It’s one of the best parts of my job that I can try some of the best and newest fitness content on the market without having to pay for it. I always ask when testing a new device if I would be disappointed if I had paid for it.
One of the newest innovations to hit the fitness market is giving you the chance to try its content before you buy.
Like some of the best exercise bikes or the best treadmills, the thing that sets a workout mirror apart is its content. It might be the classes that help you make up your mind if you are trying to choose between the Fiture smart mirror and the Lululemon mirror.
Users will be able to try the entire library of live and on-demand classes for 30 days for free before they purchase hardware.
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To find out more, I downloaded the app and tried it for 30 days. How does it compare to other workout apps? I would like to spend on the mirror itself. Read on to learn what happened.
I was lucky enough to have a mirror in my hotel room on a recent trip, and I tried a couple of workouts there. I have always hated the idea of a workout mirror, but I enjoyed the experience of being able to do a quick workout when the jet lag got too much.
I had more time to explore the app after 30 days. I was able to watch the classes on my iPad because I was able to tune in from my phone. Mirror does not ask for credit card details when you sign up for a free trial.
The first thing I thought of the app? It was a little odd to see my instructor on an invisible background, but on the app it was a little more normal. For anyone who has never used a workout mirror before, do not be put off by this part of the experience.
The classes on the app are very varied. There are a number of different classes to choose from, including yoga and meditation, high intensity interval training (HIIT), and strength classes. When you first sign up for a class, the app will ask you what items you already have, so it won’t find those you don’t need.
The home screen of the app shows your progress along with your health score. The health score is Mirror’s metric to measure your progress, and is made up of three core elements, your heart rate, muscle score, and recovery score. My weekly goals were to do three 30-minute strength classes a week and to see how I was progressing at a glance.
You can join live classes where you can see others working out at the same time as you, and get a shout out from your instructor. Even on the live classes, you are able to view the entire workout before you start, as is the case on the pre-recorded sessions. I like to mentally prepare for the torture before I do a set of burpee. There is a timer in the top left corner of the screen and a name of the next exercise in the top right.
I was able to use the app as a heart rate monitor in class. When connected, my heart rate would show up in the bottom left hand of my screen, next to my active calories burned.
I hide this in most of my classes because I don’t exercise to burn calories, but when a class is playing you can change the controls on the screen. I like to hear the instructor speak louder than the music, but I decided to turn the music up and lower the volume for a more intense strength class.
Is the content engaging enough to make me want to invest in the mirror? It’s definitely possible. I believe that if you are going to use the equipment, you should be able to try it for 30 days before installing it in your home, as it is an excellent test run.
If you sign up for a 30-day trial of the Mirror app, you will get to read what Tom’s Guide Editor Kate Kozuch thought of it after a month.