Activ5 fitness tool: training for slackers
No time for training? That's not an excuse. An isometric workout with the small Activ5 squeeze box takes five minutes, is playful and can be done anywhere - even if you make a monkey of yourself in the process. Or a shark.
Hand on heart: Do you occasionally avoid training? You just couldn't because work, the sofa or (please insert your own thoughts) got in the way? Then just give your trainer a hug. Short but sharp. This is, somewhat simplified, the concept of the Activ5. A palm-sized... gizmo. Yes, what actually? The small device is neither round nor oval. It's more like one of those over-polished stones that lie around the pond in the front garden of pedantically maintained family homes. And almost as hard. In any case, it doesn't give noticeably when you clamp it between the balls of your hands, your knees or under your feet to exert pressure on it.
Great for lazybones: You don't have to move during the exercises. Just tense your muscles and hold a predetermined position.
Bad for lazy people: This "isometric" training, which is not about stretching and bending but about holding, can be quite strenuous. Although the individual exercises only last 15 to 30 seconds.
Nice for lazy people anyway: Isometric training is an efficient way to increase maximum strength and strength endurance. Of course, only up to a certain point, which lazy people probably haven't reached yet.
The manufacturer's message is:
"Activ5 increases your strength by approx. 30% within 6 weeks with only 15 minutes of training per day."
This is the average success of an average Activ5 user. I would say: it can be possible under certain circumstances. Where there is little at the beginning, a little more can make up 30 per cent. With the physique of the men and women who greet me in the Activ5 app, there's not much room for improvement. Because of course you're not just pressing on a piece of plastic, you're getting instructions, statistics and entertainment via an app. From guys who sometimes look like the Californian manufacturer recruited them directly from Malibu Beach.
In my test, I didn't focus on a specific muscle group to be able to say at the end: "Right! 30 per cent!" My approach was to explore the possibilities over several weeks. The Activ5 is supposed to offer a full-body workout and has over 100 workouts in its programme, which are made up of different exercises. But first things first. When I unpacked it, I was initially pleasantly surprised.
Hooray, no charging cable!
What you'll find in the Activ5 pack is straightforward. In addition to the device itself, it comes with a smartphone holder in bright orange, and that's it. No charging cable. And why is that? Because you don't need one. The Activ5 contains a standard AAA battery, which is supposed to last six to twelve months. I think that's good. No permanently installed battery that has to be regularly refuelled via micro USB alongside your smartphone, tablet and a thousand other things. Changing a battery is almost nostalgic. However, the cover under which the battery is hidden can only be prised open with a flat screwdriver and with frightening difficulty. Crack. Perhaps a permanently installed battery with a charging socket would be... oh, let's leave it at that.
Unpack it, set it up, press it
You have to enter your age, gender, height and weight in the app. There is a guest mode that you can activate so that the "Can I have a go?" group around you doesn't mess up your statistics. Practical, because this question is bound to come up. The Bluetooth connection works perfectly with my Pixel 2 XL; they find and connect within a few seconds when I switch on the Activ5 using the only available button. If you disconnect it, it deactivates itself after a short time.
Max Power!
Do you think what I think when you hear "Max Power"? Homer Simpson would also be a suitable test candidate for the Activ5. But in this case, I'll do the job. And that involves determining your maximum strength before you perform an exercise for the first time. If you give it your all for five seconds in the specified position, the subsequent exercise adjusts to your strength level and challenges you accordingly.
In order to really give it your all, you must first place the Activ5 correctly. A small pictogram shows you how to position it and in which hand. There are also photos and text instructions. At first, you have to look at the pictures and graphics a few times to interpret them correctly. Which curve of the device should point where seems to be important, even if it doesn't usually feel better or more correct.
Some exercises, such as the "Zen chest press", are immediately understandable: the device is placed between the balls of your hands, which you press together in front of your chest with maximum force. Others are much more complex and can be a wobbly affair the first time you try them. For example, if you have to clamp the Activ5 between your elbow and knee, it's not so easy to apply pressure in the right place.
Fitness for the playful
Once you have determined your strength level for an exercise, you can get started. And it's fun because you're not just bluntly squeezing the device between your hands, feet or other body parts. Part of the challenge is to vary your strength and follow a predetermined line with regular intermediate targets that you see on your display.
If you're bored of points, you can make the whole thing even more playful and chase small fish as a shark, steer a rocket towards planets or direct a skier through gates. You can see what this looks like in motion in the video above. I often opted for the ski version because, unfortunately, the app can only be used in portrait format and the descent from top to bottom seemed the most suitable to me.
Whatever form you choose to pursue your goals, the coordination challenge is always a big plus for me. Exercises in a kneeling or push-up position take on a different quality because you have to vary the forces and balance your body accordingly. And the forearm support (plank) is strenuous if you simultaneously press the Activ5 to the floor with your hands on top of each other and full force.
Sometimes the lines are so challenging right from the start that you long for the end of the exercise with trembling muscles. The remaining exercise time is shown by a bar at the top of the display. In other cases, you think to yourself: "Hello? Max power?" Then the exercise remains relaxed for a long time. You are literally waiting to finally give it a good squeeze and the exhaustion is very limited afterwards. You receive feedback in the app after each round.
In the app: "Haufischbauch" for you?
