A quick disclaimer before we jump into things, I work at Tonal. It’s my 9-5, and I have access to a trainer as one of my benefits, which I’m incredibly grateful for, but when I talked to Kara about doing a Tonal home gym review, I knew I could approach it from a fairly neutral, unique perspective for a few reasons.
First, I’m nowhere near being an influencer of any kind. Just a regular person who just happens to write for this lovely site, and also work for the Tonal company. This post is not sponsored, and I’m not getting anything from Tonal for writing it. Kara and I agree that I could share my thoughts without bias.
Second, I’m an active person, but not a fitness professional. What I mean by that is, I’ve always incorporated some sort of workout or movement in my life, but I don’t have any special accreditation, other than my own experiences.
Lastly, I’ll keep it real… I had my doubts about the trainer – hence the slightly skeptical title. It’ll make more sense with a little background on my fitness journey, but it won’t hurt my feelings if you scroll past to the actual Tonal review!
My Fitness Journey
I grew up playing sports – volleyball, basketball, softball, golf, cross country, you name it. I was an active kid. I continued into adulthood bouncing between different types of workout regimes, but never felt I was hitting my goals. I’ve gotten close, but there’s been setbacks.
I’ve done everything. From group workouts like spin, barre and yoga at various studios via ClassPass, cardio/strength training like Camp Gladiator and OrangeTheory to individual strength training programs, walking, running and at-home yoga/workouts.
No matter how active I am, even as a kid, I’ve always carried extra weight around the middle which inspired my primary goal: weight loss. That’s evolved a lot in recent years, especially as I get closer to 30 next month, so I’m not going to dive into the social pressure of weight loss, but recommend checking out this article on the topic!
My fitness journey is solely focused on my health – both mentally and physically. I prioritize working out and eating well for three reasons: 1) to feel my best; 2) to manage PCOS symptoms, and; 3) for preventative health.
The recommended workouts for those with PCOS are low-impact like weight lifting, walking and yoga, so I’m currently focused on walking, yoga and strength training – that’s where Tonal comes in, so let’s get into it!
About The Tonal Home Gym
It’s not a fitness mirror. This comes up a lot so I wanted to address it head on. Based on its appearance, I can see where the confusion comes from, but it’s a bit different than the workout mirrors I’ve seen.
While it does have a slightly reflective surface, it’s not just trainers on a screen leading a workout. The primary feature of the Tonal Home Gym is digital weight.
It goes up to 200 pounds, but feels a little heavier due to resistance. Think of the digital weight system like you would a cable machine at the gym that you can do a ton of different moves on by adjusting the arms, attachments and weight
We only docked off a half point for cost (see full review for a cost breakdown), but the pros outweigh the cons for Whimsy Editor Taylor. She specifically loves that Tonal gives her no excuses as she prioritizes health and stress management.
The primary selling points of the smart home gym are:
- You don’t have to leave your home to workout (in turn, you have no commute, no gym, no waiting for machines, and no excuses).
- It’s pretty sleek looking, and doesn’t take up a lot of space.
- You get personalized training with a bunch of features and metrics that help guide you.
It’s almost like having a personal trainer walking you through the movements, providing form feedback and pushing you to lift more on top of the actual Tonal Coach on the screen!
Tonal Workouts
While Tonal is mostly centered around strength training, there’s a lot of different workout types available: barre, bootcamp, boxing, cardio, dance cardio, yoga, mobility, strength and more.
Most incorporate the digital weight, some don’t, but all are led by Tonal Coaches. Each Coach is super unique in their training styles so you can pick a fave that you align with best, or depending on your mood.
On top of the Coach-led workouts, Tonal sets the weight for you based on an initial strength assessment and ongoing assessments as you continue to use it. There’s also different features enabled in different moves/workouts that help adjust the weight like you might in a typical gym environment:
- Form Feedback: As you perform reps, Tonal analyzes your movement to provide feedback like: “Drive your hips further back to get lower if possible,” and “Lower yourself slower and with control.”
- Spotter Mode: A safety feature that mimics your gym buddy. It automatically senses when you’re struggling, and temporarily reduces the weight so you can finish the set.
- Burnout Mode: Replicates drop sets in which you do a set until you’re tired and gradually reduces the weight until you fail.
- Smart Flex: Gives you a little boost by increasing the weight at the strongest phase of the move (i.e. the beginning and end), but lightens in the weakest phase (right in the middle!).
- Chains Mode: This feature mimics actual chains by getting heavier as you lift and lighter as you go down.
- Eccentric Mode: Based on eccentric training, it increases the resistance during the eccentric phase of exercises/movements/reps and removes it during the concentric phase.
Plus workouts are customizable. You can see all the moves in the workout before starting, and if you see something that you don’t want to do (like due to injury or you just hate it), you can swap it for another.
There’s also Custom Workouts where you can build your own workout in the Tonal app by selecting different moves from the library to build blocks. It will show you a demo of each move, count your reps and everything you get from a normal workout.
