Tonal 2: Tonal Is Back With More Smart Features and Heavier Weights

Pros

• It blends well in a living room, bedroom or home gym, and you don’t need a lot of space to do the workouts
• It’s quiet, so it won’t be disruptive to neighbors if you live in an apartment building
• You can connect your favorite music streaming service, like Amazon or Apple Music, to Tonal 2
• If you don’t want to do a class, you can create your own workout
• You can now do cardio exercises with the Tonal

Cons

• If you don’t have the right type of walls, you may run into an installation issue or need to have a build-out constructed to fit the space
• If you only want to do strength training here and there, it may be a steep price to spend on a machine
• The membership price is high for a machine that is expensive to begin with.

When the Tonal 1 first came out, it was a revolution in fitness tech. The strength-training smart home gym combines electromagnets with a cable machine and adds virtual classes (plus feedback on your form) to provide the experience of a weight room and a personal trainer in one. Professional athletes like LeBron James and Serena Williams swear by the Tonal 1 and even became brand partners and investors in the company. 

I tested the Tonal 1 and could see that the hype was real. Now, Tonal has come out with the Tonal 2. The second iteration replaces the Tonal 1 altogether and has some new features and upgrades.

What’s new with the Tonal 2?

Although the Tonal 2 doesn’t make huge changes, it does have some standout features and upgrades worth highlighting. 

• 250 pounds of resistance: The Tonal 1 only offered 200 pounds, but the Tonal 2 has cranked it up a notch to 250 pounds. The weights now have a “true weight” feel, so the weights you’re lifting feel the equivalent of a dumbbell. The original Tonal made the weight feel heavier than the weight you’d selected.
• Aero feature: Tonal isn’t just for strength training; you can also get cardio in with the new Aero feature in Aero HIIT classes. These new moves include the Aero Pull, Aero Mini Pull, Aero Twist, Aero Chop and Aero Lunge.
• Design upgrades: The arms on the Tonal 2 now have a modernized internal and external design complete with chrome accents.
• Smart view: The smart view allows you to view yourself on video as you do certain exercises, which helps with form correction.
• Drop sets: Previously, you needed to upgrade the software to get the drop sets option, but now it’s included.
• New attachment: New dual-T lock rope that is used during Aero exercises. The Tonal 2 consists of all the other attachments used with the original Tonal.

How much does the Tonal 2 cost?

The Tonal 2 is $4,295 before taxes and membership costs. There’s also an installation fee, which will vary per location. You’ll have to pay extra for a Tonal membership, which is $59.95 a month and is required for the first 12 months from purchase. It provides unlimited membership accounts, which allows everyone in your household to have a personal profile. After the year is up, you have the option to renew your membership or simply use the Tonal as a standalone machine. 

How Tonal 1 owners can trade it in for a Tonal 2

If you’re a Tonal member, you can exchange your Tonal 1 for $1,000 off the Tonal 2. To save your place in line, you’ll need to fill out a survey, wait for an email to place your order and then order a Tonal 2 with the trade-in discount. 

Tonal 2 space requirements

The Tonal 2 is the same size as the Tonal 1 and fits best in a 7- by 7-foot space with 7-foot, 10-inch ceilings. It’s easiest to install if your walls are made of wood or metal with stud widths from 16 to 24 inches. If your wall is made of other materials, such as concrete, plaster or stucco, you’ll have to verify that it’s 1.25 inches or less in thickness.

You’ll also need to ensure you have a power outlet within 6 feet of Tonal and a strong Wi-Fi connection. The Tonal 2 has improved its Wi-Fi and Bluetooth components, so the connection should be better this time around. Tonal’s professional installers will set up your machine (installation prices vary per location) and make sure everything is working smoothly. If you move, there’s also an additional relocation charge (subject to moving details) to cover the cost of disassembling and reinstalling your Tonal. 

How we tested

I got to test out the Tonal 2 at the Tonal Training Lab. Unlike the Tonal 1 test, which was at the Tonal showroom, this was a one-on-one session with Tonal Trainer Ackeem Emmons. He walked me through some of the new features and new functions as well as some of the popular exercises most people already do on the original Tonal.

Having a trainer explain how to use the Tonal, showcase the differences from the original and give me a real-life sense of what it’s like to use this machine. 

How does the Tonal 2 work?

The Tonal 2, similar to the Tonal 1, is a sleek, space-saving, vertically wall-mounted home gym that’s powered by electromagnets. It has two adjustable long arms with handles at the end, similar to a cable machine, on each side of a large flat screen with touch capability. The magnets designed for Tonal provide the resistance for all of the exercises you do with this machine, which means you don’t need to store any bulky weights. The purpose of the Tonal is to replace all types of strength training equipment — you’ll just need one machine to get a full-body workout. 

Tonal has 17 different sensors to assess your form, technique and speed, and it gives you feedback based on this to help you self-correct. The smart accessories, such as the smart handles and smart bar, also have a gyroscope motion sensor that connects them to the Tonal’s system and tracks your reps via Bluetooth.

Tonal also has the unique ability to determine which of your muscles are recovering or ready to work, based on your previous workouts. It uses muscle readiness along with your most recent Tonal workouts to calculate and categorize the muscle groups as either fatigued, recovering or ready. To do this, it uses a color code with three “zones.” 

Red zone: You should rest your muscles or do some mobility exercises.

Yellow zone: It’s OK to work these muscles, but see how you’re feeling.

Green zone: Muscles are fresh and ready to work out.

