renegade rows and dumbbell press-ups.
Corength Hex Dumbbell
BUY IT NOW:
£11.99-£79.99 each / decathlon.co.uk (not currently available in the US)
This fixed dumbbell from Decathlon consists of an iron frame wrapped up in rubber, for a more durable – not to mention floor friendly – design compared to round plates. There’s a good-sized metal, knurled handle to wrap your hands around, and the hex plate design adds an extra element of stability to the range.
BEST WEIGHT RANGE
Jordan Fitness Premium Urethane Dumbbells
BUY IT NOW:
$52-$1,553 / £42-£1,260 / jordanfitness.com
These are going to appeal to experienced gym-goers who want to lift big, thanks to a best-in-test weight range starting at 2.5kg and going all the way up to a monstrous 75kg. Another option that will reduce the risk of scuffs and damage to your floor, there’s also steel underneath that urethane – a rubber known for its immense durability – which has been heat treated, with a handle that offers plenty of non-slip metal to get to grips with.
BLK Box Rubber Hex Dumbbells
BUY IT NOW:
$13-$162 / £12-£154 each / blkboxfitness.com
BLK Box earns its double entry in this category, because not only are the lighter weights in particular highly affordable (£31 for a 10kg weight), but even a pair of the heavier options is well worth the money. Two hefty 60kg dumbbells, for example, will set you back £308 – comparatively excellent value.
BEST FOR BEGINNERS
Mirafit Rubber Dumbbell Set
BUY IT NOW:
£34.95-£199.95, mirafit.co.uk (not currently available in the US)
These high-quality, easy-to-grip dumbbells are sold in pairs, with the heaviest weighing in at 35kg. The rubber coating makes them kinder to hard floors and the knurled steel handle offers a strong, durable place to grip. You can also pick them up in sets, if you want a greater variety of weights (a set of 5kg-30kg at 2.5kg increments costs £999.95) and Mirafit also makes racks, to give you that proper gym feel at home.
Corength Hex Dumbbell
BUY IT NOW:
£11.99-£79.99 each / decathlon.co.uk (not currently available in the US)
Hex-shaped dumbbells like Corength’s offering might be a better fit for you if you’re just starting out, because they’re less likely to roll around under load, creating a more stable base for you to master certain exercises. These are also made from a forgiving rubber material, which – if dropped – will provide a bit of protection for the dumbbell itself, floors and the user.
BEST FOR HARD FLOORS
Eleiko Vulcano Dumbbell
BUY IT NOW:
$35-$470 / £28-£379 each / eleiko.com
These are well-constructed dumbbells that will work for whatever workout you throw at them. They feature chrome steel handles that are sloped and knurled, to make sure you can get a good grip even with sweaty hands, and the ends are coated in protective polyurethane, which softens the blow should you accidentally drop them. That makes them better suited to home workouts, particularly if you’ve got hard floors and are worried about potential scuffing.
DKN Rubber Hex Dumbbells
BUY IT NOW:
£22.99-£239.99 / amazon.co.uk (not currently available in the US)
DKN’s hex dumbbell sets come in pairs, peaking at 30kg per dumbbell. The hex design means they’ll stay put in-between sets, and there are solid steel handles with a knurled pattern to provide a reliable grip even when you start to sweat. The rubber coating ensures a good amount of durability, too, and won’t do damage to your floor should you accidentally drop the weights.
ADJUSTABLE DUMBBELLS
If you want to set up a small gym at home, you’ll need a selection of dumbbells that cover a useful range. Trying to cover that range with individual weights, however, will not only take up a significant amount of floorspace, but burn a hole in your wallet. So investing in a set of adjustable dumbbells makes sense. The initial outlay may seem expensive, but if you choose the right set it should cover all your lifting needs.
BEST VALUE
Primal Strength Personal Series 34kg Adjustable Dumbbell (Pair)
BUY IT NOW:
£499 / primalstrength.com (not available in the US)
You get what you pay for with these Primal Strength 34kg adjustable dumbbells: a high-quality, versatile investment for any home gym. Over nearly a 30kg range, you get a whopping 21 different weights to work with – enough to satisfy even the most experienced weight trainer. They’re longer than most adjustable dumbbells, but the slider selection system is a breeze to use and the handles stay comfortable throughout.
