# Digital Gyms and Immersive Fitness Spaces: Formats, What the Research Shows, and How to Plan One

> A digital gym, or immersive fitness space, puts the workout inside a picture: projection, LED and sound set the pace, or sensors read the body and the content responds. Research suggests immersion makes the same effort feel easier and more enjoyable, while its effect on how much people exercise is real but small -- so the space should be planned for return visits, not a first impression.

**Published:** 2026-11-07 - **By:** MLABART

## What is a digital gym or immersive fitness space?

A digital gym is a training space where the room itself is part of the workout. Projection or LED surrounds the exerciser, sound is synchronised with the picture, and in many formats sensors read the body so the content responds. The aim is to make exercise feel like a ride, a climb or a game rather than a count of minutes.

There are two basic ways to build one. In a content-led room, the film and the music set the pace and the class follows, as in an immersive group cycling class. In a sensing-led room, the system reads the exerciser -- a hand on a climbing hold, a foot on a target, the speed of a pedal -- and the game answers. Most spaces are one or the other; some combine both.

- ![General-principle diagram of two ways a fitness room can be immersive. Content-led: the film and music set the pace, an instructor cues the class, and the group follows together -- for example an immersive cycling class. Sensing-led: a sensor reads the body, the game responds, the screen and sound give feedback, and the player reacts, in a loop -- for example an interactive climbing wall, a reaction floor or a bike that drives the picture.](https://mlabart.com/insights/digital-gym-immersive-fitness-space/two-ways.svg)

## Which formats are used today?

Four formats cover most projects. The first two are commercial products from fitness companies, described from the makers' own pages; MLABART was not involved in them.

| Format | How it works | Space and setup | Example |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Immersive group cycling studio | Bikes face a cinema-scale screen; an instructor leads a class choreographed to digitally created worlds and synchronised music | A darkened studio with projection and sound; Les Mills describes studios with 2 projectors for up to 30 bikes and with 3 projectors for 50 bikes | Les Mills THE TRIP, a 40-minute multi-peak cycling class, at SATS clubs in Stockholm |
| Interactive climbing wall | A projector puts games on a climbing wall and motion tracking follows the climber | The maker lists a 7,000-lumen projector, 4.5 x 5 m of floor space and a minimum ceiling of 3.5 m; indoor only, no direct sunlight | Valo Motion ValoClimb: up to four climbers at once and up to 60 players an hour at open-access sites, per the maker |
| Reaction floor or wall | Light-up targets on the floor or wall; each hit is registered and a timer scores the round | Impact-rated targets, a controller and a score screen, with clear run-off space around the targets | General practice; MLABART's rapid-reaction wall in the NBA Macao flagship store works this way |
| Cardio linked to a screen | The effort on a bike, rower or treadmill drives what happens on screen -- a road, a race, a chase | A sensor or smart trainer on the machine, a screen or projection in front of it, and software that maps effort to motion | MLABART's riding zone at DESCENTE's 90th-anniversary exhibition and its bike game at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum |

- [Les Mills -- THE TRIP class page](https://www.lesmills.com/workouts/fitness-classes/the-trip/)
- [Les Mills -- Hosting THE TRIP: SATS studios, projectors and bikes (15 April 2025)](https://www.lesmills.com/us/articles/hosting-the-trip)
- [Valo Motion -- ValoClimb specifications](https://valomotion.com/valoclimb)
- [Valo Motion -- ValoClimb for climbing gyms](https://valomotion.com/solutions/climbing-gym)

## What does the research say about immersive exercise?

Four findings are worth knowing before investing, and they point the same way: immersion changes how exercise feels more than how much of it people do. Exergames -- exercise through interactive games -- are the closest research category to sensing-led rooms.

- The same effort feels easier. In a study led by Dr Jinger Gottschall at Penn State University with the Les Mills Lab, new exercisers did eight audio-only cycling classes and eight sessions of THE TRIP. Time in the top heart-rate zones was similar in both, but perceived exertion was significantly lower in the immersive class and it was rated more satisfying. The study is reported by Les Mills, which makes the class; Les Mills says it was published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
- Positive emotions go up. A 2023 systematic review in Frontiers in Public Health (Marques et al., 16 studies, 14 of them randomised trials) found that exercising through exergames generally increases positive emotions; the authors note likely publication bias.
- Activity goes up, modestly. A 2025 meta-analysis in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (Li et al., 20 randomised controlled trials, 2,211 participants) found that exergame-based interventions increased physical activity with a small effect -- a standardised mean difference of 0.19 (95% CI 0.05-0.33) -- and larger effects on moderate-to-vigorous activity (0.48) and step counts (0.54). Long-term effects still need study.
- A popular class can carry a club's timetable. At SATS Stureplan in Stockholm, THE TRIP had 65,000 participants across 1,750 classes in 2024, 47% of the club's group fitness visits, according to Les Mills. That is one club's figure, reported by the class provider.

