Vitruvian: The Long Haul – My Honest Pros, Cons & Wishlist After Extended Use

 

Well, hello again! It’s been a minute since I last posted, and I figured it was high time for a check-in, specifically on my long-term relationship with the Vitruvian Trainer. You've heard about my initial deep dive, the learning curve, and the cool features. But what’s it like living with this smart fitness beast day in and day out, especially when life throws its usual curveballs?

Let's get real.

The Vitruvian: My Long-Term Owner's Report Card – The "Could Be Better" Column (Cons)

No piece of tech is perfect, right? Here are a few things that have become more apparent over extended use:

1. The Subscription Stinger: Ah, the dreaded S-word. When I first bought my Vitruvian, there was a lifetime access option for around $1000. Hindsight, you cruel mistress, you whisper that I really should have snagged that. Why? Because in about two years, it would have paid for itself. Now, to be clear, you can use the machine without the subscription. But if you’re a data fiend like me and want access to all your historical workout data, you gotta pay up. The sub bundles in classes and other content, which is great, but honestly? I just want my numbers. If they’re going to paywall my data, I’d personally love to see a more tiered approach, maybe like $10/month just for data access. I get that producing classes costs money, but I'm one of those users who needs zero of them.
2. The "Welcome Back, Stranger!" Aggression (Returning After a Break): Life happens. Work gets crazy, family needs you (we own a cafe and have kids – 'nuff said!), BJJ training ramps up, and sometimes, dedicated strength training has to take a backseat. When I’ve backed off regular Vitruvian sessions and then returned after a break, those old PRs can make the machine feel a bit… overly enthusiastic in its resistance. It’s not like it feels super dangerous, but it’s definitely more akin to jumping back under a barbell that’s a bit too heavy after time off, rather than the smooth, adaptive feel you get when you’re consistently using it. Your body needs to "relearn" how to handle the specific load it generates (it’s a quick relearning curve, but consistency is key).
   • The Workaround (But It's Still Work): You can blank out your PRs or manually cap the weight to ease back in, a feature to across the board reset them by % might be a great option to have after extended time away.
3. The Desktop App Daydream: This is a biggie on my personal wishlist. I really wish I had a desktop app to build my workouts and preset weights before I even step onto the platform. Yes, you can do it all in the mobile app, but I’m a big-screen kind of guy when it comes to planning and deep thinking about my programming. Searching for exercises (some of which aren't named what I'd call them) would be so much faster and easier on a desktop. As it stands, I often find myself waiting until the last minute, rushing through building or updating a plan on my phone, and eating into valuable workout time. It adds a layer of frustration. A desktop app that syncs seamlessly with the mobile app? That would be a game-changer for integrating my Vitruvian training with all the other fitness and health tracking I do.

Okay, Enough Grumbling! The "Still Pretty Awesome" Column (Pros)

Despite those gripes, there’s a lot I still genuinely appreciate:

1. Rock-Solid Hardware: Touch wood, but I haven't had a single issue with the physical machine. It’s been a reliable workhorse every time I’ve called upon it.
2. Still a Unique & Killer Workout: Even after all this time, the workout quality is fantastic and genuinely different. I still don’t see how you could truly replicate its adaptive resistance with other methods. Is it the be-all, end-all cure for every strength training need? No, probably not. But as a toolkit that allows you to push yourself in ways that are otherwise incredibly difficult to reproduce (as I’ve gushed about in previous posts), it’s phenomenal. I firmly believe you need a varied approach for overall fitness, but for the pure strength training component, the Vitruvian handles it exceptionally well. I'm looking forward to diving back into a dedicated strength block soon.
   • Cardio Potential? It's also worth noting it has modes and classes designed for cardio sessions if you're subscribed. I haven't explored that side much yet. For me, beyond regimented strength work, I tend to lean towards functional, dynamic movements that challenge my cardiovascular system and let me work on skills and that crucial mind-body connection. But the option is there.
3. Still the Heavyweight Champion (Literally): I keep an eye on the competition, and many similar "smart strength" machines just don't come close to the Vitruvian's 440lb max limit. I saw one recently improved unit – costing over $2k more than the Vitruvian – that topped out at 250lbs (up from 200lbs). Now, 250lbs isn't feather-light, but when you're dropping that kind of cash, it feels a bit limiting. And remember, with most of these machines, that total resistance is divided by the number of cables (so 220lbs per cable for Vitruvian, likely 125lbs per cable for that 250lb competitor). I have a good dozen exercises where I’d already be maxing out that 125lb-per-cable limit before even getting serious. Yes, there's always volume, and it's not all about sheer resistance, but I value machines that can grow with me and offer options as my goals evolve.

The Closing Bell (For Now)

So, where do I stand? I still really like the machine. When life settles back into a more predictable rhythm (fingers crossed for this summer!), I'm genuinely excited to see what new levels I can reach with it, though I'll likely reset my PRs and start that "relearning" process fresh.

My biggest hopes for the future? That Vitruvian rethinks its subscription model (pretty please?) and, for the love of organized training, gives us that desktop app!

#### After the initial post add on ####

One item I did not mention originally but have since thought about is better exporting of data.  I have worked on my own training app for example, I have full control over what it can do and I would love to be able to export all of the data for every lift in a session to be able to integrate data analysis better.  For example max weight is vastly different than average weight in sessions where your really pushing yourself, there is also position and rep timing data that could also be analyzed.  This would offer a far clearer picture of performance if all of it was combined into a workout analysis versus logging max or average.  To be fair you can export, but it seems to be limited to 1 exercise at a time - imagine trying to dump out a full workout with upwards of 30 sets of data - and doing this every time manually, transferring it off your phone or tablet for analysis...its not worth it.

Another item perhaps for a desktop app.