Read our full Primal Strength Personal Series Adjustable Dumbbell review
MuscleSquad 5kg–32.5kg Quick Select Adjustable Dumbbell
BUY IT NOW:
£250 each / amazon.co.uk (not available in the US)
With 12 adjustment settings over a 27.5kg range, this MuscleSquad set gives you plenty of options to fine-tune your workouts. To adjust, you simply place the dumbbell on the included dock, turn the dial to your desired weight and start lifting. Its handle is soft and textured for a comfortable grip, and the gripping mechanism works smoothly and securely.
Read our full MuscleSquad Quick Select Adjustable Dumbbell review
BEST WEIGHT RANGE
Bowflex 4-41Kg SelectTech 1090i Dumbbells
BUY IT NOW:
£699, fitness-superstore.co.uk (international shipping available)
Bowflex’s rubber and steel grip is well designed for more explosive exercises and fast-paced workouts. More importantly for the purposes of this review, you can move from 4kg all the way up to 41kg with the simple twist of a dial. Bowflex also offers on demand strength classes via its accompanying JRNY app, so you can put the dumbbells to work with recommended exercises and workouts. Connect your weights to JRNY, and it will even track reps and provide form-guidance tips.
BRAINGAIN 40kg Octagon Adjustable Dumbbells (Pair)
BUY IT NOW:
£549.99, braingain.fit (not available in the US)
An industrial-strength set of weights with a smart design, each of BRAINGAIN’s 40kg adjustable dumbbells contains 16 weight options. The handles are grippy enough without being uncomfortable, and even at the heaviest weight the plates stay watertight. What you’re getting is plenty of weight to play around with, contained within an easy twist-and-lift adjustment system. A separate stand can be bought if you want a more convenient storage option.
BEST FOR BEGINNERS
BodyMax 25kg Selectabell Adjustable Dumbbell Pair and Rack
BUY IT NOW:
£447.30, powerhouse-fitness.co.uk (not available in the US)
One of the slickest dumbbell designs on the market and very easy to get to grips with. The selector pin (just click and lift) is simple and effective, and the plates are nice and sturdy – no rattling going on here. The dumbbells, docking station and weight plates come with instructions to get you started, but the design is simple and intuitive, so you probably won’t need them.
Read our full BodyMax Adjustable Dumbbell review
JaxJox DumbbellConnect
BUY IT NOW:
$499 / £390 / jaxjox.co.uk
With a digital docking station and performance tracking app, these JaxJox adjustable dumbbells are an impressive piece of kit. They use a USB-powered digital dock for weight selection and a companion app to suggest exercises and track progress. Just sync the app for real-time data, such as reps, weight, sets, time, average power and total volume. They do the basics well, too – including a robust design, comfortable grooved handles and secure locking plates.
Read our full JaxJox DumbbellConnect review
EASIEST TO ADJUST
Nuobell 2-32kg Adjustable Dumbbells
BUY IT NOW:
$745 / £699 / fitness-superstore.co.uk
One of the best adjustable dumbbell systems we had the pleasure of testing. A seamless twist of the handles allow you to cycle between the different weights in an instant – weights which go up to an impressive 32kg, we should add – and there’s no rattling around of plates when you’re lifting. The handles have a decent amount of grip and, all in all, this is a stylish and elegant set of weights that manages to marry good looks with chart-topping practicality.
Read our full Nuobell 2-32kg Adjustable Dumbbell review
Primal Strength Personal Series 34kg Adjustable Dumbbell (Pair)
BUY IT NOW:
£499 / primalstrength.com (not available in the US)
Primal Strength’s 34kg pair couldn’t be easier to adjust: once docked, simply move the sliders to the desired weight and get lifting. Getting started requires nothing more than a glance at the instructions, and the set offers you 21 different weight options, from 5kg to 34kg. That’s enough of a range, whatever your experience.
KETTLEBELLS
Want to build full-body strength at home? Then the versatile kettlebell should be high on your kit list. It’s a relatively cheap piece tool that’s good for everything from building functional strength, to heart-pumping HIIT sessions, and even recovery and mobility work.
BEST VALUE
Mirafit Soft Touch Cast Iron Kettlebell
BUY IT NOW:
£19.95-£89.95, mirafit.com (not currently available in the US)
A chunk cheaper than others in this category, Mirafit’s powder-coated kettlebells offer excellent bang for your buck. The sleek kettlebells come in a nine-weight range that jumps up in decent increments, from 6kg to 36kg, so there’s an option for pretty much all strengths and drills. They’re good value individually, but you can also buy them in a set for added savings. Underneath that protective coating, there’s a durable single-cast, weld-free, cast-iron kettlebell, while the flat base offers wobble-free set down and storage.