- [Les Mills -- THE TRIP effect: Penn State research (18 December 2017)](https://www.lesmills.com/us/articles/the-trip-research)
- [Marques et al. (2023) -- The impact of exergames on emotional experience: a systematic review, Frontiers in Public Health](https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1209520/full)
- [Li et al. (2025) -- Exergame-based behavior change interventions for promoting physical activity, J Med Internet Res 27:e62906](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12334110/)
- [Les Mills -- Celebrating 10 years of THE TRIP: SATS Stureplan figures (31 March 2025)](https://www.lesmills.com/us/articles/celebrating-10-years-of-the-trip---an-immersive-fitness-revolution)

- ![Data chart of effect sizes from Li et al., Journal of Medical Internet Research 2025, a meta-analysis of 20 randomised controlled trials with 2,211 participants on exergame-based interventions. Physical activity overall: standardised mean difference 0.19, 95% confidence interval 0.05 to 0.33. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity: 0.48, 0.12 to 0.85. Step counts: 0.54, 0.13 to 0.94. Reference lines mark 0.2 (conventionally small) and 0.5 (medium). All three intervals are above zero.](https://mlabart.com/insights/digital-gym-immersive-fitness-space/exergame-effect-sizes.svg)

## How do you plan an immersive fitness space?

General practice, with the makers' figures where they publish them:

- Choose content-led or sensing-led first. A class studio needs a timetable and instructors; sensing-led stations can run between classes or on their own -- Valo Motion says ValoClimb needs no dedicated staff.
- Control the light. Projection needs a darkened room, and ValoClimb's specification rules out direct sunlight. On a bright gym floor, LED is usually the safer choice.
- Clear the height. Projectors and screens must stay clear of raised arms, jumps and climbers; ValoClimb lists a 3.5 m minimum ceiling.
- Plan for heat, sweat and dust. A full class raises heat and humidity; projectors need ventilation and, near chalk or dust, filtration -- ValoClimb offers a dust-protected projector with HEPA filters. Keep PCs and controllers outside the training area.
- Design for safety. Keep targets out of landing and run-off zones, use impact-rated surfaces wherever people strike them, and avoid rapid full-screen flashing; the WCAG 2.3.1 limit of no more than three flashes in any one second, written for web content, is a sensible reference for screen content too.
- Count throughput. People per hour = stations x 3,600 / seconds per round. Short timed rounds with a score keep a queue moving.
- Budget for new content. A room people visit every week needs new worlds, routes or levels; Les Mills releases THE TRIP on a three-month cycle. Decide who makes new content and how often before opening.
- Handle data with consent. Wearable technology tops ACSM's 2026 survey of fitness trends (2,000 fitness professionals), so many members expect workout data to follow them; link scores to a member app only with consent, and prefer sensing that does not record identifiable images -- depth, LiDAR or pressure -- in a space where people train.

- [W3C -- Understanding WCAG 2.3.1: Three Flashes or Below Threshold](https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/three-flashes-or-below-threshold.html)
- [Recreation Management -- ACSM announces top fitness trends for 2026](https://recmanagement.com/articles/155523/acsm-announces-top-fitness-trends-2026)
- [Related: Radar, camera or depth sensor? Choosing the sensing layer](https://mlabart.com/insights/motion-sensing-for-interactive-installations/)
- [Related: How sports interactive installations are built](https://mlabart.com/insights/sports-interactive-installations-basketball/)

## What MLABART has built: riding, pedalling and reaction games

These are exhibition, museum and retail projects rather than gyms, but they use the same mechanics:

DESCENTE's 90th-anniversary exhibition, Shanghai, 2023. Road bikes mounted on indoor trainers face a wall-size screen showing a forest road, with an information panel and a QR code for each rider on screen and a wind effect labelled "4D". A projection tunnel in the same exhibition carries the brand's timeline.

Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, health zone. In a game called "Running Pigs", children pedal an exercise bike in front of a screen, next to an exhibit on identifying animal footprints.

NBA Macao flagship store, The Londoner Macao, opened October 2025. A permanent LED half court counts two-pointers, three-pointers and spot shots and shows a monthly leaderboard; beside it, a rapid-reaction wall of basketball-shaped light buttons is timed -- light, hit, next.

