The Complete Vitruvian Trainer+ Guide for Beginners 

I've had the vitruvian for about for about three months after returning a Tonal (decided to return due to the lawsuit that was filed against them for non-payment to their primary supplier). Overall, im pretty happy with it, although I do miss many things about the Tonal. I'd say it wins out over the Tonal in the following ways: feels like a a more solid/ sturdy product than the Tonal, which has more plastic and creaks during use. Has less moving parts than the Tonal, so longevity is probably better. Difficult to describe, but the resistance during use feels a bit more solid and premium. You can lift substantially heavier vs tonal, and of course portability/ lack of requiring permanent install is huge. Price is substantially less when you factor in purchase price and subscription (which is free for the first year. The tonal wins out on: ability to do lat pull downs and horizontal push/ pull (although this will no longer be an issue once the new accessory comes out--if you want to pay the extra $$). Changing between accessories takes more time. The vitruvian is more noisy than the tonal. Lack of a permanent display (can be difficult to follow on-screen guidance/ instruction if you're using the vitruvian app on a phone). By far the biggest downside is the software which is light years behind tonal: workout class library is maybe 5% the size of tonal's, instructor-lead classes are basically completely useless for me due to the lack of an auto-follow for reps (which tonal has) and easy method to pause the workout and change weight. The tonal software is far better at being able to smartly track and increase weight as you improve. The vitruvian app is often buggy (although Vitruvian's support has been absolutely fantastic and the seem to be making steady progress on improvements). Also miss the lack of apple watch integration which tonal has. Also, as of the time I purchased in late 2022, vitruvian did not offer free return shipping if you returned during the 30 day trail period (which will probably run $200-$300) due to the size/weight Overall, I'm pretty happy with the vitruvian. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend it if you are someone who doesnt need the fitness "gamification" of tonal/ peleton, and are self-motivated and don't mind taking the time to create custom workouts on the vitruvian app. The hardware is extremely solid and superior to tonal in many ways. If you want a more plug and play product, with excellent course library, and better connected/ smart features, the tonal wins hands down

Great detailed review.

Beautiful machine I sold my tonal and ordered this can’t wait for it to arrive .

Adding this video to my favorites!

I just acquired a machine from a friend. I have all of the accessories, yet had no knowledge of their application. This video was exactly what I needed to get started. Thank you!!

I personally don’t like how quickly the coach assisted classes/programs move thru workouts. Like you said, once instructor finished their set the users machine immediately drops the weight. You can be mid rep and suddenly the weight is gone. If you don’t move as fast as instructor you likely won’t get many reps in to failure and feel like you got a good workout. I think they could easily improve this by auto pausing the video once instructor finishes their set and waiting for user to complete the same amount of reps as instructor. For that reason, I’ve stopped doing instructor led classes. I also think they should have a cheaper subscription option for those that want to build their own workouts and track stats, but don’t care for the instructor classes/programs.

I’ve had mine for awhile now, but this will be so helpful for people curious about the trainer as well as being a great on-boarding video too. A couple things: -you can filter muscle groups for classes by clicking the filter icon in the top right. -They do recommend warming up before a class, but they make those warm ups separately and are found in the “mobility” category. It could be clearer though. Great work and looking forward to seeing your review. Personally, aside from available resistance, I find that the safety functions (accurate ROM setting and spotter functions) also set it apart, but curious to hear your take.

Seems like it could possibly be a better alternative to tonal. Able to use anywhere, less tech to break, cheaper etc… How to feel about the comparing the two?

If for example I wanted to lift a particular weight to around two reps from failure and doing so fell somewhere within the 10-20 rep range, what mode would best enable this? Old school?

Without buying a paid membership/subscription, can two people use the same machine with two different free membership “profiles”?

I've had issues doing shrugs because it's such a short range of motion and the weight doesn't kick in when I start after the 3 warmup reps. Anyone have a fix?

Thoughts between this or Speediance?

Hey thanks for the video , can u have multiple profiles with the same subscription?

Would you recommend this or speediance can’t decide between the two

Assuming I want to squat heavy, 400lbs. Do you have to pick the 400lbs off the floor then place it on your shoulders? Or does the machine give you a chance to get in position?

Would you recommend this or hold out until the peloton strength platform launches?

Can anyone tell me how you dismount from the barbell bench press on this? I have this but i literally have to crush my ribcage at the end until it slowly lowers the weight so i can press stop. That doesn't seem right and it's not pleasant. I know the safety cables are meant to be used but the long ones make the bar way too far from my chest, and the short ones are the ones currently crushing me lol

any other questions? Let me know!

When does the weight load on after your 3rd rep at your strong point or week point meaning does the weight Start at the bottom of the rep

16:15

Was this video done for Vitruvian as in paid by them or done on your own? I think viewers should have that clarity before they see ithe video. This video is lot better and honest than the videos they have on their app. But I didn't hear you say that part upfront at the beginning.

I build my own workouts, but if I get the weight wrong, I can't change it mid-set without exiting my workout and starting all over. They should let you choose your weights as you go. I don't know if I'll get my weight right for my 3rd set of an exercise and have to just kill that set and move on or start the whole workout over.

I cannot believe anyone would spend this kind of money on such a limited machine. These people will never openly admit how limited this is....they are fooling every and themselves

I thought I can use it without doing the classes. Why do I have to pay a fee. $39 a month. I bought it can I just use it without fees? @connectthewatts