The maker of the definitive smart strength trainer for at-home workouts – Tonal – has unveiled the long-awaited Tonal 2. The new flagship allows users to lift 250 lbs, initiate drop sets, receive improved AI coaching, and power ‘aero HIIT’ workouts.
For the uninitiated, the Tonal experience combines a full gym experience with personal training. The Tonal 2 is the first major update to the original model that launched in 2018, and, until now, the most overpowered and expensive cable crossover machine on the market.
The second-gen model (priced at an eye-watering $4,295) increases Tonal 1’s limit by 50 lbs and harnesses a new drop set functionality to adapt weight, sets, and reps on the fly. This adds to previous functionality like Spotter Mode, and its estimates of optimal lifting weight, efficiency, and lifting intensity during its array of on-demand workouts.
An improved Smart View also debuts on Tonal 2. Users can now receive improved coaching cues based on AI analysis of their form via the built-in camera.
This will include an analysis during new aero HIIT workouts, a blend of cardio and strength I’ve literally never heard of until this press release landed, and the 15 other categories (such as yoga, mobility, and cardio) available on the smart trainer.
The Tonal 2 has also undergone a slight visual makeover, sporting an all-black design with chrome accents.
Wareable says:
The at-home digital fitness market has proven incredibly volatile post-pandemic, with Peloton being the most notorious example of a household name struggling to stay on level ground. So, Tonal’s launch of new, more expensive hardware is an intriguing play.
The improvements brought via Tonal 2 will be well received, yet this remains an incredibly exclusive at-home gym solution – especially when a membership is required to get the most out of the hardware.
We would have loved to see a ‘Tonal Lite’ arrive alongside this latest model (perhaps featuring just the core strength training features), more membership tiers for existing users, a launch outside of the US, and some deeper integration with wearables.
Those will seemingly have to wait.
We should also note that the core integration with wearables remains solid enough for Tonal 2. Workouts can still be synced with Strava, and users can link up a heart rate monitor chest strap, Apple Watch, or other sports watch to view their data during workouts.
Hopefully, we can get our hands on it during 2025 for a full breakdown.
