There is something about a home-gym that is appealing not just to fitness heads, but regular people as well. Let’s be honest, it has popped up in our heads, how convenient would it be to have a full-blown gym at home. But is it really cost-effective?
On the long-term it might be, but if you’re exercising the idea of making a gym at your home, you have to be ready for a hefty initial payment. So, if making your own gym is so pricy, is there another solution? Well, something came across my desk, that is probably one of the most interesting and bizarre things I have seen in a while.
Meet Tonal, FORME Life, and JaxJox. What are these? They’re so called “home-gym” systems, which their main mission is to give their customers a whole gym straight out of the gate. They’re revolutionary.
Albeit, they’re still a bit pricy, but compared to an old-fashioned gym, they’re pretty cost-effective. Plus, you do get the added benefit of professional help on your fitness journey. You can think of these as personal trainers and gyms in one!
There are things which differentiate Tonal, FORME Life, and JaxJox. So, to help you decide on which one is for you, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison between the three below.
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What Are Tonal, FORME Life & JaxJox?
It’s simple. All three have a huge screen, from which you can access some sort of workout sessions. Whether that be cardio, HIIT, resistance training, yoga, weight-training, and so much more. After the type of workout has been chosen, a personal trainer will appear on the screen, guiding you throughout the entirety of the workout. Pretty neat.
There are additional things which add to the uniqueness of these products. In some cases, they have points systems, determining how well you did a workout, vitals tracking, calories burned tracking, just to name a few.
But are these just for bodyweight workouts? Is it just the screen or some other equipment?
There is other equipment that will come with your device, like weights, metal arms with cables for pulling and pushing motions, and more. So, these aren’t just a gimmick, but a real and serious starter home-gym!
Table of Contents
- What Are Tonal, FORME Life & JaxJox?
- In-Depth Comparison – Tonal VS FORME Life VS JaxJox
- How Does Each Home-Gym Work? – Tonal VS FORME Life VS JaxJox
- Tonal’s Mechanism
- JaxJox’s Mechanism
- Which Is the Most Practical? – Tonal VS FORME Life VS JaxJox
- Tonal Review
- FORME Life Studio Lift Review
- JaxJox Interactive Studio Review
- Head-To-Head Comparison
- Tonal or FORME Life?
- Tonal VS JaxJox – Which Is the Better Home-Gym?
- FORME Life VS JaxJox – Which One to Get?
- The Verdict: Tonal VS FORME Life VS JaxJox – Most Effective Home-Gyms
In-Depth Comparison – Tonal VS FORME Life VS JaxJox
For those that want to quickly overview what some of the key differences to these home-gyms are, we made an in-depth comparison below:
| Home Gym Comparsion Tonal vs Forme Life vs JaxJox |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workouts | Yoga, Pilates, Barre, Meditation & Resistance Training | Yoga, Pilates, Barre, Cardio, Mindfulness & Resistance Training | Yoga, Recovery, Cardio, Mobility & Strength Training |
| Price | $49 per month or $2,995 plus $495 for the Smart Accessories (12-month minimum commitment) | $39 per month or $4,495 (no commitment) | $39 per month or $2,199 (with commitment) |
| Size | 50” x 22” | 70” x 26” | 77” x 31.8” |
| Specifications | Full HD 24-inch display (no mirror) Front-facing 5MP Camera Touch-Sensitive Display | Ultra HD 43-inch display – 4K (with mirror) Two Front-Facing 12MP Cameras Touch-Sensitive Display Voice Control Live Workouts | Full HD 43-inch display with adjustments (no mirror) Bluetooth Sound bar Touch-Sensitive Display |
| Website |
All in all, they’re pretty different, despite the it looking as though they’re relatively the same. The price difference is notable, so from the three, we have a budget option, a mid-range option, and a high-end option.
As for the workout types, they aren’t much different, and there is a good chance that you will get the same results with each one.
How Does Each Home-Gym Work? – Tonal VS FORME Life VS JaxJox
By how they work, we’re specifically interested as to what mechanisms each home-gym adopts, to provide an infrastructure for efficient workouts. Tonal and FORME Life, are similar in this regard, while JaxJox adopts a different style altogether.
Since most will probably use the system daily, it makes sense to know how their mechanisms work, and why they make sense, or don’t.
Tonal’s Mechanism
Tonal’s system is quite simple. There are two arms that come out of the device, which can be used for a whole variety of exercises. There are addons which connect to the end of the arms, and then, you either push or pull depending on the exercise.
Basically, cables come out of the machine, and they’re able to give at least 200lb of force, or 100lb on each arm respectively. The arms are adjustable in a multitude of ways, so there is a huge assortment of workouts that can be done using the Tonal home-gym.
Because of the nature of the device’s arms, the Tonal home-gym must be wall mounted on a sturdy wall, as there are a lot of pulling and pushing motions.
FORME Life’s Mechanism
We touched on the fact that Tonal’s and FORME Life’s mechanisms are quite similar earlier. Like the Tonal home-gym, FORME Life has two arms that come out from the sides of the device, which can establish at least 150lb of variable force, meaning 150lb of force total on both arms.
