Skip to main content

Best Buy focuses on fitness with new range of high-tech gym equipment

Getting fit may be the last thing on your mind when you’re wandering aimlessly around a Best Buy store, but the big-box retailer is hoping to change all that with the launch of a new collection of connected fitness equipment in dedicated sections inside 100 of its U.S. stores.

The new fitness spaces will launch this year and include products such as exercise bikes and rowing machines from various equipment makers.

With many fitness equipment purchases quickly becoming little more than dust-gathering ornaments, Best Buy has decided to select items that virtually connect you with “world-class fitness trainers” to help you “stay motivated, have fun, and get the most out of [your] workout.”

Within the new collection, you’ll find, for example, the Flywheel Home Bike from Flywheel Sports, which offers an indoor cycling experience with livestreamed, on-demand classes from qualified instructors based around the country.

NormaTec, meanwhile, offers the Pulse 2.0 Recovery System, described as a “dynamic compression recovery system trusted by more than 97 percent of professional sports teams and elite athletes.” The attachment, which is worn on the arms or legs, works to increase blood circulation and reduce pain and soreness, thereby helping athletes to warm up for activities and recover when they’re done.

Hydrow has a connected rowing machine “that brings a real-life rowing experience to the living room,” while NordicTrack offers various connected treadmills and studio cycles that come with iFit, an interactive and personalized training system that aims to help you stay motivated.

Finally, from Hyperice you’ll find various tech-driven recovery products — among them percussion devices and fitness rollers — designed to speed up muscle recovery and enhance mobility.

To give its new in-store fitness spaces the best chance of succeeding, Best Buy is staffing them with specially trained advisers to answer questions and aid purchasing decisions.

“We know there’s a growing intersection between fitness and technology, and no one knows tech like we do,” Jason Bonfig, Best Buy’s chief merchandising officer, said in a release. “We’ve promised our customers we’ll help enrich their lives, including their health and wellness, by using technology.”

Customers who can’t make it to a Best Buy store can also buy the products from its online store, the company said.

If Best Buy’s new push into fitness has your withering muscles twitching in excitement at the idea of embarking on a new (possibly your first ever) fitness regime, then be sure to also check out Digital Trends’ carefully considered suggestions for other smart fitness gadgets.

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Macy’s enters new territory with Best Buy partnership to sell, gasp, electronics
macys black friday glitch macy s

What do you do when your business falls upon hard times? Shut down and rebrand, if you're taking a page out of Macy's handbook that is. When it comes to the venerable giant and its traditional approach to the retail of apparel, handbags, and home good items, Macy's is leaving its tried and true department store identity behind in favor of a new partnership with Best Buy.

No longer will you only be able to buy boots and bedding at Macy's -- now you'll also find consumer electronics in their stores. By combining forces, these two storefronts hope that they'll somehow find a way to remain relevant in an age driven increasingly by e-commerce and free two-day shipping.

Read more
Huawei finds its niche with the sporty Watch GT Runner
Huawei Watch GT Runner on wrist.

By focusing on a specific niche, Huawei may have found an audience for its latest smartwatch, the Watch GT Runner. It’s a spinoff of Huawei’s classier Watch GT 3 smartwatch, but as the new watch’s name suggests, it's targeted squarely at runners.

It’s a technically impressive bit of hardware, and the software is very good, so when you consider it as an alternative to other running watches, the Huawei idiosyncrasies that frustrate on the Watch GT 3 become less of a problem here. I've been trying it out and here are my thoughts.
A light touch
The Huawei Watch GT Runner is light -- just 51 grams with the very flexible silicone strap -- and that makes it comfortable to wear all day. The 46mm case is quite big, but at 11mm thick, it never feels that ungainly. For comparison, the new 47mm Garmin Fenix 7 weighs 79 grams and is nearly 15mm thick. The lightness comes from the polymer fiber case, which is given some visual appeal with a ceramic bezel and titanium crown. It’s also worth noting the huge amount of adjustment on the strap that allows it to be worn both under and over clothing.

Read more
Do you need a smart toothbrush?
Oral-B iO Series 9 Smart Toothbrush in hand

When will we come to a time when every accessory in our home is smart? Is there a limit to what should actually be smart? Let's talk about a category that may not be what you traditionally think of as a smart device -- the toothbrush.

I'm all for having smarter health products and having the best technology in our hygiene products (like bidets), but I've not put a lot of thought into how, or why, my toothbrush is smart. It's time to dive in and see if it's even worth it.

Read more