Meet the Member with Tonal’s Longest All-Time Streak

Staying consistent with your workouts is impressive. But staying consistent for nearly seven years? That’s monumental. With over 6.5 years (and counting) of weekly Tonal workouts, Farzan Irani, 42, holds the record for Tonal’s all-time longest streak. 

A professor of communication disorders and speech pathology, Irani lives in Austin with his wife, 8-year-old twins, and their French bulldog. We reached out to learn how he manages to keep his streak alive with a busy schedule—and on days when he doesn’t want to get out of bed: 

How did you get started on Tonal?

Before finding Tonal, I was working out at the gym with a personal trainer, but I didn’t like being bound to their schedule. You had to make an appointment and it was just too much of a hassle for me, especially with kids when things are constantly changing. 

I found Tonal when I was looking for a smart option I could do at home. My Tonal was probably one of the first to ship outside of California when it was delivered in April 2019. I was just fascinated with it and I’ve had my streak ever since. Initially, I wasn’t working out just for the streak. It was just getting the workouts in. And then when the streak started building up that was a way for me to keep track of how long I’ve had the Tonal.

What’s your typical routine like?

If I don’t wake up in the morning for my workout, it’s not happening. I set an alarm for 4:30 a.m. every day because I know I have to be done by 6 to start getting my kids ready for school. I usually do programs, so I know how long my workout that day is going to be, and I mentally prepare myself to get out of bed so I’ll have enough time to complete it. 

How do you stay motivated to keep your streak going?

I get fixated, and fitness is the one thing in my life I can control, so I’m going to control it because I can.

I’m not going to lie; I’m not excited for every workout. Some days I literally pull myself out of bed and think, Oh no, another workout. For example, today I had an 8 Weeks to Lean workout with Coach Woody on deck and I knew it was going to be tough, but I also knew that after I finished I would feel energized and ready for the rest of my day. 

The gamification and stats on Tonal help a lot. Watching my Strength Score go up and seeing where I land on the leaderboard adds a little bit of competitiveness, a little bit of external motivation, and it gets my Type A personality kicking in. 

Have you ever had a crazy week where you thought you’d lose your streak?

The first time I traveled after getting my Tonal, I thought I’d lose my streak, which was very upsetting. But then I discovered the On-the-Go workouts and now I do those in my hotel room whenever I’m traveling. Otherwise, no. Nothing crazy happens at four in the morning. Even if I’m sick, I’ll do a deload workout with Recovery Weights. 

What do you love about training on Tonal?

I love the simplicity of it, and how it just works. I hate having to plan. At work, I’m doing all the planning. Research requires a lot of planning to put your vision forward, and I don’t want fitness to be another job. I have a stressful-enough job. I don’t enjoy building workouts or racking my weights; I just want to get the work done. Tonal lets me do that. It sets the weights, and if I feel like they're loo light I can increase them and Tonal will remember that. I don’t have to carry a log with me and write it down. It just works. 

Do you have any favorite programs or coaches?

I really enjoyed 12 Weeks to Jacked with Joe Rodonis. I gravitate more toward Jackson Bloore and Joe Rodonis programs. I’ll be pushing 15-17 thousand pounds in those workouts and I’m trying to prevent muscle loss as I’m aging. 

What results have you noticed from training on Tonal?

I have a lot more muscle mass—my wife has commented on that. I’m not the best with my diet but I know that even if I gain weight, there’s muscle that goes along with it. Mentally, working out on Tonal helps a lot. I’m in a much better mood on days I work out.