Read our full Mirafit Soft Touch Cast Iron Kettlebell review
TRX Rubber Coated Kettlebell
BUY IT NOW:
From $69.95 / £49.95, trxtraining.com
You’ll probably know TRX for its popular suspension training systems. But nowadays the company offers a much broader range of home gym kit, which includes a range of rubber-coated kettlebells with eight different weights, ranging from 4kg to 28kg. Underneath that protective rubber coating, you’ve got a gravity-cast, cast-iron kettlebell with a machined-flat base that makes for easy set-downs and reliable storage. Each kettlebell has colour coding on the handle, too, so if you’re building a set you can spot your weights easily.
Read our full TRX Rubber Coated Kettlebell review
BEST WEIGHT RANGE
Wolverson Competition Kettlebells
BUY IT NOW:
£74.99-£139.99, wolverson-fitness.co.uk (not currently available in the US)
Wolverson Competition Kettlebells are made from high-grade iron using solid one-piece casting techniques, with no welding and a hollow core. So what you get is expert weight distribution that won’t change over time, plus class-leading tolerance in a solid and durable package. There are eleven weights in the range, but because they’re competition-style bells, you get the same consistent sizing as you move up the weight range. Plus, all of them have a stand-flat base for easy set-down and storage.
Read our full Wolverson Competition Kettlebells review
Ironmaster Quick-Lock Kettlebell Handle
BUY IT NOW:
£219 (for the quick-lock handle + heavy weight tool kit – weight plates sold separately), ironmaster.co.uk (not available in the US)
OK, so not technically a kettlebell in its own right, but hear us out… Ironmaster’s Quick-Lock Handle is designed to attach to Ironmaster’s weight plates. The standard handle (£119) can hold up to 26kg, but with the ‘Weight Kit’ add-on (£100), the handle can be upgraded to cope with anything up to 36kg. The handle is as smooth and ergonomic as anything else we tested, and the locking mechanism is ultra secure – so you don’t need to worry about the attached plates flying off mid-swing.
BEST FOR BEGINNERS
JLL Neoprene Covered Cast Iron Kettlebells
BUY IT NOW:
£37.99 (for 14kg), jllfitness.co.uk (not available in the US)
Probably the easiest-to-handle kettlebell we tested, this offering from JLL is not only comfortable but durable, thanks to its cast iron structure and protective neoprene coating. Officially these come in 2kg increments, from 2kg to 24kg. However, check the website, as certain weights seem to be regularly low in stock. When you do get your hands on your desired kettlebell, you’ll have a supremely comfortable bit of kit with an easy-grip handle that’s extra forgiving on the hands.
Body Power Black Rubber Coated Kettlebell
BUY IT NOW:
£13.99-£85.99, fitness-superstore.co.uk (not available in the US)
A solid chrome build and rubber coating make Body Power’s Black Rubber Coated Kettlebell highly resistant to drops, scrapes, and general wear and tear. Its chrome handle ensures comfortable handling, and the nine-weight range – from 6kg to 24kg – will be more than enough for any kettlebell newbie. A balanced base, meanwhile, means it will stand of its own accord, despite maintaining a nice rounded shape.
BEST ADJUSTABLE KETTLEBELL
Bowflex SelectTech 840 Kettlebell
BUY IT NOW:
$149 / £149.99, bowflex.com
If your square meterage is squeezed, but you still want a full range of kettlebell weights, the Bowflex SelectTech 840 is a great option. The biggest USP here is the space-saving design that lets you use up to six separate weights on one slick kettlebell – and stow it easily afterwards. Its footprint is still bigger than most regular kettlebells, but there’s no need for multiple bells scattered all over the house. A dial on top allows you to adjust the weight, so moving from one weight and exercise to the next couldn’t be simpler. The SelectTech 840’s ergonomic handle, meanwhile, makes it easy on the hands.
Read our full Bowflex SelectTech 840 Kettlebell review
JaxJox KettlebellConnect 2.0
BUY IT NOW:
$249.99 / £250 (subscription $24.99 / £24.99 per month), jaxjox.co.uk
A space-saving selectable kettlebell that’s great if you’re tight on room, but unlike most cast-iron kettlebells this one also has a brain that brings your swing training to life – so it’s a kettlebell and a coach. With motion sensors inside, this kettlebell not only tracks reps, sets and power, but lets you follow complete drill-by-drill workouts on your phone – or join on-demand coach-led classes, tracking stats as you go. It will also spit out a FitnessIQ score: essentially just a number that goes up the more you train, but a good way to benchmark your weekly progress and incentivise your workouts.