The arms cannot be slid up and down like the Tonal home-gym, but interestingly enough, we didn’t find that many exercises that couldn’t be done because of that. Additionally, since the arms are situated in one place, we have to admit that FORME Life’s arms feel much sturdier than the other brands on the market.
There are tons of addons that come with the device, and there is no shortage of exercises that can be done with the FORME Life system. Plus, there are much more features on the FORME Life gym, for which, we will go into detail later.
JaxJox’s Mechanism
While the JaxJox home-gym doesn’t have any arms going out from the device, we got to admit, for the lower price, there is not much at loss here.
There are multiple things which are included in the home-gym like: 100lbs worth of dumbbells, 12-14lbs of kettlebells, a push-up device that targets four muscle groups, and a roller with five vibration intensity levels. I haven’t even heard of a vibrating roller until I came across JaxJox’s one. But back to the topic at hand, the point is, that there are quite a number of stuff you’re getting for your cash with JaxJox.
The weights for the dumbbells and kettlebells are adjustable as well. So, the progression curve that JaxJox gives is quite impressive. There are sensors and trackers on the weights as well, that track your every move!
When it comes to quality, the JaxJox weights seem out of this world, or at least on par, or even better than the ones you would find in an actual gym.
The screen is adjustable too, which is something that the other two lack. It can be adjusted in landscape or portrait mode.
Which Is the Most Practical? – Tonal VS FORME Life VS JaxJox
There is a reason why we’re particularly interested in which one is the most practical. It is mainly because, since this is a home-gym, and thus, goes into your home, there is a chance that you have a finite amount of space that you can dedicate to your home-gym, which is understandable.
In size, JaxJox’s home-gym is the biggest, since it has stands and holders for dumbbells, kettlebells, rollers, and more. While the other two are wall mounted, and are pretty thin once they’re up against a wall. So, Tonal and FORME Life look more and take as much space as a regular TV.
There is another thing that one has in this list, that the other two lack. That is, a mirror.
This adds to practicality and it is much easier to find a spot for it, since it can be repurposed as a mirror as well. The only one that has a mirror display in this list is FORME Life.
We were surprised to see that only FORME Life adopts this style, as these three are rather premium devices in the home-gym industry.
Tonal Review
Tonal is the most well-renowned home-gym in this list.
The amount of workout that are available on the Tonal, and the versatility you get with the arms mechanism is nothing short of spectacular. What we found as a downside with Tonal though, is the design.
Sure, it may have looked futuristic and sleek a few years ago, but now it looks quite dated compared to FORME Life, or even JaxJox. These two do set a pretty high bar in terms of design, but still, we would love a new design in the future by Tonal.
Other than that, it does it job quite nicely. It is the whole package, and it is the mid-range choice from this list, which makes it excellent price-to-performance.
Again, it uses cables to create force, and even though the arms are a bit ‘plasticky’, it does not make a lot of racket, like some of the similar cable machines you would find at the local gym. That is not to say that it does not make some noise though. In fact, it is a bit louder than FORME Life, but well enough in the boundaries of what would be considered normal.
If you’re looking to get into fitness with the Tonal home-gym, then take into account the following pros and cons:
PROS
- A lot of addons for the device
- Tons of exercises and workouts
- Multiple people can exercise
- Great price-to-performance
- 200lbs of force
CONS
- Dated look
- No live workouts at the time of writing
- Cables might be an inconvenience while working out
FORME Life – Studio Lift Review
Now, with FORME Life, the greatest feature for me at least, and I’m guessing for many out there, is the fact that it can be multi-purposed. It can be a mirror while not in use, then turn into a pretty sick gym once activated. This means, the possibility to put it in something like a bedroom isn’t off the table. Those that live in flats, or in smaller apartments, might consider this pretty neat.
Moreover, it doesn’t have that dated look like the Tonal gym. While that might be a bit subjective, on average, people like the FORME Life’s design much better than Tonal.
It works on the same infrastructure as Tonal, and since that is the case, there is no shortage of workouts that can be done using the machine. Furthermore, it has a 4K display in the mirror, which is nothing short of miraculous. Plus, it has two front-facing cameras of 12MP, and a voice control option.
The voice control does help while working out, since it is much easier than using the actual screen itself. Additionally, it has live classes, which aren’t that big of a deal, since there is still a lot of on-demand workouts, but it does set it apart from the other two.
There are two models. Either the Studio, which is only the display without the arms, and the Studio Lift, which has two arms on the sides. We’re using the Studio Lift for reference, as it is the closest to Tonal and JaxJox. People can get the regular model – The Studio, which is more affordable, but you do lose a lot on practicality and the amount of exercises that can be done.
If you’re looking to go the high-end option, or rather go with FORME Life, then consider the following positives and negatives:
PROS
- Sleek design
- Multi-purpose – Mirror & ScreenA lot of products available
- Two front-facing cameras
- 4K Display
- Live classes
- Voice control
CONS
- Expensive
- Installation not included in the price
- Arms don’t slide up and down
JaxJox – Interactive Studio Review
Now, there are many people that are much more lenient toward the classic weights. Instead of cables, real weight, and that is ultimately what JaxJox is offering.
