I was recently reading an article on the Wall Street Journal Blog about a new piece of technology that is supposed to provide a much needed distraction from your workout to help you get through the agony.
The article is entitled “Making Dreaded Trips to the Gym More Bearable is Start Up’s Aim”.
Here’s a briefing of the article:
“The average user is on [gym] equipment for 20 to 30 minutes and most are looking for a distraction from working out,” said Bryan Arp, chief executive of start-up Netpulse Inc., which has just raised a $3.1 million Series A round led by Javelin Venture Partners and including DFJ Frontier.
The company plans to launch an entertainment platform designed for integration into fitness equipment. The Netpulse platform gives fitness club members access to live high-definition television, on-demand videos and music, iPod and iPhone connectivity, personalized workout data and connection to social media – all via interactive platforms and personal viewing screens built right into fitness equipment and cardio equipment.
It plans to generate revenue through licensing the platform to equipment manufacturers, as well as advertising through content partners on the screens.”
I think this is a brilliant idea in the sense that it caters to the fact that MOST people who workout at gyms do so at such a low-intensity that it’s super boring and they need whatever entertainment they can get to burn wasted time.
The general population is basically just going the gym to listen to music, watch TV, etc.- not to get results…
Again it’s treating boredom, the symptom of a crappy workout, versus making the workout better in the first place. Just like the American health care system treats the symptom with scary and expensive prescription drugs instead of preaching behavior modification to prevent the disease in the first place because it’s SUPER profitable to do so. Plus, they think the general population is too stuck in their ways to change anyways.
Long, slow, boring cardio sucks and intervals rock if your goal is to get maximal results in minimal time and that’s the bottom line!
If you get bored during high-intensity interval training workouts that last 20 minutes or less than you simply are not challenging yourself enough.
If you are actually pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone during your workouts, I know you sure as hell can’t read an article online or watch TV because you’re too busy catching your breath and trying to slip on your own sweat.
Look, I’m all about leveraging technology to improve exercise performance and consistency. That’s what workout muse interval workout music is all about- the music tells you exactly what to do without needing to look at the clock so that high-intensity interval training workouts don’t have to be harder than they already are.
But the endless gimmicks that keep coming out that cater to LAZY PEOPLE is not the solution.
Hey, I’m not hating on this company because they are simply providing a cool product based on what the market actually wants… WORKOUTS THAT ARE SO EASY IT’S LIKE SITTING ON THE COUCH WATCHING TV OR SITTING AT YOUR COMPUTER SURFING THE WEB!
It’s not easy to find people like our Workout Muse followers who actually like to get after it and crank it day in day out during their workouts- that’s why you’re special and that’s why we love ya 
Please post a comment to the blog post below to let us know what you think about this fitness trend- I’m sure you’ve got some opinions here!
Crank it!
BJ
Tags: interval training music, interval workout music, making dreaded trips to the gym more bearable is start up's aim, netpulse, workout muse
it makes me nausiated!
Maybe they can offer some chips and a soda with their workout, too, to make it more bearable! Geez!
Well firstly, it’s not a FITNESS trend is it? I don’t l know about anyone else out there, but I don’t have the coordination or brain space left in my workouts to try to dial up some brain numbing activity on a neon screen. And the other factor I can see is an even bigger increase in injuries because people aren’t hooked into their bodies while they’re supposedly trying to move them. Recipe for human health (physical and emotional) decline if you ask me, and I shudder as once again the pictures of the Buy’n'Large society of wall-E come to mind. That said, the pain killing (physical and emotional) medication producing fraternity is sure to benefit – maybe they’re behind the Series A funding provided by Javelin Venture Partners’ contribution. (Cynical I know, but seriously, this is either deserving of the cynicism, or just sheer madness)
Keep having fun everyone and stay away from the flashing neon (or otherwise) lights.!
Straight to the point, Krysta! Fab!
Interval Man needs to set up a 24 hour channel on this platform
What next? Fuzzy slippers when they’re done working out and a vodka tonic on the way out? (tsk tsk…)!!!
Just goes to show that these companies are not interested in whats “best” for people – only in how much money they can make while duping their equipment users into thinking they are actually doing anything worthwhile. Shameful
BJ,
I think that’s a great idea. This way Americans can go from being 80 percent overweight and obese to 100%…
Please, give me a break!
I am all for music while working out. It can get you pumped up and in Workout Muse’s case it can add structure to your workouts, but HDTV, internet, etc., this is a joke. You want a distraction??? How about you do something so the constant sweat dripping in your eyes is “distracting”. Take your average gym user, give them Workout Muse, and workout from BJ or The Band Man, and it will change their idea of what they think exercise is.
I’m always amazed at the people at the gym that are just going through the motions of working out. How about the treadmill desk where you can walk while you work?
Tell the truth bro. You are dead on with this post, I’m going to forward it to my email list. Great find BJ.
You’re damn right, I have to withhold myself everytime I see somebody reading a magazine or watching TV when doing exercises. Some may say : “At least they are moving, so it’s better then sitting at home”, but I don’t buy into that. It doesn’t pay off. The only benefit is for the gym who tolerates this kind of behaviour by collecting their fees.
Keep on cranckin’, I love it
B.J.,
Excellent post! My favorite guy or gal at the gym is the one on the bike or elliptical reading a magazine while pedaling extremely slow and, they are still there 45 minutes later reading the same crap when my ass busting workout is finished.
Sounds like Interval Man should pay Netpluse a visit!
Workout Muse should be installed in treadmills and bikes in every gym across the U.S.
Late,
Chris
Argh! Great post BJ. I couldn’t have said it better myself.
OK i’ve seen some pretty crazy cardio machines, can people really connect to social networks while trying to focus on using some of these crazy contraptions?
If you want a distraction, get off the machine and get in the pool!
Whatever makes a person get up and go to the gym is fine with me. I don’t believe it makes you lazy because you prefer to workout while being Entertainment (music, television, etc). Sometimes in order to get through something you don’t feel like doing you have to put your mind somewhere else. I walk on my treadmill 3-4 times a week for about 45 minutes while watching TV or listening to my ipod and I do Tabata’s 2 times a week. And both of these workouts combined have done wonders for me; I’ve lost 25 pounds in 2 months. Also not all people workout slow on those types of machines, you can go to any health club and see a lot of people working their butt’s off and they look great too.
Amen BJ!! This is what’s wrong with the world and baby you nailed it on the head. Way to help fight obesity , people- profit from it instead…what a noble idea.
This is the insanity of our society! People say they want results but they want to watch tv while they exercise! Give me a freakin break, I mean get off the treadmill and move your arse!
these are great comments- now that i know what a real workout looks like i will never waste my money again– can’t tell you the number of things i did before workout muse…actually, it’d be kind of funny to make that list…and exactly where it got me. luckily it got me to getsexyy boot camps.
You nailed this shit right into the ground!