These Workout Mirrors Recreate a Studio Fitness Experience at Home
The world of home gym equipment has truly exploded. From new exercise bikes and treadmills to compact dumbbell setups that look great in your living room, you can set up a solid workout space in even the smallest apartment these days. And mirrors are another addition to the home gym space that’s combining practicality and space-saving with effective workouts.
Mirrors are just what they sound like: reflective surfaces that hang on the wall. However, these products can be turned on to reveal a full gym experience, right from your living room. From a morning HIIT session to a full-body lifting workout to an afternoon yoga break, mirrors are a great way to bring the gym to your home without anything too obtrusive. If you’re looking to upgrade your exercise routine without a gym membership (or even having to go outside), here’s what you need to know about the best workout mirrors in available in 2022.
The Best Workout Mirrors
What to Consider
There are plenty of features to consider when outfitting your home gym with a new mirror:
Space
First, decide whether you have the space and need for additional accessories, like free weights, a bench, pull-up bars, or foam rollers. Some of these machines work best with a fully outfitted home gym, so you’ll either need to purchase the brand’s gear or have your own.
It’s also important to make sure that you have the right space to install your mirror. Some products, such as the Tonal system, need to be professionally installed, so be sure to check the tech specs to ensure that you have the right amount of wall space and access to the proper electrical outlets. Others, like the QAIO Flex Mirrors, simply use an iPhone to display the workout on a TV, so you’ll need a compatible TV nearby.
Membership Fees
Next, be sure to read up on the membership costs, if any. Many of these mirrors have an upfront cost for the hardware, and an ongoing monthly or annual fee to maintain access to the classes. If you plan to take classes, you’ll also want to make sure that they offer the kinds of workouts you like. Most have a good mix of yoga, Pilates, and recovery sessions along with strength training, HIIT, and cardio.
The slim, chic MIRROR — which can be propped against or mounted on the wall — looks great in any living room. When you turn it on, you’ll enter an immersive studio experience powered by an iOS app. The LCD screen behind the 52-inch reflective surface streams premium workout classes available through the $39-per-month subscription. It’s worth noting that for many classes, you’ll need additional equipment, such as free weights and resistance bands.
While you’re working out, the mirror displays helpful metrics like heart rate and calorie burn. They’re pulled via Bluetooth from the included chest strap heart rate monitor or your Apple Watch. There’s also a built-in camera that can be used for one-on-one personal training sessions, or to see classmates and receive real-time guidance from the instructor.
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Behind the sleek sliding door of the NordicTrack’s Vault, you’ll find everything you need for an effective workout: a foam roller, mini and full-size resistance bands, yoga blocks, free weights, and kettlebells. And it all takes up less real estate than a bookshelf. The mirror even rotates so you’re not stuck working out in an awkward position.
Use the embedded 32-inch HD touchscreen to navigate iFit’s live and on-demand workout library. Classes include pilates, yoga, lifting, and interval training for all levels. Then watch yourself mirror the trainer’s form on the oversized and crystal-clear 60-inch surface. Yeah, it’s pricey, but so is purchasing all those pieces of equipment on your own. (If you already have your own gear, you can purchase a cheaper standalone version.)
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Echelon’s mirror comes in two sizes: the Reflect 40" and the Reflect 50" Touch. If you’re short on space, the 40-inch model is a great option, as it has all of the features without dominating your space. It’s also the only mirror you can find for under $1,000. The Echelon mirror has a powerful touchscreen that lets you browse through live and on-demand cardio, yoga, strength, Pilates, and boxing workouts (you can even take classes with Mario Lopez). The first 30 days of class access through Echelon Premier are free (after that, a subscription costs $34.99 per month) and range from quick 5-minute warm-ups to challenging 45-minute sweat sessions.
The front-facing camera and built-in speakers will make you feel like you’re in the studio instead of your living room, and the Bluetooth connectivity allows you to sync heart rate monitors for on-screen metrics. Echelon also uses a gamified, point-based system (depending on how long you spend in different heart rate zones) to stoke the competitive spirit; rankings are displayed on the leaderboard at the end of class.
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Stand Proform’s pivoting mirror in a corner to turn any room into a home gym. This is a more affordable version of NordicTrack’s Vault. The rear side of the mirror surreptitiously stores the included accessories: a 10-pound barbell, two 5-pound dumbbells, four 2.5-pound weight plates, three resistance bands, and a yoga mat. Scroll through iFit’s subscription library of live and on-demand classes using the 22-inch HD touchscreen embedded behind the 60-inch reflective surface. Your purchase includes a free 30-day subscription to iFit for unlimited classes.
You won't receive real-time feedback from instructors, but you can sync your activity tracker to the device to see your metrics on screen, and it automatically stores your workout performance and uses AI to suggest future workouts.
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There’s no space this mirror can’t fit in: It comes in three sizes (55, 65, and 85 inches) with four display options (a wall mount, a leaning mount, a standalone mount, and a ceiling mount). And while most workout mirrors require a subscription — in addition to the purchase price — to access classes, this one syncs with apps like Nike Training Club, Beach Body, Tone It Up, and more. An HD camera allows for personalized virtual coaching sessions, and, in addition to the touchscreen, the embedded microphone lets you operate the device with Google Assist Voice Control (and connects to Google Home).
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Tempo isn’t technically a mirror, but it uses a motion-sensor camera, and pulses of infrared light create a skeletal 3-D model of your body. As you move through cardio, strength, HIIT, mobility, and recovery classes, it tracks 25 essential joints to provide real-time feedback on your form and technique that’s displayed on the device’s 42-inch screen; for example, it may cue you to shift your weight into your heels or go deeper in your squat. Below the screen, you’ll find a storage cabinet for the included weights (ranging from 1.25 to 10 pounds), and on the back are a bench press bar and two dumbbell bars. There’s even space to store the included heart rate sensor, workout mat, and foam roller.
Tempo users love that the gym and classes are structured with them in mind. As one reviewer writes, “The attention to good warmups, mechanics, and diverse workouts has been phenomenal and we still feel how we did when we pulled the trigger on this purchase. It's a heavy investment but a great fit for us that is better than any other gym subscription, app, or workout routine we've tried.”
If you have the room for it, the Tonal mirror has you covered with everything you might need in a home gym. The gym system includes a pull-up bar, a rope, two smart handles for cable work, a bench, a foam roller, and a workout mat. Two arms protruding from either side of the mirror can be adjusted for floor work, overhead pulls, and lateral movements.
The mirror itself is loaded with thousands of diverse workouts, including yoga, mobility, cardio, and high-intensity sessions. The mirror will keep track of your progress, whether you’re taking a class or doing your own thing, by counting reps, sets, and even your range of motion.
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