Tonal Programs
I personally like someone telling me what to do when it comes to working out, so I like signing up for Tonal Programs.
These are guided multi-week programs that let you choose a track created by experts and Tonal Coaches to meet your goals like bulking up, getting lean or improving general fitness or mobility.
When you sign up for a program, you can set up what days you want to workout, or just walk up to your workout preloaded on your home screen. It takes all the thinking out of your workout.
Tonal Filters
This is probably the thing I use most on the Tonal. Hit explore and workouts/programs on the Tonal or the Tonal app, then filters. You can filter by:
- Type: This is the type workout (barre, strength, dance HIIT etc.) and there’s too many to list them all!
- Format: The different formats like Live and Classic (pre-recorded).
- Coach: Like choose your fighter, but it’s Tonal Coaches.
- Primary Goal: The options here are Get Lean, Build Muscle and Improve Fitness.
- Training Goal: The above with a little more oomph to the above like Endurance and Weight Loss.
- Duration: I love this one!! Workouts vary from 15 minutes or less to 41 minutes or more.
- Body Region: Another one I use a lot to choose between: Upper Body, Core, Lower Body and Full Body.
- Level: Probably my favorite. You can choose between: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced.
- Muscle Group: This one is pretty cool. Tonal actually tells you your “muscle readiness” based on the workouts you’ve completed on Tonal, and you can select muscle groups that are still fresh!
Official Tonal Community
The Official Tonal Community is just what it sounds like. It’s a Facebook Group of Tonal members to get inspiration, share their progress, ask questions and build community.
It’s actually a great way to do your research on Tonal. You’ll get insight from members – the good and the bad. Seriously, they don’t hold back!
Tonal Home Gym Review
Before jumping into the nitty gritty, I want to share the thing I appreciate most about Tonal. It’s the primary reason I felt okay about writing this review, and accepting a job at the fitness company.
Tonal doesn’t use weight loss as a selling/marketing tactic, and it could so easily. The Official Tonal Community is chock full of Tonal success stories.
Not all, but many of which revolve around weight loss. And I just love that Tonal isn’t playing into the narrative or social pressure, rather focusing on health and being your strongest.
Now let’s get into it. I tried to focus on what to look for when purchasing home fitness equipment, and the inherent differences of Tonal when making a home gym.
For the sake of the review, I’m going to compare Tonal to a cable machine a lot since it has similar versatility in regards to the kind of workout you get in.
Quality, Durability & Maintenance
These are some of the key things when it comes to purchasing big fitness equipment to create a home gym. The quality and durability of Tonal is pretty top notch. I’m not an expert, but when I compare it to buying a cable machine, it’s a lot cuter, takes up WAY less space and it definitely doesn’t feel cheap.
I’ve only had my Tonal for about a year, and I believe it’s refurbished since I’ve got it on loan as part of my benefits… but no issues in regards to durability. I’m not lifting too heavy, but my husband does and we’ve never had any concerns.
As for maintenance, we haven’t done much, other than wiping down the screen from all the sweaty fingerprints. Tonal does offer a limited warranty with purchase, but you can also add on an extended warranty through their partnership with Extend. So if you do need repairs, you can!
Ease of Use
If you’ve watched videos online, the ease of use is probably the most talked about. However, there is a learning curve to adjusting the arms even with the indicators that pop on the screen. I still pause to think about what I’m doing sometimes, but the Coaches provide good directions too.
Otherwise, I would agree it’s incredibly easy to use, especially when compared to a cable machine or free weights. It automatically loads the weight for you, and adjusting the weight is so much easier.
The guided workouts are easy to follow, and with the smart accessories, you can set up for the movement, and just click on the weight. I mentioned earlier that I like being told what to do when it comes to working out, and the Tonal does it all for you.
Safety
When it comes to safety, Tonal is like any other piece of gym equipment, you have to use it correctly. You’ve got spotter mode, and auto weight off (which turns off the weight if you hold still after a set number of seconds) plus good safety instructions right when you turn it on.
What are the pros of Tonal?
- Convenience: The BEST thing about Tonal in my opinion, convenience. I’m a big fan of the book Atomic Habits that’s all about building habits and systems that stick. And Tonal hits all the bases of its laws of behavior change: make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy and make it satisfying. We don’t have easy access to a gym in our new home in Texas. Literally would have to drive 10-30 minutes, so it’s perfect for our situation. Plus it’s less intimidating than going to a gym or a studio. Not to mention, you can wear whatever you want. All that to say, it saves SO MUCH TIME of commuting, and waiting for gym equipment in a typical gym environment.
- Personalized Training: I already talked about this, but there’s a wide range of workouts to fit your needs: on demand classes, live classes and more added all the time. One important thing for my fitness journey is Tonal pushes you. It adds weight to help you push yourself and get stronger. Something I don’t do so much at the gym… I never really knew when to add more when working out on my own.
