It all started quite innocently: a post-workout shake here, a protein bar there. Before long fitness enthusiasts morphed into semi-professional athletes and working out became a precise science. Beasting your way through 60 minutes of cardio was pointless if one didn’t consider nutrition, recovery time, body composition and a host of other variables that slowly eroded the joy of eating out.

The next generation of gym technology is positively Nasa-worthy and makes your Apple Watch look like an extravagant pedometer. Here, hardware is employed to diagnose, train and repair the body at every level. We pick out five of the most impressive pieces of futuristic fitness tech around.

A biomechanics unit that looks like an ominous theme park ride, The Centaur housed in London’s Lanserhof tests the strength of core stabilisation muscles by way of “controlled tilting and rotating”. After stepping inside the giant computerised device, your unsupported midsection is spun around for a bit. The unit then provides specific sensorimotor information from which your personal trainer can a) create a bespoke training programme or b) mock you.

Try it:  Lanserhof at the Arts Club, London

lanserhof.com

physiomed.de

Essentially newfangled ice baths, cryotherapy chambers have become all the rage thanks to extreme athlete Mr Wim “The Iceman” Hof, he of mind over matter and prolonged full-body contact with icebergs. Exposure to sub-zero temperatures is said to speed up recovery time from exercise by reducing inflammation. The three-minute treatment at 111Cryo takes place in a shower-like cubicle that has an ambient temperature of around -100°C, and enough room to flail around in a pair of tiny shorts and some slippers.

Try it:  111Cryo, various locations

111skin.co.uk

Only in San Francisco, home of Silicon Valley, would you expect to find Black Box, the world’s first VR gym. If Icaros is a natural introduction to the possibilities afforded by VR, then Black Box really runs with idea, and throws in some Zelda-style fiction for good measure. “The Game”, as they have cunningly called it, involves stepping into a pod with a robotic carriage and stabilisation pad while wearing a VR headset. The alternate world pairs real-time resistance with virtual reality and an off-the-wall storyline about “destroying an enemy crystal”. Artificial Intelligence prescribes the difficulty of very virtual – but very real – workout.

Try it:  Black Box, San Francisco

blackbox-vr.com

Gone are the days of calculating body-fat percentage with de-humanising callipers. You can be de-humanised far more quickly and efficiently by way of a Styku, a 3D body-scanning device housed at elite gyms such as TMPL in New York. The technology comprises a simple turntable and 3D camera that produces millions of measurements with a 2mm accuracy in a matter of seconds. These readings are then rendered into a CGI version of you so that you can see what you look like from the outside. From this unusual vantage point, you can track progress with greater accuracy and boost self-loathing.

Try it:  TMPL, New York

tmplgym.com

styku.com

“Active virtual reality” is one way to describe Icaros, an immersive piece of gyroscopic kit that allows users to fly above mountains or dive underwater in a multiplayer game that is part extreme planking, part skydiving and all virtual. A Samsung Gear or Oculus Rift VR headset is paired with a full-body horizontal frame that continuously re-orientates in order to challenge strength, balance, coordination, core muscle tension and reaction times. If you have a spare €8,000 you can get one shipped to your home, or try it out at Healthy Lab in Nagoya, Japan.

Try it:  Healthy Lab, Nagoya

healthy-lab.jp

icaros.com