Read our full KettlebellConnect 2.0 review
CARDIO MACHINES
If you’re ready to upgrade from a few weights stashed in the corner of the room to a bona fide home gym set-up, a cardio machine will take you there. The best machines will of course help you build aerobic fitness from home, but they should also be efficiently designed to take up less space, quiet enough to avoid complaints from the neighbours, and easy for anyone to use.
BEST ROWING MACHINE
Hydrow Wave Rower
BUY IT NOW:
$1,895 / £1,595 (plus $44 / £44 monthly membership), hydrow.com
The Hydrow Wave is a more slimline, less space-consuming version of the brand’s original model, measuring about 30% smaller. It’s an exquisite bit of kit. With a minimal design of neat, curved edges, complemented by high-quality materials, such as brushed aluminium and steel, it has an elegance and robustness that justifies its price tag. It also feels incredibly smooth, thanks to its drag technology and computer-controlled resistance, which have been developed to replicate the natural feel of rowing on water. You will appreciate that smoothness when you’re really going for it.
As for the Hydrow platform, it’s easy to use and boasts an array of engaging live daily workouts with Hydrow athletes, including Olympians and world-class rowers, alongside an ever-growing library of on-demand content. Ultimately, the Hydrow Wave offers one of the best authentic rowing experiences on the market. It feels robust, looks stunning and would prove a great complement to any home gym.
Read our full Hydrow Wave Rower review
WaterRower Original Series Oak With S4 Performance Monitor
BUY IT NOW:
£1,099, waterrower.co.uk (not available in the US)
The WaterRower is an unusual and beautifully designed take on the home rowing machine. Rather than using air resistance, the WaterRower uses a unique water flywheel, which mimics rowing on water. It’s remarkably realistic and provides an immersive, enjoyable workout. The design of the WaterRower provides a smoother pull than other rowers, as it reduces the jerkiness from a regular chain. It uses two rails for the seat instead of the more common one, which adds to its smoothness and stability. And the sound of the water moving provides a relaxing effect, for meditative sessions.
Not only does the WaterRower provide a unique and realistic rowing experience, it’s also easier to store upright than most rowers. In terms of ergonomics and design, it blows all other rowing machines out of the water. In fact, it almost looks too beautiful to use, but that means it can become the centrepiece of your exercise space, rather than feeling the need to stow it away after every session.
Read our full WaterRower Original Series review
BEST EXERCISE BIKE
Wattbike Atom
BUY IT NOW:
$3,399 / £2,399 (plus monthly membership) wattbike.com
The Wattbike has long been a popular weapon in the war on comfort zones, and the 2023 incarnation of the Atom is closer to a future where the indoor training experience better mimics grinding the gears on your nearest climbs.
Unlike some stationary set-ups, which take hours to construct and calibrate, the Atom comes practically ready to ride out of the box. Vertical and horizontal sliders for the saddle, and height adjustment for the handlebars, make tweaking the cycling position nice and easy, with thankfully very little wielding of Allen keys. You can also bring your own pedals and handlebars to customise your ride.
The Atom’s magnetic resistance, with a 0–2000W power range and ±2% data accuracy, makes for much quieter – though still not silent – training sessions. The ride feels close to real, supported by the inclusion of integrated gear shifts like you’d find on your regular road bike. That’s particularly important when it comes to moving up and down the 22 gears mid-ride, while you’re tackling automated gradient simulation that ranges from 0-25%.
When it comes to simulating hills, automated resistance in climb mode serves up the full ride experience – complete with burning lungs and quads. Meanwhile, Bluetooth and ANT+ F-EC mean there’s wide connectivity with your favourite accessories and fitness apps, so you can lose yourself in the routes and training sessions in virtual platforms, such as Zwift and Trainer Road. Even if you’re not a Zwifter, you can still access more than 37 real-time ride metrics and training plans in the Wattbike Hub.
Read our full Wattbike Atom review
Garmin Tacx® NEO Bike Plus Trainer
BUY IT NOW:
$3,999.99 / £3,499.99 (plus monthly membership), buy.garmin.com
A smart training bike that pairs with third-party apps for interactive virtual riding and racing on courses around the world. But it’s the Tacx Training app that unleashes its full potential. Pick a course that features cobbles or gravel, for example, and the bike will vibrate to replicate the experience of riding on these surfaces. It could be one of the most immersive virtual riding experiences yet.