The Activ5 app (iOS / Android) is well made. Attractive, clear and entertaining. The statistics provide information about your progress, and the displayed practice accuracy is surprisingly high. Even if you send your skier on an extreme lurching course, you will achieve amazing results - as long as you hit the goals halfway. These intermediate goals seem to give you something like bonus points.
In addition to information on accuracy, you are shown statistics on the exercise times, the "lifted" weight and the balance between the left and right side of the body. As all exercises are included in the overall statistics, the assessment of your maximum performance depends heavily on the selected workouts. Sometimes you clamp the Activ5 under your heel and achieve correspondingly high values, while in other exercises the strength peaks are much lower. As a left-hander and left-footer, I was surprised that the right side of my body should be slightly stronger. From 28 kilos on the left and 31 kilos on the right, the app concludes: "Your right side is 0% stronger." Hm. In any case, my spelling is stronger than that of the Activ5.
In the app, you can also mark your workout favourites for specific body parts and choose between endless combinations with names such as "Hotel of Hell", "Lift the Minibar" or "Shark Belly". There is something for every situation and mood. Despite the entertaining presentation, the overall impression is serious.
I struggle a bit with the operation. Once you have selected a workout and determined the maximum strength for all the exercises it contains, you theoretically no longer need to tap your display. With a "double click" on the Activ5, you can jump from one exercise to the next. However, I regularly skip the info page by mistake and am immediately confronted with the next exercise. Which, in the worst case, starts straight away. So when I double-click the Activ5, either nothing happens or too much happens.
Nevertheless, the "remote control" ideally leads to a speedy process and the training is strenuous, even if you are only busy for five minutes. That's why I like the workouts where you don't have to constantly change position. Working out either sitting, standing or lying down is more efficient. Having to move your smartphone and its adjustable holder from the table to the floor every other time you do a task and having to adjust it so that you can see the display without having to contort yourself gets annoying after a while.
The variety of exercises
There's nothing to complain about here. There is a lot possible and you can display an endless number of workouts or all exercises for a specific muscle group. I also like the approach of not only offering small units tailored to specific training goals, but also to specific situations. Want to work out on the sofa in the evening? No problem, you can quickly find the right workout. The whole concept is low-threshold and you can actually do a bit of training anytime and (almost) anywhere.
However, I wouldn't want to make a fool of myself in public. I wouldn't take the Activ5 out on the tram, in the office or on a plane. But there are workouts for these situations too. I can just imagine a row of Ryanair passengers trying to train with it and struggling to get the elbow room they need. Not a chance. No, you have to fly at least Business for that. Otherwise, your isometric workout on the plane will still consist of pressing your knees firmly into the backrest of the person in front of you.
I preferred to train at home and started with general morning and evening workouts. Over time, I've realised that the themed workouts suit me better. I'm currently working on "bulletproof abs", for example.
More game apps
A nice idea is also to offer more game apps. Unfortunately, they are not integrated into the main app. You have to install them separately and the exercises you do with them don't appear in your statistics. I was particularly looking forward to my stint as a sumo wrestler. Unfortunately, this failed due to the lack of single-player mode. You can only be pushed around the ring if you have an opponent with their own Activ5 nearby. At least I haven't found any other option. With Activ Fly, I quickly lost the fun of painstakingly unlocking new exercises by collecting a few stars with a paper aeroplane. In other words, doing pretty much the same thing as in the main app: following a curve by changing the pressure. None of the available games fascinated me in the long term, but they can be played in landscape format.
Stay nice and correct
As with any exercise you do without supervision, it's easy to cheat yourself. Bend your arms a little more here, deviate slightly from the correct position there - and you'll immediately put a lot more force into the machine. Combined with the playful approach, there is a risk of forgetting yourself a little. You'll quickly end up doing press breathing if you really push down on the Activ5 with full force. As with all forms of training: either you know what you're doing. Or you ask someone who is familiar with it. This is especially true when it comes to health issues. You should ask a doctor, not an app, to tell you what you can and cannot do. This is also the opinion of the manufacturer, who, as an American company, is understandably not stingy with warnings.
"Not all exercise programmes are suitable for everyone, and this or any exercise programme may result in injury. Consult your doctor before starting this or any exercise programme."
Conclusion
I liked a lot about the Activ5. The coordination component, where you quickly achieve your first successes and become more precise in the exercises. The short but strenuous workouts. The playful approach that keeps monotonous exercises interesting. The great variety and the successful balance between entertainment and information in the app. The quality of workmanship also fits into the positive overall picture.
I was annoyed by the fact that the app cannot be used horizontally. I also came across one or two small translation errors and I am sceptical about the statistics.
How much force the Activ5 actually measures depends on whether you find the perfect pressure point. It takes some time to familiarise yourself with the device and select the right exercises. But then you can really challenge yourself with the Activ5. Of course, it doesn't completely replace other forms of training, but it is a very good addition. You don't need a large time slot or a lot of space, and the playful approach makes the Activ5 a device that even notorious slackers can grow to love.
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Michael Restin
Senior Editor
Michael.Restin@digitecgalaxus.chSimple writer, dad of two. Likes to be on the move, shimmies through everyday family life, juggles with several balls and occasionally drops something. A ball. Or a remark. Or both.
