GYM FILMING

How to film yourself at the gym without a tripod

Training alone does not mean filming from the floor. The gym is full of metal to fix a phone to.

Reviewed September 20263.6 Views, London

The short answer

Fix your phone to something that stays still at the height and angle you need, then record on the back camera. In a gym the easiest fixed point is the equipment itself: a magnetic phone mount sticks to the steel of a squat rack, cable machine or bench frame and swivels to any angle. Start recording, check that the first rep is in frame, then do your set.

Step by step

  1. Decide the angle before you set up

    Side-on shows depth, back angle and bar path, so it suits squats, deadlifts and presses. Front-on shows how your knees and hips track. Know which one you want before you walk to the rack.

  2. Find metal at the right height

    Rack uprights, cable machine frames, bench frames and dumbbell racks are the usual spots. Pick a point roughly level with your hips for most lifts, far enough away that your whole body fits in the shot.

    It sticks to magnetic metal, not wood, glass or plastic.

  3. Stick the disc on your phone

    Put one of the two metal discs on the back of your phone or inside your case. You only do this once.

    Thick case? The disc goes on the outside.

  4. Snap, swivel and frame

    Place the mount on the metal, bring the phone to it and turn it until you and the bar are in shot. There is a ball joint under the head and another on the base, and both rotate, so you can change the angle without moving the base.

  5. Record on the back camera

    Start recording before you walk to the bar, so you are not reaching for the phone mid-set.

  6. Check the first rep

    Watch back a few seconds of your warm-up set. It is much better to fix the frame now than to finish a heavy set and find you were out of shot.

“I train alone 99.9% of the time and I always have a hard time filming myself. I would have to ask someone to do it or prop up my phone in a very unsafe way.”

Aharon H.Loox review of the Vloggers Mount

Where it works and where it does not

A magnetic mount only works where there is magnetic metal. Most racks and machines are steel, but a wooden platform, a mirrored wall or a plastic-covered frame will not hold it.

If there is no metal where you train, a tripod or a suction mount is the better tool. The mount vs tripod guide covers when each one wins.

Filming in a shared gym

Ask before you put your phone on a machine someone else is about to use, and take it with you when you move on. The mount is 3.8cm tall and 55g, so it lives in a pocket or the side of a gym bag between sets.

Film your next set hands-free

Stick the disc, snap the mount to the rack, swivel and record.

Shop the mount · €35,95

Free shipping over $40. 30-day returns.