Design 
Quality of Materials 
Value for Money 
Customer Service So gyms closed and I got creative.
My big breakthrough was finding a few huge tires in a field and a gigantic metal pole. Daily, I’d run to the field, set up a makeshift squat rack (made of other tires) and start my weight-lifting.
Pretty sweet, right?
It’s a great makeshift outdoor gym until someone comes and takes your gigantic metal pole and throws it in the river.
Punks.
Left with nothing but my thoughts (and about 6 massive tires), I turned to the Tempo Studio, an all-in-one home gym and AI-powered personal trainer.
After two weeks of workouts, my verdict is in. Keep reading to get the scoop.
Skip Ahead
What Is Tempo?
The Tempo Studio is an all-in-one workout solution you can keep neatly tucked in a corner of your home.
You get a barbell, dumbbells, 75lbs of weights, a heart rate monitor, a foam roller, and a yoga mat, plus you have access to a growing library of classes.
Normal home gym stuff, right?
What makes the Tempo different is the AI-powered personal trainer aspect. The machine will offer suggestions on how to improve your form as you’re working out. It counts your reps, your pace, and even tracks your heart rate zones.
To sum it up the best I can: you choose your goal (whether it’s muscle-growth, strength gains, or greater aerobic-capacity), and the Tempo will guide you throughout your workouts—either via recommend classes or Tempo’s pre-loaded weeks long programs—to make sure you’re hitting doing everything in the best way possible to achieve that goal.
The all-in-one home gym, complete with AI-tracking to help keep your form perfect through your working sets. The Studio comes with two dumbbells, a barbell, and 75lbs of free weights so you can harness the fat-burning, muscle-building power of lifting in the comfort of your home.
Things to Consider Before Buying a Tempo
You need a good place for the Tempo Studio. It’s 6′ tall, 2’ 2” wide, and 1’ 4” deep and it needs about 8’ of unobstructed space in front of it so you can get your pump on while its 3D AI sensor can pick up your body
I live in a two-bedroom apartment—the spare bedroom is an office/classroom, so there’s no room for the Tempo there.
That means the Tempo is in my living room. Luckily, it fits well with the aesthetics and doesn’t look out of place. It’s sort of like a TV that only plays workout videos.
If you have a spare room for the Tempo and you know exactly where you’re going to put it: great. But if you’re in a smaller space, consider where you’ll put the machine.
While it’s six feet tall and has roughly a 24-inch footprint, it’s best to leave a foot of room in the back to access Tempo’s barbell and dumbbells. So really, it has a bigger practical footprint than you might otherwise think.
Tempo Studio Review
Listen, I get it. A Tempo is a big investment—not just with cash, but also, it needs a proper place in your home.
My three biggest concerns when ordering were, in descending order: the looks, the equipment, and the classes. Here’s how it turned out:
The Aesthetics
Plopping a home gym in your living room sounds like a no-no if you’re into interior design. Honestly, I couldn’t care less. But you know who could? My wife.
I gotta say, my apartment looks great, but it’s because she has the eye for design. So when I said we’re getting a Tempo, she was skeptical. How would it get along with Frank The Plant?
I’m happy to say that we found a good spot for the Tempo Studio and we like how it looks.
Phew.
The Studio is a sleek machine, and the equipment is cleverly tucked away so it doesn’t take up much room.
As I noted before, you need to leave some room in the back so you can grab the barbells, but Tempo has otherwise kept it compact.
The weights are stashed in a cabinet with sweet no-slam hinges, and they’re a pleasing pastel palette. They match really well with the print we have on our living-room wall.
I’m thrilled with how the Tempo Studio looks in my apartment. Yes, it’s a workout machine and all, but you and I both know that it has to look good before anything else.
The Equipment
The Tempo Studio comes with the following equipment:
- two dumbbells (7.5 lbs each)
- Barbell (25 lbs)
- 75lbs of weights (4×10, 4×5, 4×2.5, 4×1.25)
- heart rate monitor
- foam roller
- rubber mat
- six weight-collars (to keep the weights secure)
I won’t lie to you. As a dude, I looked at the pastel-colored weights and immediately thought: there’s no way this is going to be enough weight for me because I’m so strong.
But each dumbbell can load up to 45lbs, which is more than enough for my arm workouts.
I’m a big fan of squats, and I love loading up the bar and aiming for a new personal record (right now, my max is 275—much heavier than the max 115lb load the Tempo Studio allows).
Still, through goblet squats and lunges, I’m able to get enough resistance to feel sore the next day, even on my largest muscle groups. And the workouts (which I’ll discuss more later) are designed in such a way that makes up for the fact that some exercises aren’t heavy enough to push my limit. Sure, bench pressing 90lbs isn’t too much of a challenge for me, but when you superset with push-ups, the workout quickly becomes a struggle.
And if you start to get the itch for more weights, Tempo just released a line of 25 and 45 lbs plates you can purchase from their online accessory store.
Other equipment, like the heart rate monitor, are really effective in stoking my competitive nature. After each set, I watch my heart rate climb, which is a solid indicator if I’m working hard enough.
Because the Tempo logs your information, you can see how hard you pushed yourself throughout your workout. And if you’re below your target heart rate, the Tempo will push you with heavier weights.
That’s the coolest thing about this machine, in my opinion. Every workout gives the machine more background on your strengths and weaknesses, and it changes its weight recommendations to help you balance your body.
