22 Best fitness gadgets 2024: Fitbit to Theragun

The best fitness gadgets can make all the difference between you sticking to your new year’s resolution and failing at it miserably. What with most of us figuring out every creative way to get stuck into a home workout during those lockdown years, we’ve all got used to building an at-home gym full of useful tools to get a pump away from the actual gym. For every smart, adjustable dumbbell that will actually elevate your workout, there’s a bit of Bluetooth-enabled tat that’s just begging to be discarded at the bottom of your socks drawer. Such is the evolution of exercise-related tech in recent years, there are plenty of genius inventions that’ll help you get a sweat on, finesse your muscle mass and aid your recovery when you’re done.

No matter where your fitness journey is taking you, you’ll always find a need for a few gadgets to help you out along the way, and we’ve delved through this dizzying field to present the stuff we actually use ourselves. Of course, all of these accoutrements are best used to flesh out your repertoire of manual gym kit (including dumbbells, kettlebells and resistance bands), but if this is the year you really want to take aim at Dwayne Johnson’s guns, then a little electronic assistance can go a long way. In some cases, it could even save you money on a personal trainer in the long run.

So from smart exercise bikes and rowing machines that are made to elevate your cardio to fitness trackers with the power to finesse your strength training, here’s the fitness tech we’re using to forge a superhuman physique…

Easily one of the most comprehensively smartwatch-cum-fitness trackers around, Apple has simply outdone itself with the sheer versatility of its latest wearable. Durability in deep-sea diving, mountain ranges or simply at the gym, this is the ultimate watch for those who take training seriously.

It isn’t always easy to head to your nearest river and get out with the paddles, but if you still want to sneak in a gruelling session then the Hydrow is the ultimate at-home cardio machine. It’s a beast of a trainer, with an HD display that can help you tap into multiple online sessions or navigate your favourite races and courses from your own home.

Runners will have tested out all sorts of fitness trackers in their quest for total clarity on their splits but there are few as good as Garmin’s Forerunner 245. Complete with its own running guide as well as the ability to measure how ready your body is for getting a solid workout, this is the best tracker money can buy if running is your game.

Best fitness gadgets at a glance…

Best fitness tracker: Garmin Forerunner 245, £249 at amazon.co.uk
Best at-home rowing machine: Hydrow Rower, £1,995 at hydrow.co.uk
Best smartwatch: Apple Watch Ultra, £849 at johnlewis.com
Best fitness gadget for athletes: Garmin Marq 2 Athlete, £1,599 at jurawatches.co.uk
Best fitness headphones: Beats Fit Pro, £199 at amazon.co.uk
Best dumbbells: Bowflex SelectTech Adjustable Weights and Dumbbells, ~~£249~~ £199 at amazon.co.uk

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How we test the best fitness gadgets

Interested in firing up the fitness engine now the weather is getting warmer and brighter? We don’t blame you, but you’ll want to make sure anything you buy is actually worth picking up and will help guide you to a healthier version of yourself. We’ve used or tested all the below to help us through our own training, taking them into the gym, out on the track or generally around to manage sleep routines, calorie counts, reps, steps and everything in between.

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