In manual mode, you use the buttons on the inside of the shifter hoods to adjust the slope (up to 25%), power or resistance. You can adjust these mid-ride too, to tailor your session or dial in intervals. Alternatively, you can work your way through detailed training rides with pre-programmed changes to slope, power and resistance. These are ideal for specific training routines, but have little in the way of interaction or immersion.
For that you need to pick a GPS ride or movie option. Both give you a choice of famous climbs and courses, as well as interesting city rides or entire multi-day tours. The GPS rides feature real-time map displays, showing other Tacx users that are on the same course – a real plus for the competitive cyclist.
Read our full Garmin Tax NEO Bike Plus Trainer review
BEST TREADMILL
Peloton Tread
BUY IT NOW:
From $3,495/£3,345 (for the treadmill) plus $44/£39/mo all-access membership / onepeloton.com
The Peloton Tread has revolutionised run workouts for the home gym crowd, with its huge variety of live and on-demand workouts and its first-class instruction. No surprises, then, that the price tag sets it at the higher end of the treadmill market: because you’re not just paying for something to run on, you’re paying for access to a new workout world in which you’ll find the run to suit your mood, your music taste, your training goals and so much more.
Logging on to the crisp and large touchscreen makes a Peloton Tread workout feel like the real deal – you will be as motivated and supported as you would at an in-person, studio-style workout. There are also some intuitive design features that are unique to the Tread, such as the Speed and Incline knobs, which have a central button, which allows you to jump a whole level for quick progression. And more recently, Peloton has introduced an auto-incline feature, allowing the treadmill to automatically adjust the incline to match the session underway. (If you’re not keen on that, you can turn this function off if you don’t want to use it.)
It’s also worth noting that the pace (in min/mile) and distance metrics seem to be accurate with what we experienced on the road and during other run sessions, so it’s easy to set the levels to suit your ability.
Read our full Peloton Tread review
Echelon Stride Auto-Fold Connected Treadmill
BUY IT NOW:
$1299 / £1599 (for the treadmill) plus $34.99 / £29.99/mo all-access membership, echelonfit.com
If lack of space puts you off getting a home treadmill, folding options make a lot of sense – but quality, rigidity and stability can vary considerably. The Echelon Stride falls into this folding bracket, but its quality design means that the user experience isn’t compromised.
Packing the Echelon Stride away is surprisingly straightforward, thanks to its motorised auto-fold feature. And the handlebars automatically fold down flat, which allows you to slide the treadmill under your bed or push it vertically against a wall. That means you can free up space for free weights or mobility work almost instantly.
The Stride can hit speeds of 19kmph (12mph), so it’s suitable for everything from walking and jogging to sprint workouts – and the deck feels cushioned and springy.The standout feature of the Stride, of course, is its slim, folding design. At just 25cm (10in) thick, it’s easy to fold and move, thanks to the large steel handle at the rear. The two sets of transport wheels allow it to be rolled in any direction, too.
Its 1.75 HP motor is surprisingly quiet, too, making it suitable for use in any room in the house. The console is fairly stripped-back, but if that alone doesn’t offer enough feedback, you can download the Echelon app. Paying your monthly subscription means you can look forward to the daily live runs or cross-training classes, such as the Stride Bootcamp. That splits class time between the treadmill and strength training. Or you can go for race runs, which place you on a live community leaderboard based on your effort.
Read our full Echelon Stride Auto-Fold Connected Treadmill review
BEST SKI MACHINE
Concept2 SkiErg
BUY IT NOW:
$850 / £815, concept2.com
There are a number of ski machines on the market these days, but the Concept2 SkiErg can lay claim to being the original and still the best. Much like other cardio machines, the SkiErg has a PM5 screen (a small one), which is simple to use and pretty self explanatory. There’s the option to change the units in which you measure your output (watts, strokes per minute, calories and distance, for example). Plus you can change the layout of the display. You might want to work against an electronic ski pacemaker, do your own thing, or follow one of the pre-set workouts. Overall, the Concept2 SkiErg is an impressive piece of kit that will help to condition both your cardio system and upper body.
Read our full Concept2 SkiErg review
Wolverson Ski Trainer (MK2)
BUY IT NOW:
£779.99, wolverson-fitness.co.uk (not currently available in the US)
The Wolverson Ski Trainer is a robust cardio machine designed to simulate cross-country skiing, similar in design to the Concept2. It can be mounted on the wall or attached to a stand, giving you flexibility in terms of where you can use and store it. Weighing only 37kg, it’s easy to move with two wheels at the rear, and the width of only 60cm means it doesn’t take up too much space – although you’ll need more than 225cm in ceiling height. The Ski Trainer can pair up with heart rate monitors, so you can monitor your work rate, and its display provides all the important information for monitoring progress, such as speed, distance, time, calories, stroke rate and pulse.