Aside from the fact that this is a whole home-gym setup, the individual weights and equipment of JaxJox is very impressive. Something revolutionary to say the least. The weights can be easily be adjusted with minimal effort, and all kettlebells, dumbbells, rollers, and push-up devices, are of the highest quality.
The way that JaxJox has managed to replace six kettlebells, fifteen dumbbells, and four push-up muscle group focused variants, with a few pieces of gear is very impressive. The design is also exceptional, and probably the best under the circumstances, since JaxJox’s Interactive Studios has quite a few pieces of equipment.
While this might be appealing to many, it does take up a bit more space than the other two. It is not wall mounted and slim as the other two, and it looks like a serious workout machine. Albeit, the other two grew substantially in size, once you open up the arms.
The JaxJox Interactive Studio sets anyone up for a serious weight-lifting career. The point is, the progression curve is huge, and the option to upgrade your gym in the future with other weights and equipment is still there.
Although, if you’re lenient towards JaxJox, there are a few pros and cons that you should look into, some which are already obvious:
PROS
- AI Form Checker
- Variability when it comes to which other equipment and products will come with your home-gym
- Soundbar
- Actual weights
- The screen is adjustable
CONS
- There is a limit to how heavy the equipment gets, and it is not as high as the other two
- Enormous in size
- Not as thin and as sleek as the other brands
Head-to-Head Comparison
To dig a bit deeper, we decided to put each one against each other. If you’re leaning towards to particular home-gyms, this would be a great way to see which of those will be a good fit for you, since every matchup will be covered below.
Tonal or FORME Life?
Tonal and FORME Life are quite similar. One thing which differentiates them is the fact that you can also get the basic package from FORME Life, which comes with no arms. So, heavy-lifting exercises cannot be done through it.
It is fair to mention also, that FORME Life could be considered the more ‘luxury’ option.
For starters, the design is much sleeker, and the fact that you can use it as a mirror also, really does help, not to mention, looking at your juicy gains or progress while working out. The latter I would say is a big plus.
Furthermore, the specs are much more favorable towards FORME Life. Coming in with an Ultra-HD display, two 12MP cameras, voice control, and live classes. Considerably better than Tonal.
But won’t Tonal do its job? Yes, easily.
It is the budget option, but in terms of the quality of the workouts, it is more or less in the same lines. It all comes down to whether you want FORME Life for the design, and the fact that it is a mirror also, or you want something which will do its job, at a much smaller price tag.
Tonal VS JaxJox – Which Is the Better Home-Gym?
I would say that the question isn’t which home-gym is better, but rather, what are you aiming for?
If only getting and keeping in shape is your primary goal, and by which means you achieve that doesn’t matter to you, then Tonal is an overall better choice. For what you get, it is much more cost effective, it doesn’t take up space, and it is simply good at what it does.
However, one thing which JaxJox’s infrastructure provides is more versatility and an upgrade path.
Moreover, if you’re particularly a fitness head, then you might strive to creating the gym of your dreams. In that case, JaxJox has a lot of other products, or you can even use other brand products to add-on to your gym. As an initial purchase for a gym that will be upgraded in the future, JaxJox makes a lot of sense.
FORME Life VS JaxJox – Which One to Get?
As we’ve established thus far, FORME Life is much more compact, and since it is a mirror, it can be fitted in small spaces, or spaces in which you wouldn’t normally put a gym, like a bedroom for example.
The possibility is there, and FORME Life is all about that.
Nonetheless, if your primary goal is weight lifting, and you lean more towards using weights, then JaxJox is the only viable choice. For that price, it is hard to see what is the downside with JaxJox.
They have the same size of a screen, they’re both touch displays, and albeit, JaxJox isn’t a mirror, or a small device for that matter, but for a home-gym it is very special. So, between these two, it is all down to whether you want weight-training, or whether you want the convenience and practicality from FORME Life.
The Verdict: Tonal VS FORME Life VS JaxJox – Most Effective Home-Gyms
The future is here and here to stay. These, even though only popular in the last couple of years, have proven to be very effective at what they do, and that is: Poof a whole gym at your home.
Whatever your fitness goal might be, with all three home-gyms, you can reach it. But which one is for you?
If you’re a beginner, and want a rather smaller price tag since you’re unsure of your goals yet, well, Tonal is the best beginner option. Plus, you can modify your machine accordingly to make it do exercises like you want to.
You have a home-gym project, idea, or goal? You want a huge gym at your home? JaxJox is the best option for you, mostly because the equipment you already get with JaxJox can be repurposed later on, or the JaxJox system can be used with equipment that does not come from the Interactive Studio.
Lastly, if convenience and practicality is important to you, and you don’t have the necessary space to devote to a home-gym, then you’re in luck, since FORME Life is perfect for this. It is small, compact, and, it can be repurposed as a mirror.
Whatever the case may be, all three are very impressive, and we recommend trying all three of them, should you have the chance.
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