Tempo
Is This Your Business?Author: Kalicia Bateman
Tempo is an at-home fitness studio that provides personal training and fitness classes and comes with its own set of workout equipment, as well as storage.
Similar to a free-standing mirror, the Tempo Studio is a piece of furniture that weighs 100 pounds and stands at six feet tall, two feet and two inches wide, and a foot and four inches deep. It requires five feet of empty space in front of it for workouts.
Tempo members can use the Tempo Studio to access unlimited live and on-demand strength, HIIT, cardio, mobility, and recovery classes taught by experienced personal trainers. During Tempo classes, the studio can detect and correct exercisers’ forms and keep track of metrics such as how many reps they complete or how much weight they lift.
The studio itself costs $1,995 up front, while the Tempo membership costs an additional $39 per month. Tempo provides several financing options for the cost of the studio, with monthly payments made over 12-, 24-, or 36-month periods.
Each Tempo Studio home gym comes with a set of workout equipment, including:
- 7.5-pound stainless steel dumbbell (two)
- 25-pound stainless steel barbell (one)
- Collars (six)
- 10-pound rubber-coated plates (four)
- 5-pound rubber-coated plates (four)
- 2.5-pound rubber-coated plates (four)
- 1.25-pound rubber-coated plates (four)
- Heart rate monitor (one)
- Workout mat (one)
- Recovery roller (one)
Continue reading for more information about Tempo.
Top Ranked Companies
The Good
- Classes
- Trainers
- Analytics
- Refund and Warranty
Classes
Tempo has a library of hundreds of on-demand classes and also offers live classes every day, providing much more flexibility than the class schedule offered at the typical fitness center. Tempo members can access unlimited classes. The studio offers HIIT, mobility, cardio, strength, and recovery classes, all taught by experienced personal trainers, both live and on-demand.
- HIIT classes use workouts with quick bursts of intense exercise that get participants’ heart rates up.
- Mobility classes use exercises such as yoga to improve flexibility and quality of movement.
- Cardio classes use fast-paced, high-energy exercises to get participants’ heart rates as high as possible.
- Strength classes use heavier weights and active recovery periods to build muscle, bone density, and endurance.
- Recovery classes use static stretching, breathing exercises, and recovery rolling to help participants cool down from more intense workouts.
Trainers
A group of experienced personal trainers teach the live and on-demand classes Tempo offers. Each of Tempo’s advertised coaches is a certified personal trainer with the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Some of the other credentials Tempo coaches hold include training experience at Barry’s Bootcamp, a college football career, and representing their country internationally in handball.
Analytics
The Tempo Studio uses a 3D sensor to generate a 3D model of your body made up of 80,000 points, and 25 points of movement, and then uses that model to correct your form and provide metrics such as the number of reps you complete or the depth of your squat.
While the motion capture technology might raise some privacy concerns, those interested in Tempo should note that the technology captures only an unrecognizable skeleton, not any identifiable visuals or the inside of the home.
Refund and Warranty
While the cost of Tempo may be prohibitive for some, potential customers can take some comfort in Tempo’s refund policy and warranty.
Each new Tempo Studio is covered by a three-year limited warranty, ensuring that the warranty lasts at least as long as any customer might take to pay off the studio.
Furthermore, Tempo will fully refund any studio returned within 30 days, minus the return shipping costs.
The Bad
- Price and Contracts
Price and Contracts
The Tempo Studio costs $1,995, which is a pretty large up-front cost for many people. Tempo does provide financing options over 12, 24, or 36 months, and customers could qualify for payments as low as $55 per month for 36 months with $0 down. At $55 per month, Tempo is already more expensive than many of the top fitness centers.
However, there are additional costs beyond the price of the Tempo Studio. The Tempo membership, without which the Tempo Studio is essentially a very expensive storage unit for a set of workout equipment, costs $39 per month. There’s no access to Tempo’s classes without the membership, and Tempo’s personalized training features only work with its classes. Furthermore, Tempo requires a minimum commitment of 12 months for its membership, making its contracts less flexible than many of the best fitness centers.
Over one year, using Tempo costs a total of $2,463, or $205.25 per month. Spread over three years, Tempo costs a total of $3,399, or $94.42 per month. Of course, after the Tempo Studio is paid off, the only cost left is the $39 monthly membership fee, so the monthly cost would drop significantly after that point.
The Bottom Line
Tempo is a home gym that combines on-demand and live classes with personal training to help customers take their exercise to the next level. Tempo offers the convenience of at-home workouts with its home gym setup and on-demand classes, while its 3D sensor technology and advanced metrics provide the kind of advanced experience one might expect from a personal trainer. The Tempo Studio takes up only about three square feet of space, making it possible for most people to fit within their homes.
Tempo’s classes range from strength training to cardio to mobility classes, offering something for almost everyone. Furthermore, each class is taught by an experienced trainer with a range of certifications, including a certified personal trainer certification from the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Live classes offer the ability to receive direction and correction from Tempo’s trainers in real time, while on-demand classes provide flexibility unmatched by even 24-hour gyms — and AI-driven personalized training.
Tempo’s advanced analytics are a big draw to purchasing the home fitness studio. Tempo can track more than just a participant’s heart rate or steps taken; it can measure reps completed, tell someone when their form needs adjustment, and even suggest how much weight to lift, helping customers achieve their best workout possible. And furthermore, Tempo users can rest assured that the 3D sensors don’t capture any identifiable visuals, protecting their privacy.
The main drawback of Tempo is that the upfront cost can be prohibitively expensive. The studio itself costs $1,995, and without the monthly $39 membership, the studio is little more than a 100-pound storage system for a set of high-quality workout gear. Tempo does offer financing options for the studio, starting as low as $55 per month for 36 months. However, the total monthly cost of Tempo only begins to compare to that of the other top fitness centers after several years of use.
Those considering purchasing a Tempo Studio can rest assured that they can return the studio for a full refund for up to 30 days after the studio is delivered, and that the studio is covered by a three-year limited warranty.
Tempo is not the best choice for more casual gym-goers who are looking for somewhere to run on a treadmill for 30 minutes three times per week. While Tempo offers maximum convenience, those who work out infrequently or who are happy with their current workout routine probably won’t gain much from Tempo for the price.
The people who would be best served by Tempo are those who want advanced training but also the convenience of at-home workouts. For those who are seriously considering personal training, Tempo is likely a more affordable and convenient option.