Read our full Wolverson Ski Trainer review
BEST AIR BIKE
AssaultBike Classic
BUY IT NOW:
$699 / £749, assault-fitness.co.uk
Assault Fitness is a name that’s become synonymous with calorie-torching cardio equipment. That reputation is almost single-handedly due to its AssaultBike. Pro athletes, CrossFitters and regular gym-goers alike test their stamina on this no nonsense machine, which has come to be seen as industry standard in both enthusiast and elite fitness spaces. This version, the Classic, is the cheapest of Assault Fitness’ three models. If you want more app connectivity, the Bluetooth and ANT+ equipped Pro and Elite models might be the way to go. But for most home users, the AssaultBike Classic has everything you need: a robust design, good ergonomics, easy-to-access workouts, and comfortable and adjustable contact points.
Read our full AssaultBike Classic review
Schwinn Airdyne AD8 Dual Action Air Cycle
BUY IT NOW:
£1,199, schwinnfitness.com (international stockists available)
One major advantage of the air bike is that it’s not particularly technical. While good technique will allow you to be more efficient, you’ll get a solid, lung-busting workout however you go about it. That said, the latest iteration of the Schwinn Airdyne makes it especially hard to go wrong. Seat adjustment can be done in seconds with two twisting dials, and the easy-to-read monitor is simple and intuitive: with calories, watts, time, distance, speed, RPM, and heart rate readouts. And while no machine that relies on air resistance is going to be especially quiet, we were impressed by the reduced noise of the AD8 compared to previous models.
WEARABLE TECH
From watches to ‘smart rings’, headphones to heart rate monitors, the wearable tech market is booming. But with so many products out there – covering virtually every body part – sorting genuinely useful gadgets from less-than impressive gimmicks can seem a daunting task…
BEST SPORTS WATCH
Apple Watch Series 8
BUY IT NOW:
From $520 / £419 / apple.com
If you have an iPhone and want an Apple Watch, but you aren’t into endurance sports – or simply can’t justify shelling out more than £800 for an Apple Watch Ultra – then the Series 8 is the smartwatch for you. Apple Watches are simply the best option for iPhone users and the Series 8 continues what made the Series 7 great: incredible app support, wellness features like heart rate tracking, SpO2 monitoring, ECG and fall detection. It also features automatic cycling detection, better durability than some past gen watches with a crack-resistant crystal display, and water-resistance up to 50m. The latest line also introduces a thermometer for temperature detection, as well as crash detection, so it’s able to call emergency services if it detects you’ve been in acollision.
If smart features are your main concern, and you love the styling of Apple’s ubiquitous wearable, then the Apple Watch really is a great balance of the latest features in an accessible package. Available with cellular connectivity as standard, up to 4G, you have more buying options than the competition, with the Apple Watch available either off-contract or on networks such as Vodafone for roughly £23 a month. And if you’re still up in the air about shelling out for an Apple Watch Series 8, the Apple Watch SE is a smart alternative with a lower price tag.
Read our full Apple Watch 8 review
Huawei Watch GT 3
BUY IT NOW:
$220 / £179 / huawei.com
The Huawei Watch GT 3 is a good-looking option with a lovely feel to it, which can be picked up in a few styles and prices. Its expansive touch display is finger-friendly and responsive, and the digital crown and button combo makes interaction with it intuitive. Huawei’s voice trainer activates when you start a workout – delivering loud, abrasive updates to everyone within earshot as to how your training is going. Fortunately, you can quieten this feature, or turn it off completely. The watch misses out on the app support you can expect from the Apple Watch or Garmin options, but that quibble can’t be remedied with a dive into settings.
With accurate heart rate tracking, SpO2 measurements, excellent sleep reporting and basic notification support – you can read all your notifications and reply to messages with preset responses – you still get plenty of bang for your buck with the GT 3.The best thing about the watch, however, is its battery life. Pick up the larger option and you can eke out two weeks of use from a single charge. Better still, as with the GT 3 Pro, the vanilla GT 3 charges wirelessly and uses the same charger as the majority of phones.
With Android and iOS support, Huawei’s wearables are among the best when it comes to cross-device compatibility, making them a winning mix of style, smarts, value and fitness tracking.
