In this era of social media and connectivity, your workouts no longer need to be confined to your home or the gym. More and more fitness enthusiasts and influencers are choosing to stream and track their workouts online to help others and showcase their progress.
Not too long ago, staying connected during your workout involved keeping your phone on hand or having a friend do it for you.
Now, though, technological fitness innovators are developing home gym setups that allow you to select, customize, track, and share your workout progress with friends – all while keeping your hands and your workout space free.
The industry for interactive home gyms has become a competitive market, and there are currently 2 frontrunners in the race: The Mirror and the NordicTrack Vault.
In this article, we’ll be sharing our findings and reviews of both interactive gyms. Hopefully, our overview will help you to decide which technological training aid fits in most seamlessly with your goals and home setup.
Comparison: NordicTrack Vault vs. Mirror
| Features: | Nordic Track Vault | Mirror | ||
| Screen | 72.65 x 24.25 in | 52 x 22 in | ||
| Workout Library Access | Included in first year of membership | $39 dollars/ month | ||
| User Connectivity | Individual Level | Up to 6 people at a time | ||
| Price | Starts at $1,999 (or $57 monthly) | Starts at $1,495 (or $42 monthly) | ||
| Storage Space | Carbon Steel Storage Vault | None |
The Mirror was released onto the market in 2018 and was met with a great deal of excitement. Marketed as ‘The Nearly Invisible Home Gym,’ The Mirror uses advanced camera technology to bring you a customizable and interactive workout tool, complete with over 50 different types of workout sessions, led by real-life, certified instructors!
Best of all, the Mirror looks like and takes up about as much space as any traditional mirror. Once it’s mounted to your wall, you’ll barely know it’s there – until you make use of its incredible technological features.
Main Features
The Mirror
Before we go further into everything the Mirror has to offer in terms of functions and technological features, we’d like to spend some time focusing on the physical construction of the Mirror itself.
The Mirror is essentially a large touchscreen that allows you to select and customize your workout routine in a tactile and interactive way. The screen measures 22 inches in width and 52 inches in height and can be mounted to, or propped up against, a suitable wall in your home.
In terms of depth, the Mirror only protrudes 1.4 inches, so it takes up virtually no actual space, leaving you with plenty of room to get your sweat on!
The Mirror works using advanced camera technology, giving you a high definition reflection of yourself as you work out! You can also use the screen to follow thousands of workouts and connect with your friends.
The Mirror itself starts at $1,495, so for the price of fewer than 3 years’ worth of your average gym memberships, you can bring a fully interactive and personalizable gym home today!
Workouts
The workout programs included with your Mirror membership are guaranteed to get you moving – and enjoying yourself while you do it!
50 different workout genres are included, ranging from yoga to kickboxing and even fun family workouts.
Classes range from 5 minutes all the way to an hour, so whether you’re dedicating your afternoon to working out or just have time for a quick session, you can find classes tailored to your needs.
This customization also extends to ability levels. You can participate in classes from any exercise genre at the level that works for your body and your goals.
Class abilities range from beginner all the way to expert, so you don’t have to be a seasoned fitness guru to use the Mirror – but if you are, there are workouts challenging enough for you, too!
Best of all, the workout classes included with the Mirror’s membership library are led by real, certified fitness experts.
These experts are sourced from some of the very best fitness studios and institutions in the country, so you can benefit from virtual coaching and motivation that you’d normally encounter a long waiting list and steep price points for in person.
Speaking of price points, you can gain access to the Mirror’s library of workouts for an additional cost of $39 dollars a month.
This might seem like a lot, and it does add up, but the quality and sheer quantity of workout content that you’ll be able to access for this price is well worth it, especially when you compare it to the average cost of a gym membership, which comes to $517 per year.
However, for the workouts that require weights or other equipment, you’ll need to either pre-own or purchase the necessary equipment, which will add to the cost of your workouts.
There’s also no storage space included with the Mirror due to its streamlined build, so you’ll need to make sure you have enough space to keep any equipment in your home as well.
Interconnectivity
The Mirror is more than just a touchscreen library of pre-filmed workout programs. One of the biggest selling points of the Mirror is its focus on interconnectivity.
Included with the Mirror workout membership is access to weekly live classes! These classes offer a real sense of community as you and other Mirror users can come together to share your love of fitness.
