Review: Can the Fiture Fitness Mirror Replace a Personal Trainer?

Can a mirror help you get better results? That’s what Fiture, which is billed as the “ultimate fitness mirror,” would have you believe. Fitness mirrors came to the market pre-COVID, but they hit their stride when gyms closed down, and everyone hunted for motivating home workouts. These relatively compact mirrors include a subscription to an accompanying app, where you can access workouts that range from meditation and yoga to boxing and barre. 

The Fiture Fitness Mirror is a newcomer to this category, and the company gave me a chance to try one out. As a National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)-certified personal trainer and nutrition coach, I was intrigued by the device’s proprietary technology, which uses motion sensors to correct form in real time. Much of my fitness work revolves around writing about health, fitness, and nutrition, and I consult with private clients to develop fitness and nutrition plans that help them reach their goals. Teaching and reminding clients about proper form is one of the most important (and frequent) things I do. If the Fiture could help people maintain proper form when they’re not at the gym or working with a trainer, it could improve their results.

What is a Fiture Fitness Mirror?

Specs:
— Dimensions: 68 inches (frame) 60 inches (mirror) high by 23 inches wide by ⅙-inch deep
— Weight: 60 pounds
— Materials: Metal frame
— Frame Colors: Night, oasis, ocean, stardust, sunlight
— Display: 43 inches

Fiture joins workout mirrors that have been on the market since about 2018. Like other fitness mirrors, the Fiture isn’t cheap. Once you’ve bought the Fiture for $1,495, you also have to pay a $39 monthly subscription for access to the Fiture app. That’s on par with similar mirrors and apps. Tonal’s comes in at $49 per month and the Mirror’s at $39 per month. 

Fiture is a step ahead of the competition in two areas — their Motion Engine technology for real-time feedback and rep counting and its five finish options, which can complement a range of decors. To me, the real selling point is the Motion Engine technology, which uses motion sensors to track key points on the body. Several other fitness mirror makers are working on incorporating similar technology into their models. 

Fiture stokes your motivation by using a points system during its Motion Engine workouts to move you up the community leaderboard. It’s particularly effective for the one-minute challenges (more on that later.). Some workouts also include the option to add a second workout by simply waving your hand in front of the mirror. 

Compared to fitness mirrors already on the market, the Fiture is most like the Mirror in terms of accessories, class offerings, and price. Both the Fiture and the Mirror have a slim profile, can be hung or balanced against a wall, and have a growing number of classes. While Fiture currently offers more than 1,000 classes with new classes popping up regularly, the Mirror is ahead with over 10,000 classes. (That’s in part because it’s been on the market longer.) You can also create your own workout from the more than 1,000 moves in the Fiture library. 

The Fiture is also one of the slimmest designs, easily fitting into tiny spaces, which I discovered when I installed it in my 11-foot-12-foot home office. The Stardust finish (silver) of the model I tested worked perfectly in my somewhat industrial-inspired office decor. Fitness mirrors are designed to fit in with your home decor. The Fiture’s five finish choices ( Ocean, Stardust, Night, Sunshine, and Oasis) give you more options than any of the other models currently on the market. 

Setup for the Fiture Fitness Mirror

The Fiture arrives in a huge, heavy box. The company offers free unboxing and installation as part of the purchase. However, there were problems with my delivery. First, a truck broke down, and I got several calls to reschedule the delivery. After scheduling a new time, the delivery truck arrived at a completely different time, and I wasn’t at home. Luckily, someone else was at home, except they didn’t know that the unboxing was supposed to be done by the delivery people. I didn’t think unboxing myself would be a big deal until I saw the package. Let’s just say that I can see why it’s offered as part of the purchase.  

It was a puzzle to maneuver the mirror out of the layers of boxes and protective packaging. I did it with the help of my 15-year-old daughter, but it wasn’t easy. Once I had the mirror out of the box, though, all I needed to do was plug it in and follow the setup instructions on the app.   

You have the option of wall-mounted installation done by the delivery company or of setting the Fiture against the wall, which is what I did. Other than turning the mirror on and adjusting the volume, all the other controls are through the app. Connecting the app and getting an account setup was easy: the app and mirror offer prompts and walk you through the process. An added bonus is that you can add up to six people per subscription. I invited two of my family members (one on iOS and one on Android) to join the membership and get in on the fun.

Design

Compared to other mirrors, the Fiture is a heavy. At 68 inches tall by 23 inches wide by 1.6 inches deep, this mirror is taller than many of the other options avilable, but the width and depth are impressive. The minimalist design worked well in my home office and allowed me to use the space in a way I hadn’t before. 

All anchors and screws needed to secure the mirror are included, though Fiture suggests letting their professionals wall mount it. Fiture also recommends contacting them to schedule professionals to come in if you want to move a wall-mounted mirror, which could be irritating if you ever want to change your room layout. 

Fiture offers a single package, which includes the mirror, a magnetic camera cover, tilt anchor set, water bottle, heart-rate monitor, and two sets of resistance bands. You get everything that Fiture offers in that one package. Some of the competition offers a basic package that is a mirror only with progressively more expensive packages that include additional exercise equipment.

The Workouts

Fiture’s package equipped me well to start breaking a sweat. That said, some workouts require hand weights and/or a yoga mat, which are the only two items you may need that aren’t included in the package. However, there are plenty of workouts that don’t require any equipment at all.

