A Workout Companion

So many manufacturers have caught onto a similar theme, it seems, of products that allow members to track their workouts and products that allow them to view new workouts.

Jenn, Stuart and I visited Companion Worlds' booth late this afternoon to view Progio, its new online personal training product that offers 40 to 50 preprogrammed workouts on a hand-held device.

"We are like an iPod," said Dirk Bartels, CEO of Companion Worlds, except that an iPod doesn't give users a lot of the workout information that the Progio can. He says that Progio makes a Web site portable to anywhere in a club that a member is working out--from a treadmill to a mat to a piece of strength equipment. For each exercise, the device tells the user how many reps they should do and it can even show the user a video of how to do the exercise. More programs can be added to the device through a USB port.

Dirk suggested that personal trainers could offer the device as part of their service. I've come to the conclusion that with all of these online personal training devices and downloadable programs, personal training will soon change forever. And that could be a good thing indeed for personal trainers and club members. -Pam