Systems and Methods for Exercise Guidance and Tracking

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for guiding a participant through a fitness experience or workout. The participant is provided access to an exercise area at a fitness facility, with the exercise area comprising several exercise or game modules. At each module, the participant engages in a customized exercise or game that is tailored to the participant's fitness level or to key fitness elements that the participant is expected to work on. An instructor may program each module with a type and difficulty of game that is appropriate for the participant, and the participant's activities and results are tracked over time and reported to both the instructor and the participant.

1 . A system for guiding a participant through a fitness experience, said system comprising:
 an exercise facility having an exercise area with two or more modules, each module having game hardware that is programmed with fitness games custom-selected for each participant, wherein the participant is guided between modules and, at each module, performs the custom-selected game.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the game hardware comprises lights that are lit sequentially, prompting the participant to interact with objects at the module. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2  wherein the objects are resilient balls. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 2  wherein the objects are resilient hemispheres. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 2  wherein the lights are provided within the objects. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 2  wherein the lights are provided near the objects and illuminate the objects. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising motion sensing devices. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein each module is configured to track performance and progress of each participant as they participate in the fitness experience. 
     
     
         9 . A method for the automatic measurement and tracking of exercise performance comprising:
 tracking the performance of a participant during a first exercise experience in which the participant participates in games at two or more modules;   recording data gathered from motion-sensing devices related to the performance of the participant during the first exercise experience;   analyzing recorded data to quantify participant performance; and   providing a second exercise experience for the participant, wherein the second exercise experience is customized based on the performance of the participant during the first exercise experience.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein each module further comprises lights that may be lit sequentially. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the games are programmed into game hardware that is part of the modules. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein tracking the participant further comprises tracking an RFID bracelet worn by the participant. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein analyzing the recorded data may occur at a server. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein providing the second exercise experience may include providing an audio prompt for the second exercise experience to the participant. 
     
     
         15 . A method for automatically programming a module with a game custom-selected for a participant comprising:
 providing a first game for the participant having first game criteria;   recording data related to the performance of the participant during the first game, thereby creating first game recorded data;   presenting the first game recorded data;   evaluating the first game recorded data; and   based on the results of the evaluation, creating or selecting second game criteria different from the first game criteria and tailored to change the challenge of the game for the participant.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the first game criteria comprises a difficulty setting for a cardio activity, a strength activity or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the second game criteria comprises a difficulty setting for a cardio activity, a strength activity or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein evaluating the first game recorded data comprises analyzing the first game recorded data at a server. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein presenting the first game recorded data comprises presenting the data at a terminal, or at a wireless interface. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein recording the data comprises recording the participant's movement via a RFID bracelet, motion sensing devices, or a combination thereof.