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Wellness: Ahead of the curve
Steph Eaves looks at how health assessment devices are evolving to keep up with industry trends
Technogym has launched Checkup, an assessment station which uses AI to personalise training programmes in order to create more effective workouts.
The AI-based system scans body composition, balance, mobility and cognitive abilities, as well as analysing strength from workouts on resistance equipment within the Technogym Ecosystem. The data is combined to create a Wellness Age metric.
Technogym Coach then prescribes a set of training protocols before following the training evolution of each individual, enabling operators to create a clustering of club users – based on workout preferences, habits and patterns – which can inform interventions to boost retention, challenges, promotions while also creating upselling opportunities.
Technogym Ecosystem is an open platform that integrates software applications, fitness equipment, payments and consumer apps and wearables to provide a seamless experience for club members.
The aim of the Technogym digital ecosystem is to grow the industry, making it more attractive to end users and more credible in the eyes of institutional stakeholders, such as insurance companies, health professionals and the wider medical world.
Village Health and Wellness Clubs is using Technogym Checkup to assess movement, mind-body and performance. The system is being rolling out across multiple clubs to enhance the member journey, because consumer trends towards data-tracking are creating interest from both members and potential members. JP Morgan is using Checkup for health assessments delivered by Nuffield.
The health assessment industry is rapidly evolving towards more mobile and user-friendly technologies. Professionals now seek solutions that not only offer precision and detail, but are also quick and easy to use in various settings.
Conventional scales and body scanners weigh between 15 and 30kg and can take several minutes to produce results. Our Biody Xpert devices provide detailed body composition analysis in 10 seconds and weigh 300 grams, making them suitable for mobile health professionals such as fitness coaches and physical therapists.
While technology continues to offer more automated and hands-free options, the essence of our approach lies in the balance between high-tech solutions and human engagement.
Our technology facilitates health assessments, but it’s the professionals interpreting and communicating these findings to clients who add value and context to the raw data. This approach avoids the pitfall of overwhelming clients with data without insights, focusing instead on fostering meaningful human connections that enrich the coaching or therapeutic experience.
Several versions of our devices are medically certified (Class IIa). In the coming years, non-medical equipment manufacturers will increasingly struggle to obtain certification as regulatory bodies tighten oversight. This will ensure that marketing no longer overshadows the essential medical benefits of the technology.
One of our most notable partnerships is French sports retailer Decathlon, which is structuring a health prevention project within its stores called MyHealth, designed to guide consumers towards professional nutritional advice and sports coaching.
Health assessments have now become a consumer-driven focus and are here to stay. Although this is good news, this trend is driving an unwelcome increase in unvalidated devices and services, creating a real risk of cheapening the reputation of BIA (Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis).
This means the need for better and more accurate data is becoming ever more critical.
Ultimately, data is key but successfully utilising this data remains a common challenge.
Operators are increasingly looking at how collected health data can increase revenue by enabling targeted marketing and this is where one opportunity lies.
Showing a customer that they lack muscle mass, for example, begins an easy conversion that can lead to them purchasing supplements or personal training, while also driving the trend of bespoke integration.
We’re excited to announce that we have a new selection of products launching in Q2.
InBody Touch allows scan results to be sent to a large interactive touchscreen so coaches and staff can review the results and discuss next steps.
InGrip (InBody hand grip strength) and InBody FRA (Fall Risk Assessment) have been added for strength and balance assessments. We’ve also released InBody 380 and 580 body composition devices in the UK.
We partner with an F1 academy to assist them with developing the next generation of drivers, as well as a global research company monitoring composition change throughout drug trials. We also work with the military to assist with injury prevention and recovery.
The health and fitness industry is moving from a “how you look” approach towards “how you feel”. This is particularly true for forward-looking clubs that are eager to expand their membership to cover people of all ages and abilities.
Using exercise to get and stay healthy – both physically and mentally – is now the biggest driver of health club memberships. This focus on working out for health benefits means demand for health assessments as part of the experience is growing.
We’ve responded to the increased need for health assessments by ensuring our 3D scanning technology is accessible and inclusive. It can be operated easily by gym and health club staff and the reports are accurate and easy to comprehend due to their visual elements.
E-Pulse Studio in Peterborough, UK, offers personalised training programmes focusing on electrical muscle stimulation (EMS), which provides a full-body workout in 20 minutes.
To cater to the specific needs of each client the studio’s founders, Przemyslaw Marcinkowski and Kamil Feret, added comprehensive organic supplementation and 3D body scanning, using Styku to help members understand the changes in their bodies and enabling them to track their progress across a number of metrics. It also means E-Pulse can tailor its EMS workouts to each individual’s needs, ensuring more effective training sessions.
In a world where health and wellbeing are increasingly prioritised, the demand for medical fitness is growing. More people are turning to exercise, not just to improve their physique, but also to live healthier lives.
This shift in mindset prompted us to develop the Seca Tru – a medically-validated body composition analyser. With medically-validated data on muscle and fat mass provided in seconds, it offers a precise foundation for personalised training programmes. This BIA (Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis) solution helps fitness enthusiasts see tangible progress, motivating them through clear, measurable improvements on their fitness journey.
In its latest update, the Seca Tru introduces a fun, competitive edge with a new challenge feature, allowing users to compare changes in body composition within a team competition. This gamification of health tracking encourages consistent participation and engagement.
There’s been a significant rise in the number of providers who want to facilitate a more comprehensive and impactful discussion around health with a wider range of their members and local community.
There shouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all approach to health assessments and, therefore, there shouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all approach to the solutions that are utilised to maximise their impact.
In order to provide the best service possible, we’ve partnered with CIMSPA to develop the UK’s only accredited training in BIA and body composition technology for the sector.
We work with a number of partners such as Boditrax and CoreVue who have built Tanita scales into kiosk-based operating systems. This enables individuals to take their own measurements and track their progress on a regular basis. Other integrations include Technogym’s Mywellness, Egym, Pulse Fitness Trakk and Clubwise Fit Sense.
These integrations all allow the provider to embed Tanita data into its systems and create bespoke experiences that provide insightful results for members.