During your workout, you have a dashboard with all kinds of useful info: rep count, range of motion, pace, heart rate, and a leaderboard.
You’re competitive, right? If so, watch out for that leaderboard. During my second workout, I put on too much weight and only focused on beating Greg L in the leaderboard.
That damn Greg L.
My advice is: let Greg L win and focus on getting a good workout for yourself. Greg L has issues he needs to resolve and he can have the top spot in the leaderboard for all I care.
The Classes
Tempo offers a variety of classes, which you can take one-off or band together into “programs.” I’m more of a bro than I’d like to admit, so the programs are helpful for me to ensure I’m not solely working on my bicep curls.
The class types are: strength, HIIT, mobility, and endurance (or shred). I’ve spent most of my time in the strength workouts, but I’ve cooled down a few times with the mobility classes.
All Tempo classes are straightforward, and the coaches do an excellent job of clarifying movements and offering advice that seems real-time.
There are also live classes available at specific times, so you can have the experience of a group workout. At first, I thought that was a little silly because I’m still ultimately just pumping iron in my living room, but after I signed up for a class, I realized it’s a way to put a deadline on my workout. And with the deadline, the workout gets done.
Unfortunately, Greg L has been in all of my classes, taking the top spot in the leaderboard. I once did a FitBit walking challenge with a group of friends, and we found out a participant was attaching their FitBit to their dog to beat us all. I think Greg L is doing the same thing.
I mean, I don’t want to accuse Greg L of cheating. It’s possible he’s that strong.
If Tempo is reading this, I have a quick suggestion that might make the experience better: a simple way to take urine samples before class to flag anyone taking performance-enhancing drugs so they can get to the top of the leaderboard in every…single…class.
Looking at you, Greg L.
Shipping and Delivery
The Tempo Studio takes anywhere between four and eight weeks to arrive after ordering. Yes, it’s a long process, but it’s something like 250lbs total and it ships freight.
The Tempo is a complex machine, and the factory that produces them is struggling to keep up with orders.
So keep that in mind if you buy: it won’t show up at your door two days later.
The delivery is white glove, meaning that whoever delivers will take it out of the box and set it up for you. Make sure you have a spot picked out beforehand because it’s an unwieldy beast.
What do Other Reviewers Say About the Tempo Studio?
Looking through reviews, one word comes up consistently: challenge. But reviewers mean it in a good way.
There’s a range of customers—people new to training, folks who need a gym-alternative, and a decent mix of both men and women.
Aesthetics play a big role for a lot of reviewers (same for me), and I didn’t see a single complaint on that front.
One gripe, which I also shared, is that the 115lb max load isn’t enough for more seasoned weight lifters to get significant gains (or gainzz, as we call them). As mentioned though, you can order heavier weight plates from them or if you have plates of your own handy, the Olympic style barbell that comes with Tempo can accommodate them.
My Thoughts Overall On Tempo
What I Like
The Tempo Studio is aesthetically pleasing. It fits well in my two-bedroom apartment without looking like a giant monolith.
The 45lb weight capacity for each dumbbell is beyond my capacity, so I can push myself on shoulder presses and curls.
Tempo’s tracking systems and coaches really helped push me to get more out of my training sessions.
There’s a wide range of strength, flexibility, HIIT, and recovery workouts. Whether you’re looking to bulk or shred, there are plenty of training options available.
My wife loves it, which is more important than whether or not I do.
What I Don’t Like
Once you have it in place, it’s difficult to move around. Make sure you know where you’re putting it before it arrives.
The training programs only play when connected to the internet, and the Studio seems to put a strain on my routers capacity.
Who is Tempo for?
The Tempo Studio is an excellent option for anyone who’s looking for a gym alternative. The flagship unit is ideal for anyone looking for high-rep style shredding, and with offering heavier weights, it’ll be a fantastic choice for bulk-builders, too
The Verdict
Tempo Studio is an easy way to bring the benefits of weightlifting into your home. Spinning on a bike for three and a half hours is good for cardio, but I’m not game for that level of crotch-punishment.
I like weights. The Tempo uses high-tech AI to create a coaching experience that’s effective: it’s motivating, and I’ve seen results.
As a guy, there are a few exercises that I’m still missing, like proper bench presses and squats—the kind that require more than 100lbs but I may make an investment in those heavier plates to get after more gains. There’s also talks of a bench, too. So I’m excited about that.
Shipping takes anywhere between four to eight weeks, so be prepared to wait before trying desperately to beat Greg L on the leaderboard.
The classes and coaching help boost motivation, but the most important thing is that I’ve seen positive results from using the Tempo. I’m feeling stronger, the weights are getting heavier each workout, and I’m getting closer to beating Greg L.
The all-in-one home gym, complete with AI-tracking to help keep your form perfect through your working sets. The Studio comes with two dumbbells, a barbell, and 75lbs of free weights so you can harness the fat-burning, muscle-building power of lifting in the comfort of your home.
FAQs
Which is better: the Mirror or the Tempo?
Both systems are aesthetically pleasing and fit well in the home from a design perspective, but the Tempo comes with an entire weight lifting system. Ultimately, Tempo opens up several workout options that are impossible with the Mirror. If you want a great workout, Tempo is the winner.
Does Tempo build muscle?
With a total of 115lbs of weight, and more 25 and 45lb plates available in an online store, Tempo is an excellent way to achieve progressive overload and build muscle.
