Stuff - UK (2020-11)

GROUP TEST WEIRD WORKOUTS

PRIVATE

ENHANCER

Because the device

measures your

strength, workouts

are calibrated to

your own ability.

(DON’T) GET

RIPPED

The short workouts

don’t actively tear

muscle fibres, so

your arms will still

work afterwards.

What’s the story?
This tiny Bluetooth-connected
gizmo claims it can help you
build strength, tone muscles
and improve your general
health – all while you’re sat
in front of the TV, on the train
or at your desk. Based around
isometric training principles
(where you tense muscles
without moving joints using
moves such as the plank and
wall-sits), the palm-sized
pad accurately measures
your maximum effort as
you squeeze it and then
puts together a five-minute

app-based training session

tailored to you.

The Activ5 app has dozens

of five-minute workouts to

choose from, whether you’re

looking to target specific parts

of the body (Butt Burner is

a killer) or provide suitable

exercises for when you’re

sitting down.

Each workout contains

12-18 actions repeated in sets

of 3-4 exercises – each one

using different parts of your

body to apply pressure to the

device – and you can expect

everything from static biceps

curls and shoulder presses to

inner thigh presses and pistol

squats. The makers claim it

can increase strength by an

average of 30% in six weeks.

Is it any good?

This gadget offers far more

intensive workouts than we

were expecting, and after two

weeks of daily sofa workouts

our recorded max strength was

up by almost a third.

There were no noticeable

changes to muscles, but

watching our stats improve

and getting better at applying

more pressure to complete

each task made us feel good

and kept us coming back for

more – a double thumbs-up

for gamifying fitness, made

even more appealing by battery

life of up to a year.

Isometric training like this

shouldn’t be the only strength

work you do; but as a bonus

workout you can fit in at

lunchtime or in front of the

telly, it’s hard to argue with.

Price £169 / stuff.tv/Activ5

O Bluetooth O Android, iOS

O 95x83x32mm, 136g

Activ5

STUFF SAYS A simple gadget plus a great app adds up to an enjoyable and efficient workout ++++,

BEST FOR

SOFA

SESSIONS