Our “dungeon” isn’t the most welcoming environment, but it really was the only area that could comfortably house the Mirror. Not only do you need the space to hold it, but you also need ample space to stand far enough back so that you can see your full reflection as you squat, lunge, and plank. So if you have a small apartment, Mirror may not be the best option for you.
Variety of workouts
One of the biggest advantages of Studio Mirror is that it offers a huge (and sometimes overwhelming) variety of content. Through the app, you can choose from a library of 10,000 classes and use tons of different search filters (like workout type, difficulty level, duration, or instructor) to find routines you like. With Studio Mirror, I was able to try new forms of fitness, like chair strength training and chair yoga, that aren’t offered at my local gym. I also liked that Studio Mirror offered many 15-minute workouts, which were easy to fit into my schedule and required minimal time commitment. Also, it was great taking classes from rave boutique studios, like Pure Barre and Aarmy, that I hadn’t tried yet and wouldn’t otherwise have access to.
equipment requirements
My biggest pick bone: Unless you go for a pricier version of the Studio Mirror, it doesn’t come with any home gym equipment. And while there are certainly plenty of bodyweight exercises you can do, if you really want to get the most out of this expensive piece of technology, it’s helpful to have a host of home exercise tools at your disposal, such as free weights, resistance bands, and elastic bands. a punching bag, yoga blocks, a pilates ball, a step, etc.
Purchasing all of them, if you don’t already have them, can cost hundreds of dollars on top of the price of the Studio Mirror, so it’s something to consider when considering whether this investment is right for you.
Special features
Lululemon Studio App
The app is robust and easy to use, making it easy to navigate to the class library, check the schedule for upcoming live options, review your recent workouts, and control settings in Studio Mirror. Thanks to all the filters, I was able to easily find classes to try.
I also liked all the lengthy descriptions included in the app; in many cases, you could read exactly what exercises you would be doing and for how long. This provided me with valuable insight into whether or not I really wanted to take a class. For example, I’m just not a fan of pushups, so when I learned that a specific strength workout I was considering included a lot of them, I opted for a different routine. Another advantage? You can also stream classes from the app, so you can continue to exercise even if you’re away from your Mirror.
information on screen
There are a number of metrics that are displayed in the Studio Mirror while you exercise, including the name of the exercise, the total workout time remaining, the time remaining for a particular exercise, and the name of your next move.
In the middle of the screen, there’s a video of the instructor demonstrating all the moves, and below that, more information: number of reps and sets assigned/completed; heart rate (if you chose to pair your device with an Apple Watch or other Bluetooth heart rate monitor); and your “class score,” or how much cardio, strength, and/or recovery work you’ve done. (You can also get a “universal health score,” which is the sum of all the scores in your class.) You’ll also see the number of “classmates” you work with, as well as a rotating stream of their usernames, locations, and photos.
This sounds like a lot, I know, but it’s presented in a very tasteful, minimalist way – I never felt bombarded or distracted by the various data points.
