About a year ago, I canceled my gym membership and replaced it with a Tempo Move Plus home gym.
I had recently returned to the office five days a week, and I knew fitting regular trips to the gym into my schedule was going to be challenging. I still wanted to prioritize strength training, but I needed an option that would make working out as convenient as possible.
Then the Instagram ads found me.
The colorful weight plates immediately caught my attention, but it was Tempo’s AI-enabled workouts, personalized weight recommendations, and compact storage cabinet that ultimately convinced me to try it.
Now that I have been using my Tempo Move Plus for a full year, was it worth giving up my gym membership?
For me, the answer is yes, although there are a few important limitations prospective buyers should understand.
What Comes With the Tempo Move Plus?
My Tempo Move Plus setup came with:
A compact weight-storage cabinet
Adjustable dumbbells
Color-coded weight plates up to 10 pounds
Weight collars
A workout mat
The Tempo Core
The Tempo Core is a small device that connects to a television and holds a compatible iPhone during workouts. The phone’s camera allows Tempo to recognize the color-coded weights, count repetitions, monitor certain movements, and provide real-time workout guidance.
The cabinet keeps the equipment organized without taking over an entire room, which was important to me when choosing a home gym.
Start With the Tempo Calibration Classes
My biggest recommendation for new Tempo users is to complete the calibration classes before jumping into a longer program.
These introductory workouts allow Tempo to establish baseline weights for different exercises. Once the system begins to understand your current strength level, it can recommend weights and gradually adjust them as your capabilities improve.
That personalized progression is one of the main reasons Tempo feels different from simply following a workout video.
Instead of choosing weights entirely on my own, Tempo tracks what I have done previously and lets me know when it may be time to increase them. It gives me structure while still allowing me to make adjustments when necessary.
After completing the calibration workouts, users can choose from a variety of individual classes, programs, and personalized training plans.
A particularly good starting point is the two-week Strength for Beginners program with Coach Clarence. The program includes six classes and provides a manageable introduction to Tempo’s strength-training format.
The Convenience Is Hard to Beat
After one year, convenience remains the biggest advantage of replacing my gym membership with Tempo.
I do not have to drive anywhere, pack a gym bag, wait for equipment, or plan my workout in advance. I can change clothes, turn on the television, choose a class, and begin.
That matters even more now that I am back in the office five days a week.
Removing the commute to and from a gym makes it much easier to fit a workout into a busy day. Even when I only have 25 or 30 minutes available, I can still complete a meaningful strength session.
Tempo has also added much more variety to my routine.
At the gym, I often cycled through the same exercises in roughly the same order. With Tempo, I regularly try different programs and monthly challenge classes. I am still working at an appropriate level for me, but I am not constantly repeating the exact same routine.
Tempo’s Monthly Challenges Keep Me Motivated
One of my favorite parts of Tempo is its monthly workout challenges.
A new challenge is released each month and generally includes approximately eight to ten classes. Most of the classes are between 25 and 40 minutes long, making them relatively easy to work into my schedule.
Complete every class in the challenge and Tempo sends you a small commemorative pin.
Are the pins necessary? Of course not.
Do I proudly display all of mine on my Tempo cabinet? Absolutely.
The challenges give me a clear short-term goal and encourage me to take classes I might not have selected on my own. They have become one of my strongest sources of workout motivation.
A year into owning my Tempo, I am only a few classes away from completing my 100th workout.
That total would likely be higher, but I had to take several months off after an old knee problem returned last fall. I resumed my workouts at the beginning of May and have already started adding to my pin collection again.
The AI Weight Recognition Makes a Real Difference
I already appreciated Tempo’s automatic weight recognition at home, but I appreciated it even more after traveling without my regular weights.
Tempo recognizes its color-coded plates and automatically records the weight I am using. This means I can move through a class without repeatedly stopping to update the app.
The system also uses my workout history to recommend appropriate weights and identify when I may be ready to lift more.
This feature provides some of the guidance and accountability I previously associated with working out in a gym or with a personal trainer.
It is not a replacement for individualized in-person coaching, but it removes much of the guesswork from selecting weights and tracking progress.
Taking Tempo Workouts on the Road
I recently used Tempo while traveling for the first time.
Being able to continue my training plan away from home was a major benefit. During the trip, I finished one program and completed three of the ten classes in the July monthly challenge.
However, traveling also showed me how much I rely on Tempo’s recognized weights.
