I've had the vitruvian for about for about three months after returning a Tonal (decided to return due to the lawsuit that was filed against them for non-payment to their primary supplier). Overall, im pretty happy with it, although I do miss many things about the Tonal. I'd say it wins out over the Tonal in the following ways: feels like a a more solid/ sturdy product than the Tonal, which has more plastic and creaks during use. Has less moving parts than the Tonal, so longevity is probably better. Difficult to describe, but the resistance during use feels a bit more solid and premium. You can lift substantially heavier vs tonal, and of course portability/ lack of requiring permanent install is huge. Price is substantially less when you factor in purchase price and subscription (which is free for the first year. The tonal wins out on: ability to do lat pull downs and horizontal push/ pull (although this will no longer be an issue once the new accessory comes out--if you want to pay the extra $$). Changing between accessories takes more time. The vitruvian is more noisy than the tonal. Lack of a permanent display (can be difficult to follow on-screen guidance/ instruction if you're using the vitruvian app on a phone). By far the biggest downside is the software which is light years behind tonal: workout class library is maybe 5% the size of tonal's, instructor-lead classes are basically completely useless for me due to the lack of an auto-follow for reps (which tonal has) and easy method to pause the workout and change weight. The tonal software is far better at being able to smartly track and increase weight as you improve. The vitruvian app is often buggy (although Vitruvian's support has been absolutely fantastic and the seem to be making steady progress on improvements). Also miss the lack of apple watch integration which tonal has. Also, as of the time I purchased in late 2022, vitruvian did not offer free return shipping if you returned during the 30 day trail period (which will probably run $200-$300) due to the size/weight Overall, I'm pretty happy with the vitruvian. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend it if you are someone who doesnt need the fitness "gamification" of tonal/ peleton, and are self-motivated and don't mind taking the time to create custom workouts on the vitruvian app. The hardware is extremely solid and superior to tonal in many ways. If you want a more plug and play product, with excellent course library, and better connected/ smart features, the tonal wins hands down
Thanks for taking the time to write this great comparison. I am just curious. So the fact that you can't do lat pull downs and horizontal push/ pull exercises? Do you have other equipment that you use for these kind of exercises. I am ordering extra wall mount brackets for my Handy Gym that I will mount at different levels on my wall for this purpose.
I just acquired a machine from a friend. I have all of the accessories, yet had no knowledge of their application. This video was exactly what I needed to get started. Thank you!!
Seems like it could possibly be a better alternative to tonal. Able to use anywhere, less tech to break, cheaper etc… How to feel about the comparing the two?
I think you are right, especially given difference in costs (Tonal is about 2X more expensive over the course of 5 years) and the fact that Tonal cuts off almost all functionality without a membership. Would love to review Tonal some day if I can ever get my hands on one long enough to give it a fair evaluation.
I personally don’t like how quickly the coach assisted classes/programs move thru workouts. Like you said, once instructor finished their set the users machine immediately drops the weight. You can be mid rep and suddenly the weight is gone. If you don’t move as fast as instructor you likely won’t get many reps in to failure and feel like you got a good workout. I think they could easily improve this by auto pausing the video once instructor finishes their set and waiting for user to complete the same amount of reps as instructor. For that reason, I’ve stopped doing instructor led classes. I also think they should have a cheaper subscription option for those that want to build their own workouts and track stats, but don’t care for the instructor classes/programs.
I’ve had mine for awhile now, but this will be so helpful for people curious about the trainer as well as being a great on-boarding video too. A couple things: -you can filter muscle groups for classes by clicking the filter icon in the top right. -They do recommend warming up before a class, but they make those warm ups separately and are found in the “mobility” category. It could be clearer though. Great work and looking forward to seeing your review. Personally, aside from available resistance, I find that the safety functions (accurate ROM setting and spotter functions) also set it apart, but curious to hear your take.
Assuming I want to squat heavy, 400lbs. Do you have to pick the 400lbs off the floor then place it on your shoulders? Or does the machine give you a chance to get in position?
I've had issues doing shrugs because it's such a short range of motion and the weight doesn't kick in when I start after the 3 warmup reps. Anyone have a fix?
From what I’ve seen, Peloton completely cancelled development of their own strength platform last summer… so I don’t think they will be coming out with anything for at least a few years
If for example I wanted to lift a particular weight to around two reps from failure and doing so fell somewhere within the 10-20 rep range, what mode would best enable this? Old school?
Can anyone tell me how you dismount from the barbell bench press on this? I have this but i literally have to crush my ribcage at the end until it slowly lowers the weight so i can press stop. That doesn't seem right and it's not pleasant. I know the safety cables are meant to be used but the long ones make the bar way too far from my chest, and the short ones are the ones currently crushing me lol
all people, tell me, does anyone else have this problem? looks strange and scary. in theory it should be like this - if you can’t squeeze, then you stop in place, he sees this and turns off the weight, and don’t fall on your chest
@@Al-8-7 I like to lower the weight at the end to my chest, it doesn't feel like a full rep if I don't but yeah I could hold it a few inches above but when you train to failure that's not an easy thing to do. I do it with the handles now, less danger and more stretch
Please test out scaled workouts. Cool feature and good for consistent progress. Also it would be nice to know an opinion of professional coach on when to use certain modes. How to combine pump, old school, TUT and eccentric sets for the most effective workout. Thanks.
