AI-powered fitness uses adaptive technology to support healthy aging

An AI-powered fitness concept aimed at helping people stay stronger and sharper as they age is gaining traction through local studios that use adaptive exercise technology.

The program, called The Exercise Coach, is a strength training and wellness studio designed for people ages 40 and older.

The studio uses AI-enabled machines known as Exerbotics, which automatically adjust resistance in real time based on a user's performance.

According to co-owner Stan Czyzyk, the company's focus is on helping people maintain their health and activity levels as they age.

"We focus on transforming how people age, and we do that by trying to increase their health span. That's the number of years that they can stay active and vibrant," Czyzyk said.

Czyzyk said artificial intelligence is central to the training approach.

"So we use AI in two principal ways. First, on the strength training equipment," he said. As users exercise, the machines provide performance feedback and adjust to their capabilities.

"By him looking at the screen, he can tell if he's got a little bit more to give, if he has to pace himself," he said.

The equipment is designed to keep muscles under tension while minimizing movements that could increase injury risk.

"The muscle's under tension, so the muscle's getting worked, but we're not introducing any risk of momentum or joint angle that could affect the connective tissue that holds the muscles onto the bones," Czyzyk added.

During workouts, users can track their performance through visual feedback on a screen.

"So this yellow line that's being drawn here on the screen is being driven by Tracy," he said. As the machine monitors movement, it adds resistance when the user is ready.

Trainers say the goal is to ensure exercises are completed with proper technique.

"And what we're aiming for is that the last one that Tracy can do is the last that she can do well with proper form," Czyzyk added.

Czyzyk said the technology provides measurable data that can be used to track progress over time.

"The AI helps us to not only set the baseline for that person's safe level of resistance, but it also grows with them," he said.

The studio's use of AI extends beyond strength training. It also incorporates balance and cognitive exercises designed to improve stability, reaction time and fall prevention.

"We're going to have Monica step up onto our balance and brain trainer," Czyzyk explained. In one exercise, participants interact with moving targets while maintaining balance.

"She is tapping as many of these moving targets as possible," he said.

Czyzyk said the combination of technology and coaching is intended to maximize results.

"So we try to take the best of the AI technology and the best of the motivation and form instruction from the coach and put them together so that we can maximize the results that people can get," he said.

Clients participate in two personalized 20-minute workout sessions each week. Czyzyk said participants see results faster than with free weights or non-AI-enabled machines.

Czyzyk owns Exercise Coach locations in Marlton and Medford, New Jersey. There are about eight Exercise Coach locations in the area, including sites in Newtown Square and Wayne.