The EnterTRAINER turns off your TV if you heart rate goes down.

TV Training

Not everyone has the time to go to the gym, so they work out at home in front of the TV. After all, your own home is so much more comfortable than the gym: There's a nice couch, a TV remote all to yourself . . . and potato chips! In fact, why don't you just take a break from doing jumping jacks for a second so you can fully enjoy how comfy your at-home workout area is?

"It's the same concept as a carrot hanging in front of a horse," says Volpe.

Because if you do, the television is going to turn off.

Why? Blame The EnterTRAINER, a softball-sized fitness device that's changing the way people work out at home by turning televisions into rewards for a good workout. It works with any activity that'll get your heart pumping. Just strap it on to your elliptical trainer or place it on the floor next to you as you jump rope. It will wirelessly read your heart rate from a strap-on monitor and communicate with your TV, working much like a universal remote control. If your heart rate dips below what it should be (based on your age and weight) your TV volume will go down. If you stop working out, it'll turn off the TV completely (it works with remote-controlled sound systems and video games, too). "It's the same concept as a carrot hanging in front of a horse," says instructional technology specialist Joe Volpe of Malvern, PA. "If you don't keep up your targeted heart rate, the TV turns off."

Volpe and his wife, Tracey, first conceived of the idea for a contraption like this in 2000 when they were talking about how so much exercise equipment is just gathering dust in homes across America. "Too bad we can't power the TV with an exercise bike," Tracey joked. That was all she needed to say.

After 6 years of development, they introduced their new invention in January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, NV, where CNN named it as one of the top ten products out of the thousands on display.

What's next for the Volpes? They're working on The iTrainer, a pair of cardio-controlled headphones that'll turn down the tunes on any portable listening device if you don't keep up your heart rate. And after that, who knows? Maybe a contraption that'll keep ice cream containers locked until you've broken a sweat?

Heaven forbid.

Posted on June 05, 2006