Was this video done for Vitruvian as in paid by them or done on your own? I think viewers should have that clarity before they see ithe video. This video is lot better and honest than the videos they have on their app. But I didn't hear you say that part upfront at the beginning.
Big fan of all the honest reviews and detailed reviews you post. I have followed you for more than a year now. We are also connected on Linkedin, love to chat with you on lot of things in the future when I can :-).
For old school mode, it loads on the way up after completing your 3rd set. So the first rep is usually about 50-75% of the set load, and then it stays at a constant load from there.
Ok yeah just wondering because I know starting weight at the bottom can be unsafe because your supposed to brace for that weight starting at your weak point opposed to strong can be dangerous
I build my own workouts, but if I get the weight wrong, I can't change it mid-set without exiting my workout and starting all over. They should let you choose your weights as you go. I don't know if I'll get my weight right for my 3rd set of an exercise and have to just kill that set and move on or start the whole workout over.
I cannot believe anyone would spend this kind of money on such a limited machine. These people will never openly admit how limited this is....they are fooling every and themselves
Can you explain more on why this is a limited machine? I'm looking at this now and seems great for the majority of exercises I need to do. Yes doesn't have the pull down capabilities. Other than that, what is it that you don't like?
I thought I can use it without doing the classes. Why do I have to pay a fee. $39 a month. I bought it can I just use it without fees? @connectthewatts
You can use it without a fee, though it also doesn’t track your previous workout weights over time I guess. But if you’re keeping track separately, can use for free.
I've had the vitruvian for about for about three months after returning a Tonal (decided to return due to the lawsuit that was filed against them for non-payment to their primary supplier). Overall, im pretty happy with it, although I do miss many things about the Tonal.
I'd say it wins out over the Tonal in the following ways: feels like a a more solid/ sturdy product than the Tonal, which has more plastic and creaks during use. Has less moving parts than the Tonal, so longevity is probably better. Difficult to describe, but the resistance during use feels a bit more solid and premium. You can lift substantially heavier vs tonal, and of course portability/ lack of requiring permanent install is huge. Price is substantially less when you factor in purchase price and subscription (which is free for the first year.
The tonal wins out on: ability to do lat pull downs and horizontal push/ pull (although this will no longer be an issue once the new accessory comes out--if you want to pay the extra $$). Changing between accessories takes more time. The vitruvian is more noisy than the tonal. Lack of a permanent display (can be difficult to follow on-screen guidance/ instruction if you're using the vitruvian app on a phone). By far the biggest downside is the software which is light years behind tonal: workout class library is maybe 5% the size of tonal's, instructor-lead classes are basically completely useless for me due to the lack of an auto-follow for reps (which tonal has) and easy method to pause the workout and change weight. The tonal software is far better at being able to smartly track and increase weight as you improve. The vitruvian app is often buggy (although Vitruvian's support has been absolutely fantastic and the seem to be making steady progress on improvements). Also miss the lack of apple watch integration which tonal has. Also, as of the time I purchased in late 2022, vitruvian did not offer free return shipping if you returned during the 30 day trail period (which will probably run $200-$300) due to the size/weight
Overall, I'm pretty happy with the vitruvian. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend it if you are someone who doesnt need the fitness "gamification" of tonal/ peleton, and are self-motivated and don't mind taking the time to create custom workouts on the vitruvian app. The hardware is extremely solid and superior to tonal in many ways. If you want a more plug and play product, with excellent course library, and better connected/ smart features, the tonal wins hands down
Thanks for taking the time to write this great comparison. I am just curious. So the fact that you can't do lat pull downs and horizontal push/ pull exercises? Do you have other equipment that you use for these kind of exercises. I am ordering extra wall mount brackets for my Handy Gym that I will mount at different levels on my wall for this purpose.
The v frame has been cancelled unfortunately
Beautiful machine I sold my tonal and ordered this can’t wait for it to arrive .
How’s it going?
@@CoachHeyward awesome I love it
@@Bendova215still going strong?
Mine arrived in 3 days!
I just acquired a machine from a friend. I have all of the accessories, yet had no knowledge of their application. This video was exactly what I needed to get started. Thank you!!
Seems like it could possibly be a better alternative to tonal. Able to use anywhere, less tech to break, cheaper etc…
How to feel about the comparing the two?
I think you are right, especially given difference in costs (Tonal is about 2X more expensive over the course of 5 years) and the fact that Tonal cuts off almost all functionality without a membership. Would love to review Tonal some day if I can ever get my hands on one long enough to give it a fair evaluation.
Great detailed review.