Read our full Huawei Watch GT3 review
BEST SPORTS HEADPHONES
Jaybird Vista 2
BUY IT NOW:
$149.99 / £189.99, jaybirdsport.com
Jaybird has an excellent track record for sports headphones. The Vista 2 follows a winning formula: big battery life, solid customisable sound and secure wingtip fit. But there are notable new smarts, too. This version comes with more total playback time (24 hours with the case), military-grade durability buds and a weatherproof case, plus new Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). Audio performance is pleasingly solid: rich and full, with a meaty top volume and excellent customisation in the partner app. That includes a personalised hearing test and the option to create sound profiles. Durability is impressive, with an IP68 rating that means they’re water-, sweat-, dust-, drop- and crush-proof. We left them in water for 30 minutes, dropped and walked on them (repeatedly), and they survived.
Nothing Ear (2)
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$149 / £129, nothing.tech
A wallet-friendly rival to Apple’s AirPods and AirPods Pro, the Nothing Ear (2) pack eight hours of music playback after just a ten minute charge, and an Apple-beating 36 hours in the case. That’s impressive staying power, and puts the workout time right up there with the longest-lasting true wireless earbuds. They’re light and lock relatively tight in the ears. The sound, ANC and awareness modes aren’t world-beating, but overall these kick out rich, full-bodied tunes and the transparent design gives them some unique style swagger. An excellent budget option.
BEST HEART RATE MONITOR
Garmin HRM Pro+
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$129.99 / £119, garmin.com
The Garmin HRM-Pro Plus features a small, lightweight sensor module that fits within the width of a soft, comfortable strap, making it one of the less intrusive chest straps to wear for longer training sessions. It runs on traditional watch batteries rather than rechargeables, but will give you an hours’ training a day for a year before it runs out. It almost matches the Polar H10 for accuracy, but outsmarts its rival with additional multi-sport dynamics, particularly for running. Connectivity is impressive, too, with three concurrent Bluetooth connections, plus unlimited ANT+ connections.
Read our full Garmin HRM Pro Plus review
Polar H10
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$89.95 / £76.50, polar.com
The Polar H10 sets the standard as far as accuracy is concerned – it literally never misses a beat. It’s fairly light, too, with a soft strap, ergonomic design and no-fuss quick-release clip for easy removal. Polar has also gone with watch batteries over rechargeable ones, but you’ll get 400 hours of run time before you need to change them. Its Bluetooth and ANT+ connectivity plays nicely with various watch brands, and you’ll probably want to connect as the unit can only store one workout at a time. If running dynamics aren’t your thing and you just want accurate tracking, you can’t go wrong with the Polar H10.
Read our full Polar H10 review
BEST FITNESS APP
WithU
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£79.99 per year (or £9.99 per month) for premium membership, withutraining.com
Co-developed by Olympic 400m runner Tim Benjamin, WithU is an audio-based fitness platform with over 1,000 workouts. Each session lasts around 30 minutes, and every class we took featured an engaging instructor. The 5k training plans, in particular, will force you to run faster, while the interval training sessions should reinvigorate anyone guilty of just doing the same run each week. We also enjoyed not having to prop our phone up during the HIIT classes, as the audio is impressively easy to follow. If you’ve no idea what the exercises are, though, you can check your screen for animations.
Freeletics
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$34.99 / £32.99 for 3 months, freeletics.com
Freeletics is perfect for kit-free, personalised home workouts. You can choose from a huge selection of workouts, target specific muscles and sign up for goal-based training journeys, covering everything from MMA fighter training to building explosive strength. Video demos for each drill are well presented, with excellent written technique tips and easy-to-follow visuals. If you’re struggling to get into regular training, or you’re hitting a plateau, there are also short mindset audio courses, to help you with the mental side of building good habits and tapping into long-lasting motivation.
BEST HEALTH TRACKER
Oura Ring Gen3
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$299 (plus monthly membership), ouraring.com
The most discrete of fitness trackers, this third-generation Oura packs three times more sensors, improving the sleep, heart rate variability (HRV) and readiness smarts of a ring that was already an incredible feat of engineering. In addition to HRV, you get resting heart rate, body temperature, sleep, recovery index and your previous day’s activity levels. You also now get all-day heart rate tracking and workout heart rate insights – all contained within a slick-looking piece of faux jewellery.
Lumen
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From $249 / £249 (plus monthly membership), lumen.me
This ground-breaking device crams lab-grade metabolic tech into a portable breathalyser that measures the C02 in your breath, to identify when you’re burning fat, carbs or both. That’s not only useful for knowing if you really need that banana to top up your fuel ahead of a workout; the Lumen app also uses your daily readings – along with your daily macro, workout time and sleep – to paint a clearer picture of your metabolic health.