Because I was using different equipment, I had to manually update the weight in the app whenever I changed dumbbells. I repeatedly forgot to make the adjustment, and it took until my final class of the trip to record the correct weight throughout an entire workout.
I still preferred having access to the programs, coaching, and workout tracking instead of abandoning my routine completely.
Tempo is portable in the sense that the workouts can travel with you, but the experience is considerably more seamless when you are using the full Tempo equipment setup at home.
Is Tempo Really Knee Friendly?
My biggest frustration with Tempo is its definition of a knee-friendly workout.
I have a history of knee problems, and exercises such as deep squats and reverse lunges are not always appropriate for me. My orthopedic doctor has specifically advised me to limit certain movements.
Tempo offers workouts labeled as knee friendly, but I have not found all of them to be truly suitable for someone with significant knee limitations.
Many of the coaches are good about suggesting modifications. However, reverse lunges in which you lower your knee toward the floor still appear far more frequently than I would like.
That is simply not happening with these knees.
I also modify the depth of my squats. Because the system monitors range of motion, Tempo will occasionally tell me that I could do better even though I am intentionally following the limits recommended by my doctor.
That feedback can be frustrating.
Users with joint problems should be prepared to modify exercises independently and ignore performance prompts that conflict with professional medical guidance. A workout being labeled knee friendly does not guarantee that every movement will be appropriate for every knee condition.
Tempo Is Best for iPhone Users
Another important limitation is phone compatibility.
The Tempo Core is designed around compatible iPhones. Tempo offers both Lightning and USB-C versions, depending on the iPhone model. Android users can access workouts through casting, but they do not receive the same seamless Core experience.
Tempo’s current support information says its Lightning Core is designed for iPhone XR through iPhone 14 models, while the USB-C Core supports most iPhone 15 and newer models. Certain iPhone models, including the iPhone 16e and iPhone Air, are excluded. Compatibility can change, so shoppers should verify their exact phone model before buying.
For someone who does not use an iPhone, I would carefully compare the available features before committing to the system.
How Much Does Tempo Cost After the First Year?
I chose to pay for my first year in full because I prefer not to carry installment balances. At the time, my equipment and first year of membership cost approximately $800.
After the initial equipment period, the hardware belongs to the customer and the ongoing expense is primarily the training membership. My membership now costs about $42 per month.
Tempo currently advertises training beginning at $39 per month, with equipment bundles adding to the monthly cost during the initial payment period. Tempo also states that after the equipment payment period ends, the equipment is yours to keep and only the training membership continues. Pricing, discounts, bundle contents, and financing terms change regularly, so shoppers should confirm the current offer directly through Tempo before purchasing.
One helpful feature is that I can share my membership with up to five family members.
I have already set my mom up with the app, and my next step is to bring her over and show her how to use the equipment.
That ability to share the system makes the monthly membership more valuable, particularly for households with multiple people interested in strength training.
Who Is the Tempo Move Plus Best For?
I think Tempo Move Plus is an excellent option for someone who:
Wants to strength train at home
Benefits from coaching and structured programs
Wants help choosing and tracking weights
Enjoys challenges, milestones, and measurable progress
Needs a compact alternative to a traditional home gym
It is especially useful for people who understand the value of strength training but do not want to create their own workout plans.
It may be less appealing to someone who prefers heavy barbell training, needs extensive individualized exercise modifications, does not use a compatible iPhone, or wants to avoid an ongoing membership fee.
Did Tempo Successfully Replace My Gym Membership?
For my lifestyle, Tempo has successfully replaced my traditional gym membership.
I have more variety in my workouts, consistent coaching, automatic progress tracking, and programs that continue to challenge me. Most importantly, I can exercise without adding another commute to a schedule that already includes five days a week in the office.
The monthly challenges keep me motivated, the AI weight recognition makes workouts easier to follow, and the compact equipment gives me most of what I need for strength training at home.
Tempo is not perfect.
Its knee-friendly classifications need improvement, its movement feedback cannot account for every medical restriction, and the experience is significantly better for compatible iPhone users.
Even with those limitations, the convenience cannot be beat. So much so I just prepaid for the next 2 years, bringing the training cost down to $30 a month plus tax.
Nearly 100 workouts later, I am still using it, still completing programs, and still proudly adding new monthly challenge pins to my cabinet.
For me, that makes the Tempo Move Plus a far better investment than a gym membership I struggled to use consistently.
Want to try it for yourself? Use my link here and referral code FRg0cwlB for a 30 day guest pass to check it out!
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