I personally don’t like how quickly the coach assisted classes/programs move thru workouts. Like you said, once instructor finished their set the users machine immediately drops the weight. You can be mid rep and suddenly the weight is gone. If you don’t move as fast as instructor you likely won’t get many reps in to failure and feel like you got a good workout. I think they could easily improve this by auto pausing the video once instructor finishes their set and waiting for user to complete the same amount of reps as instructor.
For that reason, I’ve stopped doing instructor led classes.
I also think they should have a cheaper subscription option for those that want to build their own workouts and track stats, but don’t care for the instructor classes/programs.
Damn I was looking to get this but that's a deal breaker for me
Adding this video to my favorites!
Thoughts between this or Speediance?
I’ve had mine for awhile now, but this will be so helpful for people curious about the trainer as well as being a great on-boarding video too.
A couple things:
-you can filter muscle groups for classes by clicking the filter icon in the top right.
-They do recommend warming up before a class, but they make those warm ups separately and are found in the “mobility” category. It could be clearer though.
Great work and looking forward to seeing your review. Personally, aside from available resistance, I find that the safety functions (accurate ROM setting and spotter functions) also set it apart, but curious to hear your take.
thanks! and I did not see that filter function for classes before... but now that you mention it, I see it and it is very helpful!
Would you recommend this or speediance can’t decide between the two
I'm in the same boat
Without buying a paid membership/subscription, can two people use the same machine with two different free membership “profiles”?
Assuming I want to squat heavy, 400lbs. Do you have to pick the 400lbs off the floor then place it on your shoulders? Or does the machine give you a chance to get in position?
Bar is weightless until you get the bar on your back and do 3 unloaded reps to confirm your range of motion. Then it will automatically load up
I've had issues doing shrugs because it's such a short range of motion and the weight doesn't kick in when I start after the 3 warmup reps.
Anyone have a fix?
Would you recommend this or hold out until the peloton strength platform launches?
From what I’ve seen, Peloton completely cancelled development of their own strength platform last summer… so I don’t think they will be coming out with anything for at least a few years
That’s helpful! Thanks so much!!
If for example I wanted to lift a particular weight to around two reps from failure and doing so fell somewhere within the 10-20 rep range, what mode would best enable this? Old school?
Can anyone tell me how you dismount from the barbell bench press on this? I have this but i literally have to crush my ribcage at the end until it slowly lowers the weight so i can press stop. That doesn't seem right and it's not pleasant. I know the safety cables are meant to be used but the long ones make the bar way too far from my chest, and the short ones are the ones currently crushing me lol
all people, tell me, does anyone else have this problem? looks strange and scary. in theory it should be like this - if you can’t squeeze, then you stop in place, he sees this and turns off the weight, and don’t fall on your chest
@@Al-8-7 I like to lower the weight at the end to my chest, it doesn't feel like a full rep if I don't but yeah I could hold it a few inches above but when you train to failure that's not an easy thing to do. I do it with the handles now, less danger and more stretch
Hey thanks for the video , can u have multiple profiles with the same subscription?
Yup! The subscription is tied to the machine so you can have as many profiles as you would like
any other questions? Let me know!
Please test out scaled workouts. Cool feature and good for consistent progress. Also it would be nice to know an opinion of professional coach on when to use certain modes. How to combine pump, old school, TUT and eccentric sets for the most effective workout. Thanks.
Was this video done for Vitruvian as in paid by them or done on your own? I think viewers should have that clarity before they see ithe video. This video is lot better and honest than the videos they have on their app. But I didn't hear you say that part upfront at the beginning.
If a video is sponsored, we say so in the title and mention it early on in the video. This video was not sponsored 👍
Big fan of all the honest reviews and detailed reviews you post. I have followed you for more than a year now. We are also connected on Linkedin, love to chat with you on lot of things in the future when I can :-).
When does the weight load on after your 3rd rep at your strong point or week point meaning does the weight Start at the bottom of the rep
For old school mode, it loads on the way up after completing your 3rd set. So the first rep is usually about 50-75% of the set load, and then it stays at a constant load from there.
Ok yeah just wondering because I know starting weight at the bottom can be unsafe because your supposed to brace for that weight starting at your weak point opposed to strong can be dangerous
16:15
I build my own workouts, but if I get the weight wrong, I can't change it mid-set without exiting my workout and starting all over.
They should let you choose your weights as you go. I don't know if I'll get my weight right for my 3rd set of an exercise and have to just kill that set and move on or start the whole workout over.
21:45 you mentioned making your own workout as you go.
I think that's what I am missing with my question above. Where do you start that from?
Thanks!
mother in laws just gave me her new in box vitruvian without instructions lol
I cannot believe anyone would spend this kind of money on such a limited machine. These people will never openly admit how limited this is....they are fooling every and themselves
Can you explain more on why this is a limited machine? I'm looking at this now and seems great for the majority of exercises I need to do. Yes doesn't have the pull down capabilities. Other than that, what is it that you don't like?
I thought I can use it without doing the classes. Why do I have to pay a fee. $39 a month. I bought it can I just use it without fees? @connectthewatts
You can use it without a fee, though it also doesn’t track your previous workout weights over time I guess. But if you’re keeping track separately, can use for free.