Portl Ultra Gym review: Smart weights and training
I have never been a fan of weight training, though I have over the years tried to build some muscles with dumbbells. Nowadays, even though I am quite active with daily brisk walks, the lack of weight training has been something playing on my mind. This is why when an opportunity came to review the Portl Ultra Gym I was intrigued and wanted to see if a product like this would make sense for me.
I was, however, confused if a gym unit would make sense in my small apartment. The company assured me the product was compact and had a small footprint. A few weeks later, I was staring at a couple of large, heavy, cartons outside my door. I was not sure what the second box was for, but soon discovered that it was the bench to workout on. The bench can also be set up easily, but I did not have space for the same unless I wanted to make my living room a gym.
The bench is easy to set up. (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)
The Ultra Gym unit is a platform with a 2.4-feet footprint and 12 kg weight. You can easily tuck it under the bed if you are not using the bench. At each end, you have carabiners that can be connected to the barbell, ankle straps or hand straps that come in the box, depending on the workout you have planned. Once the unit is powered on, you can use the Portl app to connect the smartphone to it via Bluetooth. In the app, you can select your goal, take up challenges, see your daily progress and create custom workouts. For me, most of these did not make sense as I am not someone who has done strength training before.
On the Ultra Gym, there is a dial with buttons on the right that you can use to set the weight or change modes and settings. An audio cue tells you what you are doing and an LED shows the weight you have selected.
I started with a strength assessment which took a few minutes to show personalised results. I then set up a goal to reduce 3kg of weight in 45 days and the app configured a workout routine for me. You can stand on the unit to lift weights or use the bench as per the routine. This is when I realised having the bench set up was critical to do a lot of the routines.
The Ultra Gym comes with multiple attachments. (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)
When you start training with the arm straps you can feel the resistance on the two sides and it feels like naturally lifting weights. The best thing here is that there is equal resistance when retracting which ensures your safety. I did try out the barbells too with the cables connected on both sides and almost wanted to set up the bench to do bench presses, a routine I was familiar with from my college days.
The one issue I faced was with using the app to understand the different workouts and work on the same using the Ultra Gym. As you move to different workouts you have to come back to the phone to switch. So you need to figure out a way to have the phone in view and within touching distance till you have understood all the routines well. Also, the audio feedback on the device is a bit muted and I could not really understand what was being said.
So for a novice weightlifter like me, the product can be a bit of a challenge. But I am not the kind of user the Portl Ultra Gym is meant for. Clearly this is for evolved users who already know the routines they want to do and how to take their training to the next level. For them this is a good device that offers great value. For one, it is a much more compact set up than what a regular weight training rig will need.
The Arm strap makes it feel like lighting actual weight. (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)
At Rs 59,990, the Portl Ultra Gym is perfect for those looking for a smart and compact weight training set-up devoid of the hassles of managing weight plates and stories. If you have the space, invest in the Ultimate Bench too and widen the horizons of what you can do. I would not recommend this for those who are starting out with their strength training journey. Get this once you have understood the basics.
