By Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Occasions
LOS ANGELES — The genius is aware of all. It is aware of my top, my weight, my hydration, my cardio stamina — even, regrettably, my physique’s visceral fats share. I’m standing on a bioelectrical impedance machine — which appears rather a lot like a scale however with steel handles and steel foot pads — and it’s sending low-grade, painless electrical indicators by way of my palms and ft to measure my muscle, fats and water. The chances of every are then fed into an AI program.
Welcome to Fred Health, which touts itself as L.A.’s “first full-scale AI-powered gym.” You may be questioning: What does that even imply? Principally that AI-powered software program, known as Genius, is built-in into every bit of cardio and energy gear on the fitness center. All through your exercise, it capabilities as an ever-present however imperceptible power, sparking beneath the floor, like a digital mycelium community with an agenda: that will help you attain your coaching aim (whether or not that’s weight reduction, energy constructing or firming) in probably the most environment friendly manner potential.
The Santa Monica facility opened in mid-February in an 11,500-square-foot former Patagonia retailer on 4th Road. Fred Health CEO Andre Enzensberger says the fitness center has about 400 members, who pay $150 a month to be bossed round by an algorithm.
At first look, Fred Health appears like nothing greater than a high-end fitness center in a tony neighborhood. It’s ethereal and vibrant, with hovering ceilings, uncovered wooden rafters and leafy hanging vegetation. On a latest Wednesday afternoon, it was sparsely populated, with only a few dozen members figuring out on brand-new, still-gleaming treadmills, bikes and elliptical machines. The energy machines use electrical motors to create resistance as a substitute of bodily weights, so there’s no clanking. It’s comparatively quiet however for the whirring of cardio gear and a mix of lo-fi and digital pop music on the sound system. Not precisely “The Matrix.”
However the train machines at Fred Health are tailor-made to you. They know members’ names and physique evaluation information, and so they’ve configured personalised exercise applications personalized to their objectives and health talents. They’re additionally gamified, that means their screens show a “Pac-Man”-like online game that members “play” by transferring the load throughout reps and units. Seize the handles of a seated rowing machine, for instance, and pull the load sooner or slower to maneuver your on-screen avatar — a ball — up or down inside a maze and “eat” cash as you go. Aggressive? The fitness center retains monitor of your scores, should you select to take part, and shows the knowledge on an app and a wall-mounted monitor to encourage a way of neighborhood.
“I love it because it’s fun and totally automated,” says Keverton Marinho, a 32-year-old new member. “I just play — I don’t have to think about anything.”
The gamification could also be enjoyable, however it’s purposeful too, Enzensberger says.
“It helps members train at the correct speed,” he says. “It regulates time under tension, meaning how fast you push or how slow you release the weight. So your workout is more effective.”
There’s no becoming a member of payment at Fred Health and the month-to-month membership consists of entry to licensed private trainers — although not limitless classes — who seek the advice of with members about their AI-generated coaching applications. Trainers additionally wander the fitness center flooring, answering questions and providing corrections after they discover somebody’s kind is off. That human ingredient is crucial, Enzensberger says.
“AI is so big right now, but we’re very proud of the human aspect of our gym — the team — and how we complement the AI precision,” he stated.
Earlier than becoming a member of, potential members endure a free full-body evaluation from Genius to get a health baseline. A “body composition analyzer” breaks down fats and lean muscle mass limb by limb and offers stats about foundational muscle energy, base metabolic fee and hydration ranges, amongst different metrics. That data is then interpreted by the AI. Many gyms provide health assessments whenever you join private coaching, and luxurious well being golf equipment, corresponding to Equinox and Santa Monica’s Love Life, do in-depth well being and health testing for brand spanking new members; however most common fitness center memberships don’t embrace health assessments.
After the physique composition evaluation, which measures your metabolism, a human coach leads the member-to-be by way of totally different train circuits on machines that measure their energy, cardio and adaptability. There’s additionally a collection of on-screen questions associated to exercise objectives, train expertise and preferences.
Genius then assigns the member a “biological age” — totally different out of your chronological age in years. It’s like an total health rating, says Fred Health basic supervisor Miguel Alvino.
“It’s a metric we use to give people an idea of where their strength and areas of improvement are compared to their calendar age,” Alvino explains.
From that time on, whenever you log onto an train machine together with your wristband, it calls up your personalised coaching program. The machine then bodily adjusts to your top and limb size, elevating or reducing its seat and altering the place of its handles in response to your physique. The AI can be adaptive, using machine studying. So it should evolve with you as you get fitter.
“The machines continue to learn about your capabilities,” Enzensberger says. “And that data is collected and fed into the AI to constantly generate a better training program for you.”
Fred Health is the mind little one of Andre Enzensberger’s brother, Alfred, who’s the president and founding father of Munich-based Intelligent Match, a health franchise with greater than 500 places all through Europe. Alfred Enzensberger partnered with Philipp Roesch-Schlanderer, CEO of EGYM, a worldwide health know-how firm additionally based mostly in Munich, in 2023 to create a full AI fitness center. EGYM wrote Genius, which was deployed in August 2024. They introduced in Andre Enzensberger as CEO.
There are different gyms with good or AI-powered gear in Southern California, corresponding to L.A.’s EōS Health (with gear from EGYM) and Sensible Match Technique in Orange County. However at Fred Health, “Every piece of machinery is tied into the network,” Andre Enzensberger says. “We’re utilizing what the AI system can do on a much larger, fuller scale.”
Los Angeles was the perfect metropolis during which to launch the enterprise, given its historical past as a hub for health and tech tradition, he says. “We wanted to embrace the open-mindedness of the people of Los Angeles. Fred Fitness is groundbreaking and requires people who want to experience training in a new way.”
I loved Genius’ steerage throughout my exercise. The treadmill set itself to a decrease pace than I usually run at, although at a better incline, as a result of Genius knew my train aim was energy constructing, not weight reduction. And I beloved the gamification ingredient of the weight-lifting machines, even going as far as to snort out loud mid-rep — although I ponder whether the sport would get outdated over time. However ultimately, what retains me coming again to a fitness center is the promise of a sauna or steam after my exercise. And Fred Health, sadly, doesn’t present these facilities, which was disappointing.
However development is on the horizon. A second Fred Health is now underway in downtown Culver Metropolis — it’s planning to open in early 2026 — and the corporate hopes to open 4 extra services inside three to 5 years. The places into account are downtown L.A., West Hollywood and Glendale.
“This is just a modern gym that’s fun to use — and people love it because it takes the guesswork out,” Enzensberger says. “Everything is fully guided.”
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