The Fiture workouts target  total body fitness with options to focus on specific areas, like the arms, abs, or legs. Classes include HIIT, barre, boxing, yoga, Pilates, cardio sculpt, and stretching. You can also follow one of several programs, like a two-week boxing program or a three-week HIIT program. And there are weekly one-minute challenges in squats, reverse crunches, jumping jacks, thrusters, and star jumps. 

I loved the weekly challenges. (I might have gotten a little addicted to the weekly squat challenge.) They motivated me to the point that my legs were dying from doing so many squat challenges in a single week. As I was doing the squats, I could see my ranking moving up as I passed competitors. (And I’m still coming for you SeanIn60Seconds. Your 88 squats in a minute is my new goal!) 

I also appreciated the quality of the fitness instructors. They were knowledgeable, motivating, and creative with their movements. I particularly liked Lisa’s core classes, which reminded me a little of classic Jillian Michaels workouts. I tallied reps in many barre workouts with Molly, who became one of my favorites. On light days, I kept things chill by stretching with Rob, but when I needed to get some anger out, I hit boxing with Taylor. 

The variety of workout types, styles, intensities, and times was a huge bonus in my eyes. You can choose workouts based on time, area of the body you want to work out, or exercise type. All classes are on-demand. I snuck in 10 and 15-minute workouts all over the place, grabbing a core or arm workout during work breaks. 

That said, if you thrive on the energy of live classes like those offered through Peloton and a few other fitness app, you could be disappointed with the Fiture. However, all of the instructors are real people rather than avatars and do an excellent job of prepping you for the next movement in each sequence and explaining exercises, something I’ve seen lacking in other fitness apps.

I swapped fitness levels in my profile to see if that changed the classes I was offered. They weren’t. Some classes were labeled low or high intensity, but rather than offering different classes for different fitness levels, the instructors offered modifications to either increase or decrease the challenge.  

Where I really see users benefiting with the Fiture is the form correction. There’s a reason pro gyms are full of mirrors. So many people either don’t get the full benefit of their workout or injure themselves because of bad form. The Fiture let me see my form and offered helpful corrections via a message on the mirror’s display in the bottom left hand corner. Consistent form correction makes sure you’re activating the right muscles in the right movement patterns, and the Fiture successfully did that. 

However, the sensors weren’t perfect. Your rep count shows up near the top of the display below the workout progression bar and workout time, which are locked on top so you can always see them. There were times that my form didn’t change from rep to rep, yet some reps were counted and others were not. That was frustrating, especially if I was doing a challenge. I’m a competitive person, and I wanted to get to the top of the squat challenge leaderboard!

Health Monitoring

The Fiture app tracks workout statistics, including your lifetime, monthly, and weekly workout time, classes taken, and calories burned. You can also check out the class types you do most often and how much time you spend doing them. It provides a good overview of your workout history and where you might be lacking. For example, I tend to lean toward cardio workouts. By checking my Fiture stats, I noticed that I need to make sure to do at least two strength workouts each week. These kinds of stats help identify gaps and motivate you to keep working out. 

However, the Fiture isn’t necessarily designed to track your health metrics over time, like your heart rate, blood pressure, and weight. The heart rate monitor included with the Fiture isn't on par with the rest of the mirror’s quality, though it is handy for tracking your heart rate if you don’t already have a fitness tracker or smartwatch. The included monitor is a wrist strap with two hook and loop ends. The wrist monitor was too large for my wrists. (Part of that is that I have small wrists, even for a woman.) I managed to MacGyver it on, but it felt lightweight and cheap. 

When using the heart rate monitor, your heart rate shows up at the top of this display below the workout countdown. Unfortunately, the Fiture doesn’t offer warnings if your heart rate gets too high or low. It’s up to the user to know when the heart rate reaches a dangerous threshold.

Despite that, I liked being able to see my heart rate displayed on the mirror while I was working out. It matched my Garmin smartwatch, so it was on target, too. In addition, the Fiture can also connect to an Apple smartwatch, Bluetooth speakers, or headphones.

Who Should Buy the Fiture Fitness Mirror?

If you’re ready to give up your gym membership, but workout classes are your go-to exercise, the Fiture is for you. The price of the app is about what you’d pay for a mid-range gym membership, but you don’t have to drive to the gym or interact with anyone if you don’t want to. 

The Fiture is also a good option if you’d like the expertise of a personal trainer without paying for one.You do give up the personal interaction and customized workout feedback, but you get form correction, encouragement, and interaction through the leaderboard. The Fiture is also a good option if you’re low on extra space. It comes with minimal equipment and takes up very little space, but still offers challenging workouts. My small office that holds a couch, large desk, and bookshelf still had plenty of room for every workout.

I wouldn’t recommend the Fiture if you’re into heavy strength training. The strength workouts are excellent but use bodyweight, resistance bands, and dumbbells only. You can always use heavier dumbbells, but there are limits to the strength training you can do with this mirror. I also found that workouts felt more tailored to beginning and intermediate fitness levels than to advanced levels, except with yoga. I do yoga on the regular, and the yoga instructor was always beyond my abilities, even when I had the Fiture set to beginner. 

However, overall, the Fiture Fitness Mirror a good investment for the right person/family. Just make sure it fits within your budget, home, and fitness lifestyle before making the purchase.

This post was created by a non-news editorial team at Recurrent Media, Futurism’s owner. Futurism may receive a portion of sales on products linked within this post.