The live classes, like the pre-programmed workouts, are led by professional instructors, who are there to motivate and encourage you through the process.
If you’re looking for more personal interaction and motivation, you can schedule 1:1 personal training sessions for the ultimate workout session tailored to you.
Any of your friends who use the Mirror can join you in working out, encouraging one another, and celebrating your progress.
The Mirror even helps bring families closer through its library of family workouts for up to 6 people at a time, all included in the purchase of a single membership.
But ultimately, the Mirror is all about maximizing your personal development, unlocking your potential, and meeting your fitness goals, which is where your personal profile comes in…
Personal Profile
When you purchase a Mirror membership, a personal profile is set up for you.
Through your profile, also known as your Personal Performance Dashboard, you can record and track all aspects of your progress as you proceed with your fitness journey.
You can use your personal profile on the Mirror to keep track of the workouts you’ve completed, your heart rate during these workouts, and the total calories you’ve burned.
The Mirror makes it super easy to track all of these aspects of your fitness regimen by facilitating easy Bluetooth connectivity with other devices, including the Apple Watch and heart rate monitors.
Additional Features
Playlists
Because the Mirror allows you to easily connect wirelessly to any of your eligible devices, creating a tailored workout playlist to keep you motivated has never been easier!
The best thing about the Mirror’s music function, though, is that most of the work is done for you with the pre-curated playlists included with the membership. These playlists span many genres and include popular tracks, carefully selected to get you excited to start moving your body.
The Mirror App
For those times when you’re away from home but want to keep to your workout schedule, the Mirror app allows Mirror membership owners to access all the content from the Mirror workout library through other smart devices, including your phone, tablet, or smart television.
Thanks to the Mirror app, you can always keep on top of your fitness regimen from wherever you are!
Home Trial Experience
This isn’t technically a feature of the Mirror itself, so much as just another reason to try it out. The Mirror may be an incredible workout aid, but as we’ve mentioned, it’s a costly investment. Understandably, you’ll want to be absolutely certain of this purchase before you go ahead and commit to it.
If the outstanding features we’ve discussed already haven’t fully convinced you yet, the Mirror comes with a 30-day, risk-free home trial. This means that you can have the Mirror professionally installed in your home for a whole month and try out everything it has to offer without paying a dime.
If you like it, you can proceed with your payment(s) and the membership – and if you don’t, you can cease both and have the Mirror removed at no extra cost to yourself!
Overview
Advantages
- Wall-mounted
- Space-saving design
- Advanced camera technology
- Thousands of workout classes
- Inclusive of all abilities
- Personal training available
- Schedule of live classes
- Work out with friends
- Includes curated playlists
- Classes accessible through the Mirror app
- 30-day risk-free home trial
Disadvantages
- No storage space
- Starts at $1,495 (or $42 monthly)
- Membership sold separately ($39 per month)
Having seen what the extremely popular Mirror brings to the table, it’s time to see how it compares to the next up-and-comer in the interactive home gym industry: the NordicTrack Vault.
The Vault is workout equipment giant NordicTrack’s latest development, combining an interactive mirror screen with a library of expert-led workouts and (this is where the product gets its name) a vault-like storage area for all your equipment.
The Vault is currently available for pre-order, so before it officially hits the market, let’s take a look at what it does.
Main Features
Reflective Mirror
Once again, as with the Mirror, the first feature to discuss in relation to the NordicTrack Vault is its reflective mirror.
The mirror screen of the Vault uses innovative iFit technology to create an interactive, reflective surface. You can use the screen to monitor your own form as you complete workout routines or to connect with others who are using the Vault (more on this later).
The screen itself measures 72.65 x 24.25, so it’s more of a full-length size than the Mirror. This extra length is a real advantage if you regularly participate in workouts that require precise foot positioning, such as squat-based exercises.
But the Vault offers much more than just a reflective screen! Like Alice, let’s step through the looking glass and see what lies behind…
Storage Space
The main feature of the Vault that’s caught the attention of NordicTrack’s customer base and the wider fitness community is the amount of storage space it offers.
You see, the mirror of the Vault can actually be rotated a full 360° to reveal freestanding storage space. This storage unit is made out of carbon steel, so it’s highly durable, as are the storage shelves fitted into it.
The storage area measures the same as the screen in height and width but has a depth of 14 inches, so there’s plenty of space for all your weights, resistance bands, and even your exercise mat!