RECOVERY TOOLS
Bounce back from the toughest of sessions with the new breed of fit-tech products – from massage guns to compression boots – designed to accelerate post-workout recovery.
BEST MASSAGE GUN
Theragun PRO
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$499 / £469, therabody.com
With older Theragun iterations, it wasn’t easy to know when you were using them right, but this generation is smarter. Along with an OLED screen and force meter to see whether you’re applying the right amount of pressure, the PRO syncs to the Therabody app. There, you can access real-time, move-by-move guides for everything from easing tight hamstrings to freeing up stiff shoulders. It’s much quieter and more customisable than older models, and comes with five built-in speeds (but on the app you can set the percussions anywhere within the 1,750-2,400 range). Just two minutes’ attention to each muscle group does a game changing job of easing post-workout soreness.
Hyperice Hypervolt 2 Pro
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$329 / £329, hyperice.com
A massage gun might seem a big investment for anyone taking tentative steps back into regular training, but don’t underestimate the motivational value of simply having muscles that aren’t sore. The Hypervolt 2 Pro delivers up to three hours of soothing percussive massage, to loosen your tight bits, and offers five variable speeds, plus a digital dial and app control that makes it easy to move up through the gears.
BEST FOAM ROLLER
TriggerPoint GRID 2.0 Foam Roller
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£68.99, balega.co.uk (international shipping available)
Foam rolling is based on the principle of myofascial release: the freeing up of your fascia (the thin connective tissue that holds everything in place), to reduce stiffness and improve mobility. And TriggerPoint is the Roller’s Royce of products in this space. An extra-hard, hollow core makes it firmer than most other rollers which, combined with the grooved surface, is designed to replicate the pressure and variation of a conventional sports massage.
Lululemon Double Roller
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$64 / £48, lululemon.com
A snazzy-looking roller with a hidden secret: the Double Foam Roller features a removable inner roller with more prominent grooves, for releasing tension in your back – with the exterior roller designed for your legs and arms. And when you’re not working on any of the above, you can sit back and admire the pretty pattern.
BEST COMPRESSION BOOT
Therabody RecoveryAir JetBoots
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$899 / £799, therabody.com
The RecoveryAir JetBoots possess two major differences over other compression boots. One: they’re wireless, so they’re much easier to use. Two: they use precise, sequential pneumatic compression, to improve circulation and shift metabolic waste created by tough sessions. The compression system follows the body’s natural circulatory flow from foot to thigh, helping to reduce muscle soreness, decrease swelling and stiffness, and relieve muscle fatigue. The Jetboots’ controls couldn’t be easier to use, either, with plug and play presets for time and pressure.
Hyperice Normatec 3 Legs
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$799 / £899, hyperice.com
Another compression boot that leaves aching, tired legs feel noticeably, well, less tired. With the Normatec 3, you get equally effective recovery credentials as the JetBoots – again with the use of that magic ingredient, air, to compress then release the legs with the aim of flushing out toxins. Controlling the Normatec 3 is a doddle, with the simple, intuitive control unit: just select your power level, which areas of your legs you want to target and how long for.
BEST INNOVATION
Eight Sleep Pod 3 Cover
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$2,295 / £2,145, eightsleep.com
While most sleep tech simply tells us if we’re getting enough quality zeds, Eight Sleep goes a step further. This smart cover slips over your existing mattress and tracks a broad suite of stats, including sleeping heart rate, sleep time, sleep stages (REM, light and deep), and tosses and turns. It then uses that data to intelligently adjust your bed’s temperature, to optimise your sleep stages. You can set bedtime schedules, and personalise the temperature when you get in and out of bed – a luxury. Ultimately, Eight Sleep helps you create effective habits that can noticeably improve your sleep.
Read our full Eight Sleep Pod 3 review
Prevayl
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From £210, shop.prevayl.com (not available in the US)
To get the biggest bang-for-buck from your sessions, you need to avoid the no-man’s land where your intensity is too low to improve your aerobic fitness, or too fast to be good for recovery. Prevayl’s smart training wear uses a removable pod that works with built-in sensors, to accurately track real-time intensity, a bit like a chest strap. Unlike classic monitors, the Prevayl app lets you set long-term intensity goals, thus ensuring you spend the right amount of time in the right zones, to help build that cardio engine effectively.