- [MLABART case: DESCENTE 90th-anniversary exhibition](https://mlabart.com/work/descente-90th/)
- [MLABART case: Shanghai Science and Technology Museum -- health zone exhibits](https://mlabart.com/work/shanghai-stm/)
- [MLABART case: NBA Macao flagship store -- interactive court and reaction wall](https://mlabart.com/work/nba-flagship-store-londoner-macao/)

- ![Collage from DESCENTE's 90th-anniversary exhibition in Shanghai: two road bikes on indoor trainers face a wall-size screen showing a forest road with an information panel and QR code above each bike; a rider pedals beside a "4D" wind label; a projection tunnel shows the brand's timeline by year.](https://mlabart.com/cases/descente-90th.jpg)
- ![Collage from the health zone of the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum: a child pedals an exercise bike in front of a screen under a "Running Pigs" sign while other children watch; an exercise bike stands in a yellow booth with a screen; discs show animal footprints.](https://mlabart.com/cases/shanghai-stm.jpg)

## What to put in the brief

A digital gym is easier to price and build when the brief answers these questions:

- Who trains: members, children, hotel guests or office staff; their ages and fitness levels.
- Format: a class studio, open-floor stations or both, and how many people use it at once.
- Room: dimensions, ceiling height, windows and daylight, floor type, ventilation and power.
- Operation: instructor-led sessions or self-start; opening hours; who restarts a stuck system on a Sunday morning.
- Content: how many worlds, games or routes at opening, how often they change, and music licensing.
- Data: scores, leaderboards, links to a member app or wearables, and how consent is collected.
- Lifetime: how many years the space should run, spare parts on site and remote support.

## Sources

Product and studio figures are from the makers' and the class provider's own pages. Research findings are from the cited papers; the Penn State study is cited as reported by Les Mills. MLABART projects are described from project photos and records. Planning points are general practice, marked as such.

- [Les Mills -- THE TRIP](https://www.lesmills.com/workouts/fitness-classes/the-trip/)
- [Les Mills -- Hosting THE TRIP](https://www.lesmills.com/us/articles/hosting-the-trip)
- [Les Mills -- THE TRIP research](https://www.lesmills.com/us/articles/the-trip-research)
- [Valo Motion -- ValoClimb](https://valomotion.com/valoclimb)
- [Marques et al. (2023), Frontiers in Public Health](https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1209520/full)
- [Li et al. (2025), J Med Internet Res, doi:10.2196/62906](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12334110/)
- [W3C -- WCAG 2.3.1 Three Flashes or Below Threshold](https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/three-flashes-or-below-threshold.html)


## FAQ

### What is a digital gym?

A training space where projection, LED and sound surround the workout, and often sensors read the body so the content responds. In content-led rooms the film and music set the pace of a class; in sensing-led rooms a climb, a jump or a pedal stroke drives a game.

### Does immersive fitness make people exercise more?

Somewhat. A 2025 meta-analysis of 20 randomised trials found exergame interventions increased physical activity with a small effect (SMD 0.19). The clearer benefit is how exercise feels: in a Penn State study reported by Les Mills, an immersive cycling class felt easier at the same heart-rate intensity and was rated more satisfying.

### How much space does an interactive climbing wall need?

Valo Motion lists 4.5 x 5 m of floor space and a minimum ceiling height of 3.5 m for ValoClimb, indoors and out of direct sunlight, with up to four climbers on the wall at once.

### Has MLABART built immersive fitness installations?

Not a commercial gym, but the same mechanics: a riding zone of bikes on indoor trainers facing a forest-road screen for DESCENTE's 90th-anniversary exhibition, a pedal-powered game at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, and a permanent scored court and reaction wall in the NBA Macao flagship store.



## Related Pages

**See also:** [Motion & Body-Tracking Interactives](https://mlabart.com/solutions/motion-tracking-interactives/) | [Immersive Art Exhibitions](https://mlabart.com/solutions/immersive-exhibitions/) | [Projection Mapping](https://mlabart.com/solutions/projection-mapping/) | [Interactive LED Walls & Big Screens](https://mlabart.com/solutions/interactive-led-walls/)

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**MLABART** -- Interaction - Imagination - Innovation

MLABART is an interactive installation and interactive software development studio. We design, program and deliver interactive installations -- motion-sensing games, touch and AI experiences, interactive LED walls, projection mapping, naked-eye 3D and kinetic sculptures -- for mall and New Year's Eve countdown campaigns, trade-show booths and launches, and brand pop-ups, from concept and custom software through fabrication and on-site delivery.

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- Email: mark@touchworld-sh.com
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