The drawback to all this storage space, however, is that the unit is freestanding, so it will protrude 14 inches into your existing floor space.
Not everyone has this kind of space available in their home, so the size of the Vault can be a prohibitive factor for some potential customers. However, if you have the space to spare and you’ve been looking for somewhere to store your gym equipment as well as a new workout aid, the Vault is absolutely perfect.
Workouts
Like the Mirror, the Vault also has its own library of expert-led workouts for you to follow.
Unlike the Mirror, however, your purchase of the Vault comes with your first year of membership included, so you can access the Vault’s workout library for the first year after your purchase without making any separate monetary commitments.
The library of workouts included with the Vault membership consists of a range of iFit training sessions in exercises ranging from Pilates to HIIT training.
The Vault also encourages you to take care of your mental health through options such as mindfulness sessions. We love to see mental health being tied in with physical fitness in 2021, and this is one reason why we’d wholeheartedly recommend the Vault to anyone looking to enhance their mind as well as their body.
Workouts are led by expert iFit trainers who will engage with you directly during on-demand sessions, making the experience feel personal and motivational.
Connectivity
The Vault’s technology allows external devices to be connected to the screen, including heart monitors and other Bluetooth devices. You can use this connectivity to track your progress and keep an eye on your heart rate and calorie burn.
If you have any other workout equipment in your home that uses iFit technology, you can also sync your Vault to these devices to track your progress across all your workouts.
However, where the Mirror has more of a focus on interacting with other device users and your friends and family through fitness, the Vault keeps workouts on a more individual level.
This might not suit those who prefer to engage in group workouts or exercise with a buddy, but for fitness lovers who like to keep their progress a bit more private and focus on their own goals, it’s ideal.
Additional Features
The Vault: Complete
We’ve talked about the Vault’s ample storage space, which is great if you already have all the right equipment to put in it.
However, if you’re at the beginning of your home fitness journey and don’t yet have all the equipment you need to get started, the Vault offers a ‘complete’ package option.
The complete package includes an exercise mat, 5 to 30 lbs dumbbells, kettlebells weighing 20 and 30 lbs, 2 yoga blocks, 3 super resistance bands, and 3 loop bands.
All equipment is of the highest quality, developed and manufactured by NordicTrack. Even the shelving included with the complete package is upgraded to ‘premium’ shelving, so you know it’s worth the extra cost ($2,999 as opposed to $1,999).
This is all in addition to the hanging shelves and cleaning towel provided with the Standalone package.
Overview
Advantages
- Innovative iFit technology
- Highly durable carbon steel storage vault
- Personal on-demand training sessions
- Includes mindful workouts
- Bluetooth and iFit connectivity
- 1-year membership included
- ‘Complete’ package includes equipment
- Premium shelving available with Vault: Complete
Disadvantages
- Takes up space
- Starts at $1,999 (or $57 monthly)
- Less interconnective than the Mirror
Final Thoughts
When faced with the Mirror and the NordicTrack Vault, we were hard-pressed to choose our favorite. This is mainly because both have so much to offer in different areas of home fitness.
The Mirror brings sleek, semi-invisible technological advancement to the table, while the Vault shines in its marriage of interactive functionality with convenient storage space.
Initially, buyers may be put off by the Vault’s higher price point, but it’s important to remember that the steep price tag buys you not only the interactive workout technology, but the storage and (if desired) workout equipment as well.
Moreover, while the Mirror has a lower starting price, the workout membership needs to be purchased separately at a rate of $39 per month, whereas the starting purchase for the Vault includes the first year of membership.
Therefore, if you opt for the Vault: Standalone, you’ll only be paying about $39 dollars more in the first year than you would for the mirror.
Ultimately, it all comes down to what your personal aspirations for your very own interactive home gym are.
If you’re looking to couple your interactive workout mirror with plenty of storage space and new equipment, and you’re prepared to pay extra upfront, we would definitely point you in the direction of the Vault.
We’d also recommend the Vault if one of your health goals is to combine mental health practices with your fitness regimen.
On the other hand, if your priorities are to save space in your home and enjoy a sense of community and interactive connection while you exercise, the Mirror currently has the edge.
Overall, we’ll be very interested to see how both the Mirror and the Vault develop as products and concepts over the next few years. For now, though, either of these interactive workout aids will enhance your fitness life in ways you never expected.
