FitnessGenes is a genetic testing service that analyses your DNA and tells you how to optimise your training and nutrition based on your genetic blueprint to help reach weight loss and fitness goals.

The process is pretty straightforward: You order your test kit, get it delivered, spit into a tube, seal it and send it back. Meanwhile you enter your lifestyle data and training goals into the company’s online portal, and within two to three weeks you receive the results of your DNA analysis (which is done by a certified lab in the UK) along with personalised training and nutrition recommendations.

FitnessGenes analyses 41 genetic variations, looking at various genes that impact your training, metabolism and nutritional needs. This includes genes relating to muscle strength, adrenaline signalling, blood pressure regulation, energy production, metabolism, fatigue and recovery, fat and carb processing, to name a just a few.

In isolation, the results of the DNA test read a bit like a science textbook, and if you haven’t done any biology since school you may get lost in the jargon pretty quickly. However, FitnessGenes interprets the results and turns them into recommended actions, so you don’t have to study sports science or nutrition to make sense of it all.

DNA-assisted training and nutrition strategies

The analysis package comes with a ‘personal action blueprint’ of training and nutrition strategies that suit your genetic profile. If you know your basics, you can build a workout programme based on that – or you can pay FitnessGenes to do it for you. Upgrade options for ‘premium genetic training programmes’ come in a range of packages – get fit, get lean, lose weight, build muscle and celebrity coaches – with a price range of £29 to £229 and a duration of four to 24 weeks.

Premium plans were not included in our review package, so let’s take a look at what you get if you buy only the DNA test kit, which is priced at £129 individually.

Training strategies are broken down into beginner, intermediate and advanced level. Each includes recommendations for workout types and frequency – at beginner level this is as basic as “do a full body workout three times a week”, while the intermediate and advanced levels come with a more detailed plan for hitting different muscle groups on different days, and a range of exercise suggestions.

As part of this, you also get personalised recommendations for workout types and volumes that work well for your genetic make-up, including the number of sets and reps and recovery time that is deemed best for your personal muscle-building or weight loss goals.

FitnessGenes also provides some pointers on how to optimise your strength and cardio training. Based on my results, for example, I’m told that strength training periodisation will help me make continual gains, and that I should to two to three HIIT sessions a week to overcome fat-loss plateaus. However, that’s the kind of advice I’ve been reading on every fitness website ever, so it probably applies to most people regardless of their genetic make-up.

Also in the ‘personal action blueprint’ you’ll find a nutrition calculator with a recommended calorie intake and macronutrient breakdown. Based on your genetic results, the nutrition blueprint will also tell you which meal sizes and snacking regimes work best for you, how to optimise your macros, whether you’re at risk of overeating and how to control appetite. There’s also a ton of general information on nutrition, macros, eating for fat loss and muscle gain, and using supplements.

Finally, you get some information about physiological strategies, including post-workout recovery, blood flow and vasodilation, susceptibility to oxidative damage and testosterone levels (if you’re male).

An example of FitnessGenes’ nutrition calculator results

DNA fitness analysis: how useful is it all?

Overall it looks like FitnessGenes has a pretty good set-up. The DNA test was easy to do – even though I had to do it twice as my first saliva sample didn’t contain enough DNA for a successful analysis.

The results were delivered as promised and the online interface is well-structured and easy to navigate. All content is colour-coded so it’s easy to tell the general info from the personalised recommendations, and a little DNA symbol used in menus helps to quickly identify sections containing personalised content.

The analysis turned out to be a lot more detailed than I expected. For each of the 41 genetic variations, there’s a quick overview as well as a full page explaining the gene and its function in detail. This part comes across a bit science-heavy and intimidating, but the key results are picked up in the action blueprint and explained in context of training and nutrition, where it all makes a lot more sense.

Based on my experience, I’d say FitnessGenes looks like a very useful system, especially if you like to take a structured approach to training and have a specific goal such as muscle gain or fat loss. You have to invest a fair bit of time into reading the results to really get something out of it, as well as being willing to adjust your training and eating habits accordingly. But then, if you’re spending £129 on a fitness DNA test, you’re probably a bit nerdy about your training and nutrition anyway, and will get exactly what you’re looking for.

Factor’s verdict:

Bang & Olufsen has a reputation for making achingly beautiful tech with a price tag to match, so if you’re on the market for a wireless speaker that can be your main sound system for years to come, and – importantly – money is no option, look no further than the BeoSound 2.

Looking like the result of an illicit union between an Airsteam and darlek, the speaker is incredibly stylish and built to an extremely high quality, resulting in an object that would be an excellent aesthetic addition to a modern home, even if it didn’t actually do anything.

Encased in aluminium, it is a pleasure to look at and interact with, featuring an extremely pleasing and intuitive control system where the top can be twisted to adjust the volume.  There is no bewildering array of buttons and settings; music is simply sent to the speaker via connected devices over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi – with very good compatibility with all the usual suspects – and plays without having to mess about or manually reconnect. Subtle sounds are also used to indicate events such as a device connecting, in a manner that feels natural and very easy to understand.

And then there is the sound. My god, the sound. The BeoSound 2 is described as having 360° sound, which it certainly does, but what Bang & Olufsen’s marketing material fails to do is describe how textured that sound feels. It has depth and feeling, in a manner I’ve only ever heard before with vinyl, and it’s truly pleasant to have playing, even if the music in question is decidedly sub-par. One very minor gripe was that some genres sounded a little bassier than may be desired, but I’ve yet to encounter a luxury speaker where this isn’t the case.

The volume, too, is hellishly impressive. At half-volume we were able to broadcast music to our entire open-plan office, and at full volume we could have easily provided tunes for a rave. Basically, I challenge you to find a room this speaker wouldn’t manage to fill, and if it does exist, it would almost certainly be able to house a small herd of elephants.

The initial setup was a little less than smooth, involving an app that doesn’t quite match B&O’s usual quality levels, but once this was completed we didn’t have to worry about it again once. And when our office Wi-Fi decided to give up for a few minutes, the speaker neatly reconnected without intervention, and continued to play whatever nonsense we were subjecting it to without complaint.

In short, if money was no issue, I’d be recommending this to everyone without hesitation. But unfortunately it is, and for most people it’s going to be a rather big sticking point. Because the BeoSound 2 isn’t just not cheap; it’s really very expensive, setting you back an eye-watering £1,475. And if that sounds like a lot of money to you – and it certainly does to me – then it’s probably not going to be worth it.

But if you are looking for a speaker that will likely last for years and supports a wide enough range of different services that it’s unlikely to become obsolete any time soon, and you are willing to pay over a grand for such an item, then you should definitely consider the BeoSound 2. It looks and sounds amazing.

Factor’s verdict: