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Mar 13, 2024

Tempo's AI Generates Custom Strength Training Plans for 'Guaranteed' Gains

Pre-programmed workout videos are so last year. Tech-forward fitness company Tempo today debuted a new version of its app that uses ChatGPT-like generative AI and biometric data from your smartwatch

Pre-programmed workout videos are so last year. Tech-forward fitness company Tempo today debuted a new version of its app that uses ChatGPT-like generative AI and biometric data from your smartwatch to customize training plans and workout videos on the fly.

Rolling out to all users today in a free software update, the Tempo 2.0 iPhone app also features an AI-powered body composition measurement tool to help you monitor your starting point and progress. Tempo is so confident about its new AI personal training experience that it's guaranteeing results in four weeks.

Tempo 2.0 is available exclusively on iOS and is compatible with the Apple Watch and other smartwatches and fitness trackers that connect with Apple Health, including Garmin and Whoop. Tempo's membership costs $39 per month, or a little less if you commit to 12 months ($35 a month) or 24 months ($30 a month).

Tempo Cofounder and CEO Moawia Eldeeb and Head Coach Melissa Boyd gave me a demo of the new experience over Zoom last week, and it's a pretty big deal. Tempo already uses computer vision and AI to suggest the appropriate weight you should be lifting for each move, count your reps, and offer real-time form feedback, but the latest version of its app promises truly individualized training plans and workouts that take the guesswork out of making gains. Read on for details of Tempo 2.0.

To assess your starting point, the Tempo 2.0 experience starts with an optional in-app 3D body composition scan. While wearing close-fitting clothing, you stand in front of your iPhone with the Tempo app open at a distance so your full body is in view of the front-facing camera, then follow the prompts to complete the scan. During the Zoom demo, Boyd, wearing a sports bra and yoga pants, first stood facing the phone with her arms away from her body, then slowly spun around.

Using the iPhone's depth-sensing camera, the app takes 150 photos in less than 60 seconds, then reconstructs your body in 3D, Eldeeb said. At the same time, it uses AI to analyze your figure and calculate biometrics like your body fat percentage, lean mass, and muscle circumference.

Tempo claims its app-based body composition measurement tool is as accurate as a DXA scan, which typically requires a visit to a lab and costs about $100. The company isn't necessarily recommending you take the scan in your underwear, but Eldeeb says tight clothes are necessary for accuracy.

During the demo, I noticed that Tempo's body scan offers separate measurements for your left and right biceps, meaning it can potentially help identify muscular imbalances in the body. If you have an imbalance in your biceps, Eldeeb says the system may ask for more reps on your weaker side. In this case, it may also de-prioritize barbell moves, which may exacerbate the problem, in favor of dumbbell exercises.

Tempo newbies will set a strength training goal and take a baseline class so the app can determine your starting weight recommendations. All Tempo training plans are designed for full-body training, but you can optimize for a focus area like biceps, triceps, or quads if you want, Eldeeb says.

Each time you open the Tempo 2.0 app, it will check biometric data from your connected smartwatch, including your heart rate and sleep quality, to calculate a Readiness Score and determine your body's training needs. Your Readiness Score also takes into account your heart rate variability (HRV, an indicator of stress and recovery) and your recent fitness activity (including Tempo workouts and other tracked sessions). Some wearables don't offer HRV data, but Eldeeb says Tempo can calculate this metric as long as it has your sleep and heart rate data.

Here's the cool part: Based on your Readiness Score, Tempo's AI adapts your training plan in real-time, generating a recommended workout for that day and ChatGTP-like text with personalized insights.

"The right workout should be built for you, it should never be pre-programmed," Eldeeb said.

If your Readiness Score is high, the app's generative AI might level up your weight recommendations, for instance suggesting 15 pounds for a certain move instead of your usual 10 pounds. On the other hand, if you already went for a run that day or your overall Readiness Score is low, it might add extra time for rest breaks. If you miss a workout, it will adjust your plan accordingly to help you stay on track to achieve your goal.

Tempo is also promising a more dynamic in-workout experience, featuring "reactive personalized guidance to help maximize the effort you put into working out."

In the past, I've praised Tempo's trainers for providing ample rest between sets, a necessity when strength training. Now, the duration and frequency of breaks will depend on your heart rate (via your connected tracker). If your pulse is still elevated after a prescribed rest, Tempo will give you more time and only resume the workout when your ticker reaches the target, Eldeeb says.

Tempo is also introducing a feature called Reps in Reserve that will ask you to select how many additional reps you think you could have done at the end of a set (0, 1 to 2, 3 to 4, or 5+). The company says it will use this information to adjust your weight recommendations in the next round. I hope Tempo doesn't make answering mandatory after every set, because I can see that getting annoying.

Tempo's AI will then be able to dynamically adjust your rep targets based on your actual rep count and your Reps in Reserve. If, for instance, it sees you do 14 reps instead of the 12 prescribed, it will push you harder on the next set. If it notices you're lifting a lower weight than prescribed, it may add reps to your set. If your heart rate doesn't spike when it should, it will push you harder.

As part of this update, Tempo is also expanding its range of motion tracking, which will now be available across most exercises for both the upper and lower body, Eldeeb says. This feature is meant to help you reach an optimal depth and increase your time under tension when performing each exercise.

The new Tempo 2.0 experience comes with guaranteed results, so long as you put in the work.

"Tempo guarantees that if users stick to their program for four weeks, they will see results, as evidenced by an increase in the weight they’re able to lift and/or the volume of reps they’re able to complete for a particular exercise," Tempo says. "If they choose to complete a body scan at the beginning and end of their four-week program, they should also be able to see a difference in lean muscle mass and body composition."

Eldeeb said he's still working out details of the guarantee, but if you adhere to the plan and don't get results after a month, the company will do "whatever makes you happy as a user."

Tempo has been one of the leading tech-forward fitness companies since its debut in 2020, with its Studio and Move products both earning high marks in our reviews. We are excited to check out the new Tempo 2.0 experience, so stay tuned for more.

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