- Versatility: This is one my husband added. Speaking of, he’s the most skeptical when it comes to things like this. He loves going to the gym, and doesn’t like to spend money. So embracing the Tonal was a big thing for him, and he likes it because you can do whatever moves/workouts you want. He likes the guided workouts, but is more drawn to replicating his gym workouts using Custom Workouts.
- Compact: I can’t say this enough because we live in a fairly small space, especially when it comes to Texas. The Tonal takes barely any space at all. Practically none when compared to a traditional home gym. It’s sleek and visually appealing so I don’t mind it in my living room.
What are the cons of Tonal?
- Cost: The number one con of Tonal is cost. It’s not cheap, and I totally get it if that’s what defers you from purchasing. For me, I understand why it costs what it does, and I am biased in the sense I’ve got on one loan as part of my benefits. I’ve broken down my thoughts on it below if I were to purchase one.
- Anti-social: Another one from my husband. We’re homebodies as is, but in his words, the Tonal “limits our exposure to the outside world.” You don’t need to go anywhere, so we don’t. Might not be a problem for everyone, but definitely worth mentioning! Tonal does have a community aspect to it. You can even do group workouts!
Final Thoughts: Is Tonal gym worth it?
All-in-all, yes. I think I actually convinced myself even more so while writing this review… By comparing it to a full cable machine that costs at least around $2,000, and factor in the space saving design, smart features and guided workouts, it’s well worth the cost of Tonal.
At the time of publishing, the Tonal costs $3,995 and $495 for smart accessories. That’s a lot of money! I remember all my friends buying Pelotons in the midst of the pandemic, and I thought it was too expensive.
But I know a lot of people financed with things like Affirm, which Tonal also offers! That said, I know buying something like a Tonal is a total privilege that not everyone can afford – and if that’s the case, check out Whimsy Writer Margaret’s 14 Best Online Fitness Classes When You Want To Quit Your Gym.
Here’s how I think about the investment in Tonal, and it’s a really personal choice:
- If you’re interested in Tonal, you’re likely looking at home gyms which Tonal is equal, if not less, than the cost of solid gym equipment. So the question really is: is a home gym worth it? And that really depends on your circumstances.
- Now if you compare Tonal to hiring a personal trainer, sessions can range from $50-250. Most I’ve seen are on the higher end. If you have 3 sessions per week at $100 per session, that’s $15,600 for a year.
- Getting a gym membership like Planet Fitness isn’t really that comparable for me. Since it’s just access to a gym/equipment, and not as much expertise. For me, it’s comparable to OrangeTheory. I used to pay about $180 per month for unlimited classes. That’s $2,160 a year which is technically less than Tonal, but without the convenience of on demand workouts. Just depends on what you’re looking for!
Is Tonal worth it for beginners?
Yes! I think a lot of beginners overlook the Tonal when they see professional athletes like LeBron James and Serena Willams, and think I’m nowhere near that level.
I think Tonal is great for beginners because it takes the pressure off visiting a gym and not knowing what to do. You can workout in the safety of your home with guided workouts.
Is Tonal worth the hype?
Based on the responses to this question in the Official Tonal Community, it’s a resounding yes.
Tonal FAQs
Is Tonal worth it without the subscription?
Yes, and no. Without the subscription, Tonal defaults to a really nice cable machine. You can still do a lot, but miss out on building Custom Workouts and guided workouts from the Coaches.
Can you really build muscle with Tonal?
Yes! Take a peek at the Official Tonal Community for a ton of success stories and progress photos. It’s really inspiring, and not always centered around weight loss, but getting stronger!
How much does a Tonal home gym cost?
At the time of publishing, the Tonal Smart Home Gym costs $3,995 and $495 for smart accessories (Tonal smart handles, smart bar etc.).
If you’re considering purchasing Tonal, I hope this review gives you what you’re looking for! I tried to be as thorough as possible, and answer all the questions I had when I first heard of it.
What’s The Best Workout Outfits?
We love Girlfriend Collective for leggings and bras overall, but here’s some of the clothing and accessories our team is loving right now!
Have more questions? Drop them in the comments below, or DM me on Instagram @taylormgrantham where I’m trying to post more about my fitness journey with Tonal!
We only docked off a half point for cost (see full review for a cost breakdown), but the pros outweigh the cons for Whimsy Editor Taylor. She specifically loves that Tonal gives her no excuses as she prioritizes health and stress management.
2 comments
I completely agree with your review of the Tonal home gym! I’ve been using it for a few weeks now and have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, the quality of the workouts is top-notch and the machine learning adapts to your fitness level so you’re always challenged. On the other hand, I find the design of the machine to be a bit awkward and uncomfortable to use, especially during long workouts. Overall, I think it’s a great option for those who are serious about their fitness but may not be the best choice for everyone. Thanks for sharing your honest review!
Yay! So glad you’re loving your Tonal! It’s a bit investment, but definitely worthwhile for maintaining a good workout routine 💪