In the last couple of years, the pandemic has forced a lot of people to work from home. This means that the fitness world has had to change as gyms and outdoor activities have become harder to maintain as fewer people can join in.
As an industry, the landscape of fitness has changed to accommodate the revamped need to workout at home. You could argue that this idea has always been around, but in reality, it hasn’t been this favorable since the 80s.
That is when Vituvian comes in.
What Is Vitruvian?
The Vituvian V-Form Trainer is a strength training machine. It looks like a large step or plank which has two handles attached to an elastic rope tied to the base of the plank.
You can wheel this plank into any room with a power outlet and complete a heavy workout without needing to lug around massive weights at the same time.
The idea behind the machine is that it works with you and your muscles to help you find the perfect weight in every rep.
You can customize the handles and turn them into straps if you want to work on your lower body instead of your upper body.
The reason why you need a power outlet is because the Vituvian V-Form Trainer needs the power to adjust the pressure in the elastic cables. As you work out, the algorithm will adjust the pressure on the cord to match the power you are putting into each rep.
This means you will be able to push against the power of your own energy, creating an automatic perfect match for your lifts. And, because the resistance is actually created by the machine, you don’t need a heavy set of actual weights to get a resistance or weight-lifting workout!
Is Vitruvian Effective?
Although the algorithm uses your body weight, pre-chosen desires, and pre-chosen classes to create the best workout regime for you, it also purposefully increases the weight of your lift after every rep. This is so you can slowly get stronger as per the class you have chosen.
To choose these classes, you need to scan the QR code on the side of the Vitruvian mat. You will be taken to a personalized profile where you can input your personal information and choose which class to start off with.
Because this new technology is very unusual, we recommend you choose the “Getting Started” tutorial before heading straight into your workout. Otherwise, you might end up thinking you’re completing reps, but in reality, the machine hasn’t registered your movements correctly.
This is when we talk about effectiveness. As the weight you lift comes from the tension in the cord, the efficacy of the Vitruvian almost always comes down to the information you put into it and your knowledge of the correct form.
If you don’t know how to lift using the correct form, this type of workout will be difficult to maintain and could result in injury. This is because the cords are “free-form,” and there are no pillars or structures to guide your arms.
Secondly, if you incorrectly input your weight to height, the Vitruvian will then incorrectly calculate how much pressure you can hold or how much weight will be beneficial to you. So we don’t recommend the device for someone who needs help getting the correct form – if that’s you, instead you should check out Tempo or Tonal, which combine smart home workouts, weights/resistance AND form/technique advice.
That being said, if you are a gym-goer who already has good form, then these workouts will be able to help you reach your weight lifting goals while not taking up tons of room or weight.
How Easy To Use is Vitruvian?
Once you find the QR code, the app and machine become very easy to use. The two systems paired up instantly, with no extra faffing around.
Once you open the app, you will see a couple of tabs that you can flick through. These will include your activity, your V-Form machine, your classes, your workouts, and your profile.
The activity tab shows you how well you’ve been doing, your personal bests, and your progress since joining the app. All of this is super helpful to see how you are improving.
Our favorite part is the workout tab. This one allows you to create your own workouts session. You can use examples from pre-made classes (in the classes tab) or add in your own suggestions and time frames.
When you’re ready, you can tell the workout to start, and the machine will customize your weights according to your personalized session.
Everything is super easy to use and super easy to edit.
What Workouts Do Vitruvian Offer?
In the classes tabs, you can see options for workouts like “Upper Body Gains,” “Balanced Body,” “HIIT,” “Back and Biceps,” and “Powerlifting.”
But in general, you can do any workout which requires you to lift a weight with little movement. A kettlebell swing, for example, wouldn’t work as a workout type as the swinging action wouldn’t be recognized by the cords; however, a workout similar to a kettlebell squat would work.
The variety that this one item workout gives is genuinely great, as you can work on so many parts of your body through their powerful lifting movements.
We should warn you, though, that because there is very little momentum or movement in the pull, the weights offered to you often feel heavier than expected.
What Vibe Does Vitruvian Give?
This question might seem strange, but to some people, doing a workout means getting into the mood. If the atmosphere makes the exercise seem silly, then they will be less likely to participate, and the V-Form machine will just end up gathering dust.
Unfortunately, there is no music in the workout videos. This is a strange thing to miss out on, as most workout videos nowadays utilize dance music to distract you from the hard work involved in lifting.
Without the distraction of music, you are left all too aware of how much this lift hurts. You could put on your own music, of course, but still, this choice to not include it seems odd.
Secondly, the videos are all created with a white background, again this isn’t a big deal, but it makes the workout seem rather clinical. The instructors are great, and the moves are clear, but the white background can be strangely distracting and not in an “I don’t feel the pain” way.
The one thing that Vitruvian has which does bring a good level of atmosphere, is its lightbox. In the middle of the V-Form machine, there is a line of light. It only appears in one color, but still, it creates a level of atmosphere in the otherwise blank workout.
Is Vitruvian Good Value For Money?
Vitruvian is an expensive piece of equipment, that is for sure. However, if you consider that this machine is super easy to store (you can slide it under a couch or a bed) and doesn’t require a lot of space, it already contains more value for money than other similar machines.
For example, the Tonal is similar to the V-form but is way more expensive. It also needs to be screwed to a wall and have enough room for you to stand in front of it with your arms stretched out.
This means you need to have a lot of space already before you even start your workout, and you need to have enough of a wall where it can be attached, etc.
If you want to look at the workout itself, you could argue that the same sessions could be completed with less expensive equipment, like the MYX Fitness. The MYX Fitness, however, isn’t portable and takes up as much room as a stationary bike.
This means that the Vitruvian is both the most portable of its kind and the most powerful of its kind. The only reason why you might not think that the Vitruvian is good value for money is because you do not care for portability, or you already have an at-home workout kit.
Is Vitruvian Worth It?
Now it’s time to summarize all that we have found, and the short answer is yes, Vitruvian is worth it for experienced gym-goers who want an at-home, lifting workout.
But let’s get to the long version.
Vitruvian is a fantastic at-home workout kit that can easily fit into your home and be hidden away until you want to use it. The workout classes are all based on strength training, but there are no dumbbells or kettlebells for you to store. Instead, you simply pull the cords using the handles.
The cords have pressurized weights on them, which slowly increase or decrease per rep according to your workout.
You can make your own workouts or use pre-made classes. This is a great feature as the pressurized weights need to follow an algorithm, and if you don’t want to use the pre-made classes, you can edit the workout to better suit your gym routine.
The only real downside is the fact that there is no music in the classes, and the backgrounds are a little off-putting because they are a clinical white color. But let’s be honest, we are being a little picky here. If our only problem was the music, then we could chunk on our own sounds to work out to.
The last thing you should be aware of is that this machine is designed for people who already know how to maintain their form. If you are completely new to strength training, then you would need a real trainer first.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Easy To Store
- Easy To Use
- Pre-Made Classes
- Personalized Classes
- Fantastic Strength Training
- Portable
Cons:
- Expensive
- No Music