To make workouts harder, Tonal has five dynamic weight modes: Spotter, Burnout, Chains, Eccentric and Smart Flex. These modes challenge your workouts the way a personal trainer would. 

Spotter: Spotter acts the same way a gym partner would to spot you and sense if you’re struggling to complete a rep. It reduces the resistance to help you finish that rep.

Burnout: This mode lets you keep reducing resistance in a high-rep set so you can complete your last rep successfully. This replaces having to swap out multiple weights between reps.

Chains: Mimics real-life chains that are normally limited to making squats or push-ups harder. However, through Tonal, the Chains mode lets you add chains to any movement. 

Eccentric: Changes the amount of resistance from the concentric portion of the lift (the part of the lift that shortens the muscle, such as the curling part of the bicep curl) to the eccentric (when you lengthen the muscle, such as the lowering of the arm in a bicep curl) to optimize time under tension.

Smart Flex: Adds continuous resistance until it senses you’re struggling, then adjusts to a weight that’s comfortable yet challenging for you.

Read more: Best Smart Home Gyms for 2025

What it’s like to use the Tonal 2

The Tonal 2 is more or less the same as the Tonal 1: It requires the same amount of space and installation, and the arms are still part of its design. The machine still assesses your fitness level and knows how to challenge you or scale back when needed. It uses the color-coded red, yellow and green zones, which tell you whether or not you should work out specific muscles based on how recently you trained them. 

During my one-on-one session, I got acquainted with the new Aero feature, which is meant to be used during Aero HIIT classes. I also learned about exercises, including the Aero Pull, Aero Mini Pull and Aero Lunge. I also did deadlifts, leg lifts, bicep curls, tricep push-downs, lat pull-downs and more. I basically got a full-body workout to get the true feel of the Tonal 2.

It helps to have a pro who’s familiar with the machine walk you through it. Using the Tonal 2 is confusing at first, but as you go through the steps it becomes intuitive. I liked that during some of the exercises, like leg lifts and barbell curls, you can change up the location of the gyroscope motion sensor (which turns the weight on and off) on the attachment, making it easy to reach.

With the latest update, the exercises you’re doing on Tonal feel more true to the free weights you lift in the gym. However, because the setup is different than when you’re lifting dumbbells, I still found them more challenging on the Tonal 2. 

My favorite upgrade to the Tonal 2 is the Aero feature. It’s nice to know that you can also use Tonal as a cardio machine. The Aero Pull exercise, for example, is similar to medicine ball slams, but quieter. It reminds me of a Ski Erg, the machine similar to the rower that uses a pulling motion while standing. If you’re a parent like me, who tries their best to work out quietly when your child naps, this feature is a true flex. 

Some things I wish the Tonal 2 had changed include the installation process, attachments and adding certain exercises. I wasn’t able to install the Tonal 1 in my home due to my apartment’s wall material. The Tonal installs most easily on drywall and you have to make sure the two wall studs are 16 to 24 inches apart. If your walls aren’t compatible, you have to have a build-out made by a contractor, which is an additional investment. It’s an expensive machine, so I would’ve liked the installation component to be easier to install on any wall, regardless of material. 

The Tonal 2 also only has one new attachment, and it could have benefitted from adding more to its collection. Perhaps a cable kickback attachment or v-bar handle attachment in addition to the dual-T lock rope. While I enjoy the Aero component, it would’ve been nice to see other strength training exercises like the hip thrust or back squat incorporated into this machine — especially if you’re going to use this as your main source of strength training at home.

Tonal’s workout programs and exercises

Tonal is committed to innovating and updating its library of live and on-demand classes, which now have over 3,000 workouts to choose from. You can pick from yoga, HIIT, Pilates, strength training, boot camp, meditation and much more to serve your workouts. Tonal regularly updates its database, so you won’t get bored with the programs and workout selections. 

You can also take Tonal with you while you’re on the go since it has an app that provides exercises similar to the ones you’d do on the machine and helps you keep track of your workouts.

Pros and cons of the Tonal 2

Since the Tonal 2 isn’t cheap, it’s important to know the pros and cons before committing to the machine. For some people, it may be the right choice for their home, fitness goals and budget, but others may benefit from something different.

Pros:

• It blends well in a living room, bedroom or home gym, and you don’t need a lot of space to do the workouts.
• It’s quiet, so it won’t be disruptive to neighbors if you live in an apartment building.
• You can connect your favorite music streaming service, like Amazon or Apple Music, to the Tonal 2.
• If you don’t want to do a class, you can create your own workout.
• You can now do cardio exercises with the Tonal 2.

Cons:

• If you don’t have the right type of walls, you may run into an installation issue or need to have a build-out constructed to fit the space.
• If you only want to do strength training here and there, it’s a steep price to spend on a machine.
• The membership price is high for a machine that is expensive to begin with.

Final verdict: Is the Tonal 2 worth it?

Overall, I feel the same way I did when I wrote my Tonal 1 review: This isn’t for everyone. I can’t see a casual exerciser wanting to drop over $4,000 on a high-tech workout machine. But if you love to lift weights and your budget has no bounds, then the Tonal 2 is a weightlifter’s dream come true. If Tonal can figure out how to add the strength training exercises it’s currently lacking, this would be the ultimate gift for someone who loves strength training and works out at home.

Also, consider the cost of personal training sessions versus a high-tech strength training fitness machine that can also function like your own coach. Some trainers charge enough that the machine ends up evening out the price. So, in the end, it depends on how often you’ll realistically be using the Tonal 2, if you have the right walls and if you think it’s worth the splurge for this sleek smart gym.